Freewheelin riders have included Members of Congress, mayors, movie stars, TV personalities, journalists, cartoonists, and an all-american football player (OK, so he works for us, but still). But we were especially excited that a freewheeler has been appointed to the Obama administration. The former mayor of Dallas, Ron Kirk, was nominated late last week to the post of US Trade Representative, a cabinet-level position responsible for developing and recommending US trade policy to the President.
Mr. Kirk experienced the magic of bikesharing in a ride with a group of Texan delegates to the democratic convention in Denver. The 54-year-old spent a few minutes talking with me after his ride, and seemed to really enjoy the experience.
In announcing Mr. Kirk’s new post, President-elect Obama said that, “Ron will help make sure that any agreements I sign as President protect the rights of all workers, promote the interests of all Americans, and preserve the planet we all share.” Sounds like a great job for a Freewheeler!
See below for the exclusive “Ron Kirk Freewheelin Interview;” hard-hitting journalism at its best . . .
DISCLAIMER ALERT: The ideas expressed in this post came out of my own head, were researched by my own eyes and were expressed by my own hands. They are not intended to serve as medical advice in any way, shape or form. And they do not reflect the views of Humana Inc. or any of its subsidiaries. I take full responsibility if you think this post is awesome or not awesome.
When we launched the Horsepower Challenge this past spring (see video/more info) in 5 Louisville middle schools, we learned a lot of interesting stuff. For example: More than 50% of the kids playing this exergame included their families in their exercise program. AND, 45% of the kids ate better during the competition.
So what?
Well, the first reason those stats are interesting is that neither activity was explicitly or implicitly encouraged, or even mentioned, as a part of the program. The kids did it on their own. The second is that it points to something important: kids can help their families be healthier.
If you’ve been reading this blog, you know that one of our core design principles is that we focus first on what’s fun – and use that as a way to get to what’s healthy. And we’ve had a big week. The Battle of the Bulge launches on Facebook today (December 24) and the Freewheelin Cycle Challenge has now been launched at Humanagames.com.
Why am I telling you all this? Because I need your help with the Freewheelin Cycle Challenge. And it involves a contest. With Prizes. For YOU. As a parent, I know that having kids at home, with a month off, in lousy weather and stuffed full of sweets makes for kids with short attention spans. And we want for those kids to play the Freewheelin Cycle Challenge. We think it’s a fun game that can teach kids some healthy stuff.
So my challenge for YOU is to reach as many parents as you can, and convince them to get their kids to play the game (which, by the way, is easy and fun for all ages. OK, maybe all ages over 5. My infant nephew thought it was lame).
I’m going to give away a bunch of iTunes gift certificates to the contestants who:
Come up with the most creative ways of reaching out to people about the Cycle Challenge (that might include a creative communication channel and/or a creative and persuasive message)
The legal rules of the competition are: There are none. At my sole discretion, I will determine how many winners there will be, what the winning criteria are, and the value of the gift certificates. I reserve the right to be arbitrary and capricious. But I will DEFINITELY give public props to the people who impress me. How to play? Simple.
Create a strategy for getting your message out.
Do it.
Tell me what you did (and if possible, how it worked) by commenting on this blog post.
The contest will run between now and Friday, January 2. I’ll announce the winners on Monday, January 5. So tell your friends! Share this post on your web site! Tell your neighbors! Write letters to the editor! Shout it from the rooftops! Whatever works for you. Just tell us about it here, and help some kids alleviate their holiday boredom – while they learn a little bit about health.
DISCLAIMER ALERT: The ideas expressed in this post came out of my own head, were researched by my own eyes and were expressed by my own hands. They are not intended to serve as medical advice in any way, shape or form. And they do not reflect the views of Humana Inc. or any of its subsidiaries. I take full responsibility if you think this post is awesome or not awesome.
We’ve been having fun with social media for a few months, but now we’re ready to take it to the next level. Humana’s innovation center team is excited to announce the launch of our first Facebook application – the Battle of the Bulge. This is the latest release from Humana’s Games for Health (see Paul Puopolo’s post from last week).
There is some pretty interesting research being done right now on the influence of both social networks and visual reinforcement on weight loss.
And we’ve completely ignored it to launch BoTB.
Just kidding. But Battle of the Bulge does adhere to our most important design principle – to be fun first, and healthy afterwards. Once we figure out whether or not you like it, we’ll see where it goes from a health perspective. Anyway, check it out on Facebook tomorrow. Play it with your friends – have fun – and let us know what you think.
For the official press release (you didn’t really think this was it, did you?), click here.
DISCLAIMER ALERT: The ideas expressed in this post came out of my own head, were researched by my own eyes and were expressed by my own hands. They are not intended to serve as medical advice in any way, shape or form. And they do not reflect the views of Humana Inc. or any of its subsidiaries. I take full responsibility if you think this post is awesome or not awesome.
I was in a meeting yesterday, and I heard a statistic that I felt compelled to write down. In an analysis of regional obesity scores, those school districts with high instances of subsidized school lunches also contain the highest instances of obesity in the general population.
From this, I surmise that the populations that are the poorest are also among the fattest. What does that imply to the population that’s affluent? Does it follow that the wealthy are also the healthiest?
Culture has come a long way with regard to the connection between a desirable appearance and a healthy one. Problem is, they’re not always aligned. The changes that have shaped public opinion (and frankly, shaped the public’s bodies as well) have surrounded money. Wealth allows leisure and excess – a combination that does not normally foster a balanced lifestyle. Those that were skinny became that way from a simple lack of food. Conversely, overweight people were a product of their own privilege. The icon of a "fat cat" shop owner has been represented in colonial woodcuts, and is still recognized today.
In modern times, the pendulum swings the opposite direction. Thin is in – and international runway models become icons of beauty, sophistication, and success. The downside – it takes a vigorous regimen of coffee, cigarettes, and substances to maintain that rockstar image.
The impact on children is more disturbing. To keep kids fed, it’s more expensive and less convenient to eat well than it is to eat poorly. Schools offering funded lunches know this too well. The cost to provide a healthy lunch on federal subsidy is a challenge, without having to consider the cost of fresh vegetables and fruit. What’s more, those schools seeking to support a pay-as-you-go cafeteria have a tough time selling anything besides burgers, fries, and pizza – if those highly desirable items appear on the menu.
In the end, if being wealthy is a goal in our capitalist society, then looking wealthy will continue to be an objective in our population. So, the idea that wealthy people may trend to look less obese isn’t itself a bad thing. The catch is, you shouldn’t need to be wealthy in order to get there.
DISCLAIMER ALERT: The ideas expressed in this post came out of my own head, were researched by my own eyes and were expressed by my own hands. They are not intended to serve as medical advice in any way, shape or form. And they do not reflect the views of Humana Inc. or any of its subsidiaries. I take full responsibility if you think this post is awesome or not awesome.
Having just finished watching my daughter’s basketball practice, we got into the car and headed home. Not too long after we departed the parking lot, we started talking about practice (a typical coaching opportunity) but during our discussion my daughter broke out her Nintendo DS and began playing one of the titles in her “library” while simultaneously responding to my tips on how to best take the ball down the court. I had to laugh a little. Here was my daughter, having just engaged in 60 minutes of physical activity yet enjoying her video game just as much. Two types of play but in her eyes it was just fun.
Obesity rates in the U.S. are at an all time high, particularly for kids under 18 years old. No need to quote them here. Not to get into a socio-economic debate but there are a variety of reasons that contribute to these numbers (Changes in our community and work environments and apparently the popularity of game technology are just a few).
An interesting article We’ll Get Fit if It’s Fun, based on a research study in England, states that 9 out of 10 kids want to play video games at the same time they exercise. Why? To reduce the boredom! Is it odd that kids today find exercise boring? If you ever climbed on a treadmill, rode a stationary bike or slung some dumbbells, this should be no surprise. When we launched the Horsepower Challenge – a pedometer based online game with 5 schools in Louisville, kids told us a similar story. You can check it out on Humanagames.com.
Game technology provides us a unique opportunity to motivate all generations to improve their health. But more importantly, to have fun doing so.
According to a recent Pew Internet Report over 53% of adults play video games. Are these the gamers like myself who grew up on Atari, with geometric shaped Space Invaders and Pac Man and now have kids who are avid gamers? Probably. But they are also moms who have taken on casual PC games and who Nintendo has captured with the Wii. Even seniors are increasingly getting into the “game”.
Video games provide us the ability to approach health differently. There is no reason that health has to be boring and monotonous. Our job is to focus on what’s fun and make it healthy – not the reverse.
I don’t think my daughter is going to stop playing video games anytime soon (if her older siblings are any indication). But I don’t think she is going to stop playing hoops either.
DISCLAIMER ALERT: The ideas expressed in this post came out of my own head, were researched by my own eyes and were expressed by my own hands. They are not intended to serve as medical advice in any way, shape or form. And they do not reflect the views of Humana Inc. or any of its subsidiaries. I take full responsibility if you think this post is awesome or not awesome.
Freewheelin riders have included Members of Congress, mayors, movie stars, TV personalities, journalists, cartoonists, and an all-american football player (OK, so he works for us, but still). But we were especially excited that a freewheeler has been appointed to the Obama administration. The former mayor of Dallas, Ron Kirk, was nominated late last week to the post of US Trade Representative, a cabinet-level position responsible for developing and recommending US trade policy to the President.
When we launched the Horsepower Challenge this past spring (see 
We’ve been having fun with social media for a few months, but now we’re ready to take it to the next level. Humana’s innovation center team is excited to announce the launch of our first Facebook application – the Battle of the Bulge. This is the latest release from 
Culture has come a long way with regard to the connection between a desirable appearance and a healthy one. Problem is, they’re not always aligned. The changes that have shaped public opinion (and frankly, shaped the public’s bodies as well) have surrounded money. Wealth allows leisure and excess – a combination that does not normally foster a balanced lifestyle. Those that were skinny became that way from a simple lack of food. Conversely, overweight people were a product of their own privilege. The icon of a "fat cat" shop owner has been represented in colonial woodcuts, and is still recognized today. 