“[After being diagnosed with cancer,] All I wanted to do was connect with other individuals who’d been down the same path … I could not find them.  I thought I was the only one.  I felt all alone.  I knew all the statistics but I could not easily access other people.”

- Doug Ulman, CEO of the Lance Armstrong Foundation at Social Health 2010 (SxSH.org)

We’re looking for ways to help people connect with others who share their clinical conditions.  That’s why we created Diabatron as a demonstration project.  Diabatron monitors twitter daily, and picks out the top 20 people talking about diabetes and related subjects.  He’s intended to make it easy for diabetics (and those who care for them) to connect with others who may be going through the same things they are … to share knowledge, information, support and encouragement.

Diabatron helped us to discover something we didn’t anticipate – although in retrospect, we shouldn’t have been surprised.  Guess what: there’s a lot of spam on twitter.  After launching Diabatron, we discovered the following facts:

• “Sugar” is not a good word to include in a diabetes search.  Diabetics don’t seem to say it very often, and people who say it as a term of “endearment” tend to say it A LOT.
• Of our top 20 tweeters, all 19 were either spammers (e.g., pumping out links with no actual engagement with anyone) or people who like to call other people “SUGAR” a lot

The reason I’m telling you all this is because it’s an indication of why Diabatron is a “demonstration project.”  Our first pass at the idea is almost never very robust – but we can learn a lot.  In Diabatron’s case, we’re doing a few things that we think will make him more useful:

• Eliminating “Sugar” from the searched words
• Resetting tweets weekly (so that the last week’s activity is most relevant; this will keep the “all time spammers” from always making the list)
• Requiring at least 1 “@ reply” in the stream of the last 50 tweets.  For those of you not conversant with Twitter, an @ reply indicates that the author has READ something someone else has tweeted, and is RESPONDING to them directly.  Spammers almost never engage directly with anyone; this should clear out the list quite a bit.

We’d love to hear what you think about Diabatron: How you’d like to use it, and how you’d make it better.  We’d also love to know what kind of questions you have about our innovation/creative process.  And in the meantime, you can check out a diabetes tool that’s already really useful: Diabetes Nest – created by my friend Fabio Gratton (@skypen).  It’s great stuff.

FollowMe graphic by LimeShot

Like many Americans, as I entered middle age (I really don’t like having to use that phrase), I found myself facing many of the same health and lifestyle challenges that many have to deal with. My weight was rising, my family life was busy and complex with children in college, high school, and pre-school, I was faced with numerous professional uncertainties, and I still ate like a 10-year old. Stress was everywhere. Despite exercising regularly, I found that the other factors in my life were contributing to me being a part of the 67% of Americans who are either overweight or obese. While I would need different strategies to attack the family and professional challenges, I decided to tackle my physical well-being head on.

I first saw the P90X infomercial in a hotel room several years ago, ironically after getting up early to run. There they were – mostly ripped people doing pull-ups by the dozens, jumping around doing cardio work, and doing strength training right there on the DVD. I could tell it was a real fitness program, not a fly-by-night “lose 6 inches off your waist by wearing this vibrating belt” nonsense. And then there were the testimonials. Real people who were appearing to make real changes in their physical well-being. Sure, we all might want to go from bodies like the Pillsbury Dough Boy to Lance Armstrong, but I was a collegiate athlete, have completed 2 marathons and 6 triathlons, and averaged running about 800 miles and biking about 400 miles annually, so I wasn’t naïve to what it would take to make the impact that I wanted. I had no allusions that given my starting point, I would end up looking like Tony Horton, but I wanted it to be more than a diet. Don’t get me wrong – my primary objective was to stop having to wear my fat clothes all the time – but I also wanted the changes and benefits to be more reflected in my lifestyle.

Taking The Plunge

So after Christmas, I ordered the P90X program and made plans to get started. The cost wasn’t bad (approx. $120), and I equated it to about 2-3 months of a gym membership. When the order arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to see that in addition to the fitness DVD, the program also included a detailed nutrition guide that was also tailored to each phase of the P90X program. So I committed to getting up at 4:45 am during the week (4:30 on Yoga days) and making a difference in my fitness in about an hour a day.

On January 11, 2010, I began. Through the course of the program, it became clear that this wasn’t rocket science, but there was clear science and methodology to it. You work hard and eat right (ok, eat better), you see results. It was like having my own personal trainer in my basement that I could access at my convenience.

My Stats

I completed the 13 week program in 15 weeks, losing 1 week to the flu and another to a week of travel, but the results are below and I am pretty pleased. You can also see me daily workout summaries on Twitter.

                                             Prior to Day 1 Baseline                                      After Day 90

Resting Heart Rate                           60                                                                    54

Pull-Ups (unassisted)                       1                                                                      8

Vertical Leap                             Baseline                                                                +2”

Push Ups                                           40                                                                       52

Toe Touch                                        -2”                                                                     +5”

Wall Squat                                  1 min 19 sec                                                1 min 35 sec

Bicep Curls (25 lbs)                          12                                                                    18

In & Outs (Abs)                                  43                                                                    70

Yoga Sessions                                     0                                                                      16

Heart Rate after 2 minutes of heavy aerobic exercise

Time 0                                                157                                                                 157

Time 60 sec                                       119                                                                 115

Time 120 sec                                    105                                                                 101

Time 180 sec                                    98                                                                    93

Time 240 sec                                    93                                                                    86

Weight                                                207.6                                                              184.0

Waist                                                  38.0                                                                34.0

BMI                                                     29.0                                                                25.7

Total Investment: Approx $345 ($120 for P90X DVD, $25 for pull up bar, $20 for exercise bands, $180 for recovery drink & protein bars from GNC).

Fun Facts

Push Ups Completed: 1,243+

Pull Ups Completed: 1,943

Ab Reps Completed: 6,186

Bicep Curls: 1,509

Number of times I puked: 0

Number of times I came close to puking: approx 5

I’m really excited to share my upcoming participation in a panel and discussion titled “Can M-Health Change the World?” at the MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge next Tuesday, May 18, from 6:30 – 9:00 p.m.

Can mobile health change the world?  I believe unequivocally that it can.  The speakers are distinguished entrepreneurs, business people, and thought leaders in the mobile health and technology space.  I’m excited to meet the innovators who’ll be present the event but I’m most excited about what the event is all about.  We’re on the forefront of seeing what mobile technology can really do for global health.

I admit it. I’m a procrastinator when it comes to some things and one of those things was getting a will. I bought do-it-yourself software. I even went to so far as to load it onto my computer, but I ran into some sections where I needed help and tabled the project.

Surprisingly, the answer to this problem was right under my nose – at work. I’d heard about the employee assistance programs (EAP) offered through work and decided to call.

As it turns out, EAP provides legal resources, including guidance on creating a will. So, I’m now filling out the legal forms and will meet with a lawyer shortly to seal the deal. The best part is that the service was free.

Although I sound like an advertisement, I’m recommending the EAP/work-life services program to co-workers. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has a project on the backburner that stays there because of lack of expertise or the ability to take the first step. EAP offers help with:

• Legal issues
• Financial issues
• Family issues
• Daycare/eldercare
• Personal and work challenges (including stress, depression, conflict)

If you are ready to tackle that problem that’s been lingering, you should check with human resources to find out if EAP is offered where you work.

Read more about EAP programs.

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We all dread the annual winter sickness.  It comes, usually without warning, and stays longer than we want.  We’re sniffly, sneezy, achey and in general malaise for much longer than we can afford to be. Even when things start to clear up, we still don’t feel quite 100 percent.  The thing is, all that can be avoided if we keep our immune system running to its fullest potential.  In addition to regular, and I do mean regular exercise, the best way to stave off sickness is by making sure your body is running on the best fuel possible for the dark days and long nights of winter.

You don’t need 10 steps or 20 or even five to make sure you are eating the right things at the right times.  Over at HealthCastle.com they narrowed it down to four simple, easy-to-remember tips to help you get properly fueled and free of colds, flus and all other annoying and clingy winter ailments.  Please head over and check out their full article, but for now here are their four steps to eating properly this winter. Take special note of number three, and remember that we just did a post about exactly that!  Here we go:

1. Eat high-quality carbs: Listen to your cravings. There is a reason for them! In the winter, with fewer sunny hours, your stored serotonin (the “feel-good” brain chemical) starts to decline. Your cravings for carbohydrate-loaded comfort foods are your body crying for more serotonin. But be careful when choosing carbohydrates to boost serotonin! Opt for nutritious whole grains and choose high-quality carbs, such as sweet potatoes, pumpkins and squashes.
2. Love seasonal produce: Winter produce may not be as exciting and colorful as summer berries, but there are still many healthy choices available. Work seasonal produce, including pomegranates, cranberries, citrus fruits, purple grapes and orange root vegetables, into your meals. You’ll not only add color to your plate, you’ll pack in some serious nutrition punch.
3. Consider Vitamin D supplements: If you live in the northern hemisphere, consider taking vitamin D supplements. Numerous studies have shown that oral intake of vitamin D can reduce the risk of colon, breast and ovarian cancers by as much as 50 percent. Vitamin D can be found in fortified dairy products, fatty fish and egg yolks. But reaching the recommended level through food alone is rather difficult. Therefore, the Canadian Cancer Society recommends that all adults take vitamin D supplements every day during the fall and winter seasons. Be sure to speak to your doctor before starting any supplementation.
4. Nourish your cold: No diet remedy or supplement has been scientifically proven to prevent cold and flu. However, studies have shown that vitamin C supplements may make your cold milder and shorten it by half a day. In addition, there’s a promising perk for yogurt lovers! A German study found that probiotics (as found in yogurt with active culture) may shorten your cold episode by almost two days.  So keep on eating those “friendly bugs!”

It’s winter but it doesn’t have to be miserable. Before you know it, we’ll be posting about the glory of warm spring weather and how to avoid sunburn!