Zombies, Run!

            One of the failings in my lifestyle is that I've always found exercise hard to come by. It wasn't a problem when I was in school because I rode my bike to school every day, year round (up hill both ways, in the snow wearing a t-shirt – no, really, that actually happened once). The problem for me came after I graduated and there was no more purpose for my exercise.

            Purpose is a big thing for me – I have a hard time going anything without it. My friends can attest to how hard it is to get me to “just hang out” and going somewhere just to visit and talk to someone it unfathomable to me (luckily my grandparents are understanding of this). As for exercise, going to the gym is to social for an insecure introvert like me and if I'm walking or biking, I need to be going somewhere and have a good reason for it. As for running, I’d better have something chasing me.

            I had a solution for a while with the Wii Fit. The goals it gave me helped me exercise every morning. Then my work hours went from a couple of evenings a week to four mornings a week and I didn't have time any more. When I quit that job to work with chainmaille and writing, I didn't have enough space where I lived. Now I have enough space, but said room with space is above my sister-in-law’s bedroom and as a person who hates making any sound I can’t bear the thought of stomping over her head every morning.

            Colleen recently found a solution in the form of an app called Zombies, Run! (I bet you were wondering what any of this had to do with the title, weren't you?) This is a phone application that tells the story of a zombie apocalypse – and you’re one of the characters in it. You play the role of a runner for a camp trying to survive all the zombies, with the important role of going out to fetch various supplies or information – which inevitably ends in running from zombies.

            Colleen never thought running was a viable form of exercise for her until she found this app – and its counterpart, which trains you from nothing to a 5k runner. She started on the training program and was surprised at how well she took to it. The clips of the story she was sharing with me caught my interest, so I decided to join her. Now we have a regular running routine and are getting closer to that 5k every day – and we’re amazed at how effective the training program is. Not only that, but we look forward to running so much that we’re disappointed on the days we aren't running.

            So it is that I've discovered that to get me to do anything, I simply need to find a way to turn it into a video game. I now have that “something chasing me” requirement for running filled – even if the zombies are only in my mind (and the app sound effects).

Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.

If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Colleen on Smartphones

            The blogging bug has bitten Colleen, so she’s back again! To anyone who knows her, Colleen being on Smartphones is hardly a surprise, but this time she’s talking about them rather than on them.

There's a lot of truth in the notion that advancements in technology are having a negative impact on our collective health. Kids play Call of Duty instead of catch and talk in chat rooms instead of sitting on a swing at the park. Work has changed from stacking bales of hay in a breezy field to folders of paperwork at a desk. I myself suffer from "texter's neck", a condition marked by pain in the neck ligaments due to prolonged strain on the muscles caused by the tilting of the head down, often observing an incoming text on a cell phone.

We see the effects of technology on our bodies every day.

But, if I may, there are many benefits of technology that we may not even be aware of. I'd like to specifically draw your attention to the highly-coveted Smartphone and the many obscure reasons it has become an integral part of my and many other people's lives.

DISCLAIMER: I am not here to debate the relative merits of one model of phone vs another. Nor am I here to promote one more than another. I do own an iPhone and as such have more experience with the applications available for that device rather than an Android or a BlackBerry, but you will not hear me say any one of them is better than another.

Now that that's out of the way, let me tell you all about my To Do application (app). It's a simple enough concept. You enter some text that reminds you of an event or a chore or a task or something you don't want to forget, then when you wish the app to remind you of that item and how often you want it to repeat. There are many, many different apps that accomplish essentially the same task.

Mine runs my life. I would be completely lost without it. It lays out my morning and evening routines, lists my weekly cleaning duties, reminds me of odd tasks I need to accomplish, ensures my medication is taken on time, it even helps me to remember to make cookies once a month. (Hey, not every To Do item needs to be scrubbing a toilet!) When my last phone was stolen late last year I had practically no idea what to do. And while I do realise my incredible dependence on an electronic device (and conversely, the devastating effect the absence of it has), for me, it is a small price to pay for a well-organised and productive life. Obviously this solution isn't for everyone. For me and my mother-in-law, however, it works very well.

When I decided to take up yoga I considered my options for that exercise type. I could take classes, purchase DVDs, watch podcasts or YouTube videos, look for a yoga app. Then I had an idea. I created a photo album on my phone and added several pictures of yoga poses to it, all found on the Internet. (But that is an entirely different blog.)

Now I had photo memory aids and a specific and custom order for my yoga practice. That kind of full customisation is not something I have found in any app or, obviously, in any video or class. It was a perfect fit for me. I could even set whatever music I wanted while on my mat with my iPod app (the Mission Impossible theme is highly motivating for yoga) and time myself with my stopwatch app to see how long I had practiced that day. The irony of my smart phone helping me become healthier is not lost on me.

A large perk of smart phones is the large array of game apps (many of them free). On our first wedding anniversary, Jonathan and I celebrated with dinner out. The restaurant we chose was packed and we had a forty-five minute wait. We passed the time alternating levels on one of our favourite games. We hung over the shoulder of the gamer of the moment, giving advice.

A philosophy I've had for a very long time is "a laugh shared is a laugh doubled". I believe a friend of mine also has that philosophy. Often at parties you'll see him flicking through his smart phone glancing at pictures he's saved from websites, all of them humorous, or at least he thinks so. He will hold his phone out to others to see the Lolcat or cartoon or amusing play on words, giggling away with them. I love swapping new photos with him.

Not everything about new technology is good, but for me at least, my Smartphone has more than paid for itself in on-time credit card bills and instant tips on money-saving ways to clean a home. And of course you can't put a price on the simple peace of mind that comes from knowing I will not forget to book that doctor's appointment six months from now or to be able to leave the stove's because the phone is always with me and Pachelbel's canon means those double-chocolate cookies are ready!

My (Jonathan’s) conclusion is that new technology can be good or bad, it all depends on how you choose to use it. Cookies are more than acceptable.






 

Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.

If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.