I know it has been a few weeks since our last blog, but busy times for the fitness arena have kept us locked up without a recess L lately. Although today isn’t much different with the time constraints, I’ve been stumbling upon the same question in my head lately (yes, talking to myself) driven directly by the interaction with various different types of clients, and the tools and questions we utilize to ensure their success.
Technology, the double-edged sword that we yet still love to hate.
Now days we can do almost everything online and almost everything is 24/7 online. Myself, I do my banking, 50% of business operations, I check up on the news, I socialize, shop, etc. At the grocery store you can go through the self-checkout and not have a face-to-face with anyone your whole trip. They even have banks now where you have to talk to a live person on the other side of the big wall via a computer screen, and therefore never even seeing them any different than skype! Heck, you can even take a picture of a check and deposit it via your mobile phone, never even leaving the couch! We have cells phones now that not only can be used to call someone, but to text, watch movies, surf the web, check e-mail, and the list goes on and on.
But is all of this technology good for us or bad for us? The general concept of today’s society is clear, and truly understandable: convenience. While I see the many benefits to using technology it’s recently become very apparent to me that it has the possibility to be hurt as much as help us. Computers with artificial intelligence could go totally “Terminator” on us. Have you ever seen the Bruce Willis movie “Surrogates?” Exactly! It's almost as if technology is moving ahead faster than mankind can keep up. We are just getting swept up in what is possible and don't stop to think about the consequences.
So before I get into a non-sense ramble about all of it, I’ll just skip right down to the core of my flustered mind…
A few years ago we all started seeing “online trainers” where you basically paid for some “trainer” who you likely never see in person, and only communicate via email and 1-2 times a month phone “coaching call.” You would go through some “cookie-cutter” workout that appeared to be legit, but has also been sent to thousands of other uninformed buyers across the world. You might have lost a few pounds if any, but that’s it. But that trainer never met you, built a connection with you, doesn’t know and therefore never cared about you or your success at all. That online trainer cared about that onetime payment of $99 (or whatever), and he/she is solid. For all you actually know, the 430 pound idiot on the other side of the computer is smoking his cigarette while drinking his beer, only so he can wash down his 14 Big Macs! This is where my irritation all started, when I would have clients come in and start working with me, and the first several sessions were essentially undoing the damage this online idiot put in their head! But it doesn’t stop there…
Next you start getting such things as:
· Any gym rat getting online and writing as if they were competent enough to write about fitness and nutrition, when in actuality writing their name correctly deserves a high five.
o Thus a plethora of contradicting information available via search engines, for anybody looking to get fit and/or lose weight to attempt to decipher what is good and what is absolutely horrible.
· Some pretty crafty developers creating these general-use programs and widgets(blidgets, gidgets, gadgets, whatever!), that are SUPPOSED to calculate your fitness levels including your bodyfat%, basal metabolism rate, calorie needs for weight loss/gain, etc. Most of these are okay to get a general (general=key word here) idea of where you stand, but in no way can determine what your body needs whether in fitness or nutrition, in order to achieve you goals. Worthless.
· The nintendo, Xbox, and all of the other little gaming systems have even come out with the interactive “fit programs” that are not only worthless money-suckers, but half the time give people a false sense of fitability (yes, I just made that word up! Feel free to use it). People spend a bunch of time trying to adhere to playing the fit games, but next thing you know they’re munching the Doritos and ordering Chinese, all without putting down the controller. It did so much help as you can see.
o Did we not learn from the regular Nintendo when all the kids used to take out the track & field, and put in the ol’ excite bike?
· Most of us have a job that requires at least half or even all of our work to be done online. You might not realize it yet, but how much are you working on the computer? Your phone? Sending an email/IM to the person on the other side of the office instead of walking over there? Scheduling a “Go-To Meeting” and conference meeting via your computer instead of a face to face conference requiring you to get that butt out of the chair? Exactly.
Believe me, I can go on and on about the negatives and B.S. involved with all of the technology screwing society’s concept of what fitness and exercise really is, but that’s not what this is about.
On the contrary, I am very well versed in utilizing technology not only to help myself in my life, but also in enabling Fitness Mastermind clientele in their fitness journeys.
You have some awesome options when it comes to technology involved with fitness including:
· Online fitness & nutrition logs for clients/fit-goers not only to keep track of nutrition & fitness training, but also to forward to their trainer who frequently reviews such.
· Fitness, running, cycling, training, weightlifting, and every other log/tracking method you can think of…There’s an app for that!
· Online fitness & weight-loss forums. These do help believe it or not via the comradery between users.
· Social media groups, followers, tweets, & the buzz about a running group in your neighborhood, a free fitness class you can take at the studio down the road, a group of like minded fit-goers looking and welcoming also like-minded people such as yourself.
· Videos & pictures of new exercises to add to your repertoire, so you can keep it fresh and interesting in your training.
And once again, the “good list” can go on and on, just as the “bad list” can.
You see, the problem is within how we choose to utilize technology, and hopefully not over-utilize. If you’re watching the Food Network and see Paula Deen fix some chicken rice casserole, it isn’t going to magically appear on your dinner table, is it? Likewise, just by reading a bunch of “fitness articles” and using some high tech widget online to construct your new nutrition program, you’re not going to blink and magically shed the extra pounds that are pushing against the front of your desk!
What does all this mean?
What this is means is that technology is always going to be here whether we like it or not, and can actually be a very helpful tool in helping us totally revamp our lives via our eating habits and training programs; However, we have to know when to shut the freaking thing off and just as Nike says-JUST DO IT! Think about it, how much sense does it make to spend 2 hours (or even more) on the computer looking over fitness articles, apps, widgets and gidgets, but only get 30 minutes (if any) of exercise? You flip that around and you could be the person who is telling their success story online or have your picture on the first page of that $9.99 app saying that people can look like you!
Take it as you may, but I am by far not downplaying the importance or the convenience of technology in accordance with today’s society. I love that when I don’t know about something, I simply pull out my phone and I’ve got the answer in 10 seconds. Or when scheduling clients or organizing a group, I can send out any emails necessary while simultaneously sending out the same via text, while tweeting the same details which will very shortly be automatically redistributed to my facebook fan page and profile page. I love it, absolutely and truly love it. However, it never has and never will keep me from or take a higher priority than my workouts and training. I use technology not just as a resource, not just as a means of completing work and business tasks faster, but I use it for fun, games and learning-just as much as the next guy/gal. BUT AGAIN, you will never hear me saying “oh crap, I missed my workout because I was tweet-facing while I was on the tube-book(joking by the way)!”
Take Home Message:
Discover how to utilize technology to advance your fitness and/or weight loss goals. Utilize each and every option you want to dabble with, and to the fullest. But, remember technology takes a backseat to your health & fitness. Just like my old man used to say “if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.” The same can be said about technology, in terms of your fitness and/or weight-loss goals. If technology hasn’t become part of your fitness & weight loss solution, it’s more than likely part of your problem!
F.A.T.=Frequently Abusing Technology
Until Next Time!
Keep it fit,
Fitness Mastermind, LLC
