Heart transplant cancer patient running the Ironman World Championship

Wow! This story just makes you want to go to the gym and jump on a treadmill. Heart transplant recipient and cancer survivor Kyle Garlett will compete in October's Ironman World Championship! What an amazing success story of someone who defeated a serious illness.

• Kyle was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma as a high school senior in 1989.
• He developed leukemia as a result of his earlier chemotherapy.
• He received a heart transplant in 2006.
• Now he's running marathons and competing in triathlon.
  

Isn't it amazing what some people accomplish in their lives? I also really admire Lance Armstrong who battled testicular cancer and won multiple consecutive victories in the Tour de France. Time for me to go to the gym!

Read the amazing CNN story here.

Run a half-marathon and help a child through the Fresh Air Fund

When I was a student at MIT, I ran the Boston marathon as a bandit (unofficial, non-qualified runner). I wasn't a runner. I just wanted to give it a try and I finished it in 4 hours. "Heartbreak Hill" was brutal. If you enjoy running, perhaps you'd consider running the NYC half-marathon next month. It's a relatively flat run (so you won't have to worry about a heartbreak hill experience). You can help children while you're at it. The Fresh Air Fund is looking for runners and sponsors to join the Fresh Air Fund-Racers team for the NYC Half-Marathon on August 16th. http://freshair.org/racers

Last summer's NYC Half-Marathon was a huge success and the Fresh Air Fund-Racers raised more than $125,000.

Since 1877, The Fresh Air Fund, a not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer experiences in the country to more than 1.7 million New York City children from disadvantaged communities. Each year, thousands of children visit volunteer host families in 13 states and Canada through the Friendly Town Program or attend Fresh Air Fund camps.

The Fresh Air Fund is also still in need of Friendly Town hosts for next month. Host families open their hearts and home to a NYC child who would not otherwise have the opportunity to escape the hot, crowded city streets.

To learn more about the Fresh Air Fund, visit: http://www.freshair.org
You can also follow the Fresh Air Fund on Twitter @FreshAirFund

Fitness Watches

So how often do you go to the gym? There are so many ways to improve your health and fitness. Buzzwords in the health industry include: wellness, health, fitness, and prevention. This way, you avoid the need for things like disease management since you're preventing disease.

I spend a fair amount at the gym and I've seen some significant changes in consumer health technology that have made it both fun and easier for people to exercise. For instance, I use a Polar heart rate monitor strap so that I can easily monitor my HR during exercise. I also wear a Timex sports watch. I'm also a fan of other brands, but Timex has always been reliable and cost-friendly. If you can afford to spend a fair amount of money for a nice sports watch, then you may want to also look at Suunto and Polar. I've had watches made by both companies and still wear my Suunto at times.

If you like to run, then you may want a watch that also includes a sensor that measures your running speed. You don't necessarily need a GPS to do that. I also love the fact that some of these watches now incorporate solar technology and rechargeable batteries. I've had a Timex Ironman for several years and I haven't even had to replace the battery yet. So improvements in battery technology and recharging capabilities have really improved the capability of sports watches.