Are YOU a Keyboard Cauliflower?
Category: Cycling/Running/Fitness...
Posted Sunday, August 03, 2003 at 03:21 PM [GMT-6]

The Post Title Explained

OK, before we go any further, let's discuss the title of this post. I spent literally minutes contemplating a new vegetable- or fruit-related metaphor for bloggers, instead of falling back on the tired old "couch potato" appellation. It was harder than I expected.

The obvious alternatives didn't toss my salad: keyboard carrot (too thin); e-ggplant (too obscure); keyboard kale (too, um, leafy); virtual vegetable (too generic); blog banana (there's the thinness, again); blog brussels sprouts (too wordy, plus nobody likes brussels sprouts).

So, "Keyboard Cauliflower" it is. Got one that's better? I'm open to suggestions...

The President's Challenge Website

Now, on to the real subject of this post. I was watching CNN Headline News yesterday afternoon while cooling down after a 20-mile tandem ride with My Lovely Bride, and this chick in a uniform was explaining the concept behind a new website, The President's Challenge.

This is a "physical activity and fitness award program" of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. It's essentially an online exercise log, with a few twists designed to give you some motivation and benchmarking tools. I've logged onto it and like what I see.

It allows you to accumulate points based on your age group and the type, intensity and duration of physical activity. Achieving certain points levels qualifies you for a nifty commemorative medallion, which the cynical among us will describe as "cheesy." I won't disagree, necessarily, but I prefer to think of the medallion as irrelevant. It's the points accumulation that's the key.

Take Me, For Example

Perhaps a real-life example will help. I'm in the category of "Adult" (based on age, not maturity). My chosen activity for the day was "bicycling" (I could have chosen from scores of activities, from Aerobics to Yoga, and including Unicycling and Baton Twirling). Once I selected my activity, I can then select from some levels of intensity (in this case, 16+ MPH equals "vigorous"). Finally, I enter the time spent in this activity (75 minutes). Based on that combination of variables, the program computes my points total for the activity (1,015 in this case). Had I actually engaged in 90 minutes of Baton Twirling, I would have earned 348 points. (I don't think that you get any extra credit for contusions and abrasions.)

Now, here's the really cool part. Once you've started your log, you can compare your progress to an interesting assortment of "peer groups." For example, you can compare yourself to others in your age group, in your city, in your state or in your selected activity -- or in any combination thereof.

I am thus far leading the state... nay, the nation... nay the WORLD... in the category of 51-year-old bicyclists riding at 16+ mph. Yep, that one other guy (or gal...it's gender neutral) is a real slacker, compared to me. (If you happen to be that other guy...or gal...don't pay any attention to me. It's just the endorphins talking.)

Of course, as of the typing of this post, only 857 people in the entire universe have actually registered on the site and entered at least one workout, but I refuse to acknowledge any diminishment of my accomplishment.

The Relevance to Bloggers

"So what?" you may be asking. Here's what. I know that some of you are dealing with weight issues, because you're chronicling them on your blog. I know that others are suffering from a variety of aches and pains stemming from hours of relative inactivity in front of a keyboard and monitor. And, finally, I know that many of you blog for the sense of community.

Well, here's a way to bring all three of these issues into a happy convergence. While it's impractical for most of us engage in any group exercise or other physical activities, what we can do is organized into a formal group that allows us to track and, hopefully encourage each other in getting more exercise...the benefits of which are varied and inarguable.

The President's Challenge website just so happens to support this group feature, and I've taken the initiative to create and register a new activity group solely for bloggers. I'm pleased to introduce -- drum roll -- BLOG. Catchy, huh? Stands for "Bloggers Losing Our Girth."

The Group feature of the website allows us to track our progress against other members of our group, while also allowing each of us to continue to monitor progress vs. the various categories I described a few paragraphs earlier.

We can even challenge other groups, although I can't see why anyone would want to go up against a group of focused bloggers, other than, say, a bunch of third graders...well... maybe the group challenge thing isn't such a good idea after all. But you get the picture.

Your Personal Invitation to BLOG

If you're a blogger and you're interested in this concept, please feel free to join BLOG. It's simple; just follow these steps.

1. Visit this page to learn more about the program, then jump to this page to register. This is your individual registration and it's required whether you join a group or not.
2. Once registered and logged-in, click the "Your Groups" tab. You'll be presented with a two-blank form, where you enter a Group Number and a Group Member Number. The BLOG Group Number is 430. The Group Member Number is freeform, self-administered and not limited to a number at all. Please use something that relates to your blog's name (I use "Fire Ant").

That's it! You're a group member, and as you log your individual activities, they will also be accumulated in the BLOG totals.

The Rulez

There aren't any. We're on the honor system here, and the stakes around accurate reporting aren't exactly life and death. This is something to have fun with. Eventually, we'll figure out how to get serious with it, leading to ruin and disenchantment, but we'll cross that bridge later. In any event, if you have some ideas for how to make this thing better -- more useful, more fun, more interesting -- let me know. I'll be happy for the feedback.

Now, get out there and start moving around!

Update - 2003-08-04: A word about anonymity This process is designed to let you remain anonymous to other group members. Even as group administrator, I can't tell your identity other than guessing at it based on your chosen member name. But if you'd like a little recognition, feel free to leave a comment here or send me an email telling me that you've joined, and I'll give you a "welcome link" on the Gazette.