Health & Fitness Online Part 1: Daily Burn

by Rachel Lara van der Merwe on July 29, 2016July 29, 2016

I have very mixed feelings about the quantifiable self movement. For those unfamiliar with that term, the quantifiable self refers to the ways in which we can use modern technology to collect data about how our bodies are functioning on a daily basis. This is most prominently seen in the use of wearables (like the Fitbit), which monitor numbers like heart rate, calories burned, and steps walked, but the quantifiable self movement encompasses any approach to viewing the body through the lens of various sets of measurements.

The quantifiable self movement (QSM) is intended to empower the individual to take control of their lives–if knowledge is power, then more knowledge of the body can only be a good thing, right? However, as many editorials and articles have pointed out, the QSM also seems to be associated with higher levels of anxiety and obsessive behavior from participants seeking to obtain “the right numbers” – whatever those might be.

I do have a Fitbit (Zip), and I wear it occasionally, but my previous experiences with walking challenges and pedometers has left me utterly frustrated and doing inane things like walking on the spot while brushing my teeth just to try to meet my step goals. I had just about given up on the potential for technology to help humans lead fitter, healthier lives, when I encountered two pieces of tech that changed my mind. While both pieces of technology provide a means to track and maintain your health and fitness goals, neither are associated with the quantifiable self movement. Instead one might say that these pieces of technology are about quality rather than quantity or measurements. This week I’ll tell you about the first and then, next week, I will address the second.

The first is actually a website–a combination of an online community with a Hulu-like streaming service for fitness videos. The website is called Daily Burn, and you may have heard about it or seen their commercials while watching shows on Hulu. Daily Burn has an archive of numerous fitness programs of all types, ranging from Pilates and yoga to dance workouts and high intensity cardio and strength circuits. That in itself is nice, but what really distinguishes the website is (1) Daily Burn 365 and (2) its community.

*The Daily Burn Interface. I Chromecast it to my TV screen.*

Every day at 9am EST they release a new live workout with a different trainer and a different style. You never know what you are getting, so you can’t get bored, and they frequently bring in fascinating guests to chat about their own fitness journeys. You can participate live, or you can cue up the video anytime throughout the day. It’s only up one day and then poof it’s gone and replaced with something new. While traditional fitness videos are demonstrated by a group of highly trained fitness experts with sculpted bodies, the DB365 crew (besides the lead trainer) are regular folks at different stages in their fitness journeys, who are striving to grow stronger along with those who tune in online.

Today's Daily Burn team, led by trainer Phoenix, in motion doing around the clock lunges. — *Today’s Daily Burn team, led by trainer Phoenix, in motion doing around-the-clock lunges*.

This leads to the second distinguishing factor in Daily Burn–the community. While most of the Internet is overrun by trolls who are intent on spreading their negativity, Daily Burn is this rare pocket of genuine mutual love and positive energy. If you participate in the workouts live, there is a chat box on the side where you can comment on the workout as you go through it. DB365ers will sign in early just to chat with each other and talk about what’s going on in their lives and then, throughout the workout, the conversation continues with expressions of encouragement and motivation to each other, the trainers, and the on-camera participants, especially when the sweat really starts dripping! Fitness and nutrition experts sign on to the chat as well, ready to offer any points of advice, especially if something doesn’t feel right when doing a move. After the workouts, there is a forum and the (private) Facebook Page to continue the conversation and also get more fitness and health advice from experts and peers.

When I first joined, I was very skeptical about all the enthusiasm–people couldn’t really be this happy! But now that I’ve been a member of the family for about six months now, I can verify that it’s the real deal. As a naturally cynical person, participating in Daily Burn has challenged me to have a more positive outlook on life and the people around me. In addition, the term family is not just a marketing ploy, it actually reflects the intimate nature of the community. You grow to love all the trainers, the delightful host JD, the studio participants, and the regulars who sign on every day and every week. My Facebook feed is now frequently populated by posts from Daily Burners, so I get to see them outside of the workouts, as real people with real lives.

Fitness with Daily Burn becomes less of a goal and more a part of a lifestyle, a lifestyle committed to loving oneself and the body you’ve been given, to loving life, and most importantly to loving one another. Each day in Daily Burn, we are reminded that fitness has a lot to teach us about personal strength (beyond just the physical), commitments, discipline, and perseverance. And we do it together, just as everything we do in life is far more rewarding when it is done in community.

Daily Burn is a great example of the Internet used to its best potential. There is yet hope that we can overcome the trolls and further tap into the Internet’s ability to connect people.

If you are interested in giving Daily Burn a try, they have a 30 day free trial, which is a fantastic way to see if you might like it. If you do, please sign up through this link. Daily Burn has not paid me to write this review, but I do get a referral credit when people sign up through me.

After the free trial, the good news is that Daily Burn is only $13/month. That’s much cheaper than a gym membership, and you get a whole lot more than a gym membership for that price.

*Some of the other fitness programs that Daily Burn offers.*

If you do try it, let me know. I’d love to hear your experiences! As always, if you haven’t already, subscribe below via email to High and Low to make sure you don’t miss my weekly posts. You can also follow me on Twitter @highandlowblog.

Featured image is courtesy of Pexels.com.

Join me on WNYC Note to Self’s New Digital Challenge to Combat Information Overload

by Rachel Lara van der Merwe on January 25, 2016January 25, 2016

Last year, the podcast Note to Self created something called the “Bored and Brilliant Challenge” in which thousands of people worldwide spent a week trying to be more intentional about how we interact with our mobile technology to improve our creativity. That’s when I joined the Note to Self community, and it has been an incredible year of contemplating how we as humans can be more mindful about our technology and media.

This year, based on the community’s request, Note to Self is hosting a new week-long challenge, beginning Feb. 1st, that will tackle information overload in our lives. It’s called Infomagical. Whether you feel overwhelmed about social media, all the TV shows you need to watch, or the emails in your inbox, there will be something in this challenge for you.

And the best thing is – we will be doing this together.

If you are on board: head over to the Infomagical site and sign up.
You should also listen to the following short podcast episode, which will explain what we will be doing next week:

And if you haven’t already, subscribe to Note to Self! You can find it on iTunes or through your favorite podcast app, like Stitcher or Overcast.

Thanks to Note to Self for letting me use their incredible artwork. The illustrator was John Hersey.

The Obstacles of a Almost-but-not-quite-yet Globalized Society

by Rachel Lara van der Merwe on November 4, 2015November 4, 2015

Before I embark on my post this week, I want to briefly mention the film Brooklyn. I saw a pre-screening Monday night, and it blew me away. I almost wrote a review, but I would really rather not break it down or dissect it into its parts. It’s one of those films that I think each viewer should walk into with as much of a blank slate as possible. So what I will do is recommend that you go see it and then tell me what you thought. (See trailer here.)

If that isn’t enough encouragement for you, I will note that the writer, Nick Hornby, is the same gentleman who adapted the screenplays for Wild and An Education. If you emotionally connected with either or both of those films, you will find a similar connection here, though in a completely different context. An Education, of course, holds a special place in my heart because it is one of the movies that Josh and I copied for our engagement poster series.

Alright now moving on to the subject of this post: the obstacles of a not quite yet fully-globalized society.

Globalization is such a key topic these days, particularly because of technology such as Skype and WhatsApp that connect us with anybody, anywhere, and anytime across the globe. We can hop on a plane and within 24 hours be in a completely different culture and different language. Businesspeople frequently traverse the globe and effortlessly float from nation to nation and timezone to timezone. Internet sites such as Reddit and Twitter keep us up-to-date on world news, and commercial websites like Amazon or eBay allow us to purchase individual items from places we might never visit.

We are so used to crossing borders and moving between cultural spaces because of technology, yet at the same time, the technology and accompanying policies have not kept up.

While your phone works in your country, the moment you cross a national boundary, you run into all sorts of difficulties and exorbitant fees. What a pain it is to unlock your phone and switch out SIM cards. And then suddenly with smart phones, you are also fighting data battles and not just phone line battles.
Credit/debit card fees. Since fewer people use cash today, it is mind-boggling that we still have to carefully negotiate bank fees when traveling abroad. The easiest and cheapest solution is to withdraw cash using a debit card, but then you have to play a game of precision to make sure you don’t draw too much or too little cash–plus you have to lug cash around with you.
Television shows tend to run at different times depending on which country you are in. For instance, while Downtown Abbey might air in January in the UK, US residents might not get their hands on it until a few months later. Or in the case of Black Mirror, you may still be thwarted in your attempts to find the Christmas special.
Not to mention the frustration of DVD regions and NTSC/PAL.
Different electrical sockets and systems that render appliances difficult-to-use or useless outside of their manufactured region.

The net result of these types of situations is a fairly disgruntled populace, which is used to convenience and easy accessibility. So what do they do? They find workarounds, often illegal. For instance, in the case of television, people illegally stream or download shows so that their British cousin or friend studying abroad doesn’t spoil the big reveal in their favorite tv show yet to air at home. I think AirBnB is another example of a workaround, trying to bridge the gap that corporate hospitality groups created within global travel.

In some senses, I think contemporary society could be seen as entitled, demanding efficiency and convenience that is not really needed. But in other senses, there are some serious disconnects in the ways that society operates globally that do not make sense if we wish globalization to continue. And some pretty serious ethical issues are raised, such as the question of whether it’s fair to illegally download an item because you can’t gain access to the item otherwise. Illegal resistance is often the way in which regulations get changed, but once again, it might just be a reflection of an entitled society.

What are your thoughts? What other areas of technology do you think have fallen behind the rest of globalization? What ethical questions are raised by these disparities? Do you think society is entitled for pushing back with illegal workarounds? Share your thoughts in the comment selection below!