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Disclosure: I am a paying member of Caveday. The link in this post is an affiliate link; while using it does not cost you more, it may result in a reward for me.

I’m not sure about you, but I feel like the pandemic broke my focus. I’m not talking about productivity–the cult of peak productivity, much like the cults of inbox zero and work-life balance, promotes an unattainable ideal.

(c) Styled Stock Society

It’s not like there are more distractions (email and social media have always been there) but more that I’ve become more distract-able. Perhaps the lack of in-office interactions and sounds led my brain to be on higher alert for the in-home ones, or the initial days of the pandemic trained me to always be on the lookout for the next update regarding the virus or the vaccines. Maybe not seeing people in person made me crave more online interactions. Whatever the cause, the ability to sit and work on one project continuously sort of evaporated. How is it that I spent hours in the library reading hundreds of pages during law school, but suddenly I had the attention span of a gnat?

No attention span = not a good look for someone whose work requires focus and presence. After adding more quiet, device-free, screen-free time to my day, I started looking for tools to help my focus during the work day. There isn’t a quick fix, of course. In my experience, mental focus is like a muscle that needs a workout to build strength and endurance. I’ve found two tools that work like dumbbells.

What Is Caveday?

A recent New York Times article described Caveday as “paying strangers to watch you work.” (You can read that article HERE if you missed it.) This hasn’t been my experience at all. Sure, you’re joining a Zoom call and most members choose to keep their cameras on, but it’s not so much that anyone is watching you–I mean I’m sure as heck not watching anyone else–but that you’re all there working together. Think of it like a virtual office or a timed team exercise.

(c) Styled Stock Society

A “sprint” lasts one hour. You can sign up for one or more sprints, with the “three sprint cave” being a popular option. The entire schedule for the week (and a decent amount of schedule beyond the week) is on the booking section of the Caveday website. I typically sign up for two sprints back-to-back and then have a planned break (out of the cave), as I’ve found three caves back-to-back is pretty draining for me. Since I have calls and meetings, I plan my caves around those each day. If your schedule is more rigid, you might choose to sign up for the same schedule each week (you have the option to make a repeat booking of the same time and day).

You DO need your own Zoom account, tied to the email you used to register with Caveday, but it does not have to be a paid account. Sign into Zoom first, then click the link to join your sprint.

How it starts. When you arrive, the sprint’s guide will welcome you and offer tips to first-timers. Members typically change their screen name to “First Name | Location | Project Description.” Next, some sprints have a breakout room where you can check in with a few other participants; typically there is an ice-breaker question as well as the opportunity to share what you are working on. Breakout rooms are optional. If there isn’t a breakout room, or you decide not to participate, you’ll likely have the opportunity to check in via the chat function. The guide will count down to the beginning and will generally choose a gesture to begin the cave, such as a high-five to your camera or a clap. After that, you’re “in the cave.”

(c) Styled Stock Society

How it goes. While you are “in the cave,” you work on your one project. No one is watching or paying attention (though most of us stay on camera) but the designated guide is there if you have technical difficulties or other questions. Do your one thing.

How it ends. At the end of the designated sprint–usually 50ish minutes of work time–there’s a pleasant chime or musical sound, and the guide will encourage you to share your accomplishments in the chat box. The guide will typically also lead the group in a stretch or other movement. I think this is pretty brilliant, as I’ve found I need to get up and move (especially in the afternoons) to continue to turn out good work. There’s a short break (just enough time to hit the bathroom or refresh your drink) before the next sprint, so you do have some extra time to move around. Some people leave, some people arrive. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Principles of the Cave.

Eliminate distractions. The idea of the cave is to monotask. Put away your cell phone, turn off email notifications, close the extra tabs on the browser. Whatever distractions are available to you, handle them before the cave. Set up everything you need so you are ready to go.

Arrive on time. There’s something to be said for everyone starting together. It’s like you’re all on a team, just doing different aspects of the project. I feel oddly more committed to a cave when I’m there from the very beginning, from the check in. If you arrive late, the guide can choose not to admit you.

(c) Styled Stock Society

Do ONE thing. Well, one thing at a time. (I’ve often had two tasks to work on, each anticipated to last less than an hour, but I do them one at a time.) The idea is monotask. (After all that glorification of “multitasking,” it turns out multitasking is a myth.) People work on all sorts of things from discrete, defined, quantifiable tasks (“write x pages/words”), to a step of a bigger project (“outline argument for brief”), to an activity (“clean the upstairs bathroom”). Some people have a list of things that need to be done and they work through the list, one at a time. You can use the time to do pretty much anything.

Move when you break. We all know that sitting for hours on end is not in our best interest. I’m betting most people don’t act on that advice. (Same with the advice about taking time to look into the distance for 20 seconds after a long period of staring at a screen.)

Caveday: Why I Like It

It’s a game. For me, this makes working on something more like a game with rules: eliminate distractions, show up, commit to an hour, do one thing. I’m sure a lot of people are thinking, “um, can’t you just do this anyway?” Sure, theoretically. But there’s something about getting together with other people who are doing the same thing–one hour of focused work–that changes the game for me. It sounds dumb when I say it out loud. I don’t care. It works for me.

It’s like external self-discipline. Someone else is in charge of watching the clock and reminding me to stop and move. It’s not like anyone else is going to check up on what I got done though–but I do like to have a “win” to put in the chat box at the end of the sprint.

It’s flexible. I’ve been known to work non-traditional “office hours.” Caveday operates across time zones. This coming Thursday, for example, there are sprints scheduled from midnight-thirty to 6 p.m. (ending at 7 p.m.). It’s pretty easy for me to book two for the morning and two for the evening, guaranteeing four hours of focused work.

(c) Styled Stock Society

It’s something different. I like that it gives me the opportunity to interact with people who are working on something completely unrelated to what I’m doing. People make friends via Caveday and there is a robust community forum. One of the forum sections is “asks and offers” and people trade expertise and experience there. Maybe you need someone to test your app, for example. I’ve also learned some tricks and tips from other members. (It’s how I found brain.fm for example–separate post forthcoming.)

Bonuses. Caveday is also experimenting with “community caves” (that’s a scheduled small group cave without a guide) and “solo caves” (a sort of on-demand experience). There are even designated “procrastination” caves where members work on something they have been putting off or avoiding.

Special Offer: If you use this link here you can choose from one of three offers. (1) A free three-sprint cave. (2) $1 for one month of membership. (3) Three months for $40.

Disclosure: Merrithew Health & Fitness sponsored Sweat Pink’s BlogFest at IDEA World Convention for several years, and I am thankful for their sponsorship and for the programming they provided. The prizes for this giveaway were provided to me by Merrithew Health & Fitness as part of Sweat Pink’s BlogFest with no strings, no compensation, and no requirements (e.g I was not asked to write a blog post, host a giveaway, or do anything else). The entire contents of this post, including all words and opinions, are my own honest opinions.

Hey, it’s time to celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas! “Wait,” you may be asking, “wasn’t Christmas yesterday?” Indeed, it was! The Twelve Days of Christmas are actually the twelve days in between Christmas (the First Day of Christmas) and the day Christians celebrate as the day the magi (the three wise men/three kings) arrived, also called Epiphany. Traditionally, the last of the twelve days was the day you took down the Christmas decorations (I swear, I am not making this up). You know Shakespeare’s play, Twelfth Night? That’s about the twelfth night of Christmas. But enough of the history lesson…On the SECOND day of Christmas, I offer you this review and giveaway!

Merrithew Fitness Circle Lite (image from Merrithew website)

The Pilates Fitness Circle. If you’ve ever looked at a Pilates Fitness Circle and thought, “that’s a weird gadget that I can’t imagine doing much for me,” I’m with you—I used to think the same thing. (Pilates Fitness Circle Resistance Ring is a trademark of Merrithew Health and Fitness. You may also have seen a similar gadget called by another name: Pilates ring, magic circle, exercise circle, exercise ring.) Even in my Pilates classes, the Fitness Circle was largely used to help with body placement and awareness. It never occurred to me that the Fitness Circle had a role to play in athletic conditioning.

Workout. I took the DVD “Athletic Conditioning with the Fitness Circle” for a test drive, using the Fitness Circle lite. (The Merrithew Fitness Circle also comes in two other models, flex and Pro. Flex provides less resistance and has a unique handle design that differs from the lite and the Pro. Pro is similar in design to lite, but is made of steel instead of plastic; as a result, the price for the Pro is $65.00 while the price for the lite is $34.99. It’s also a bit heavier than the lite.)  This workout is part of Merrithew’s CORE line, focused on athletic conditioning and performance training, so it is not strictly Pilates. According to Moira Merrithew, who introduces the workout, the 27 exercises in the workout are focused on strength, alignment, and efficient biomechanics. I now have an entirely new outlook on the Fitness Circle (and I’m glad I have one of my own!).

Athletic Conditioning with the Fitness Circle (image from Merrithew website)

The workout is led by John Garey, a Master Instructor Trainer for Merrithew Health and Fitness. Two additional Merrithew Instructor Trainers (meaning they train teachers to teach the classes) demonstrate all of the exercises. John’s instruction is clear and detailed, carefully explaining body positioning and movement step-by-step. If you have never done any Pilates or mat-work style exercise before, you’re in good hands with John—just follow his instructions. Of course it is a video, so if you miss an instruction, you can take a look at the movement on the screen and follow along. That said, if these exercises are new to you, there are some exercises you may have a difficult time performing at the same tempo/speed as the DVD. I found this true of the hinge-back with rotation exercise.

The warm-up uses the Fitness Circle to assist with some stretches that may already be familiar to you. Throughout the workout, the Fitness Circle acts as a replacement for a yoga strap in some stretches, which limits both the range of motion (in a good way—making the stretch more stable) and the amount of tension on the wrists and forearms.

DVD and Fitness Circle lite
CORE Athletic Conditioning with the Fitness Circle (and a Fitness Circle lite)

I was skeptical of the “Level of Difficulty” rating, which is four out of five. That is, until about five minutes into the workout, when there is a series of kneeling hinge-backs that incorporate the Fitness Circle. (A “hinge-back” from the kneeling position involves keeping everything from your knees to the top of your head in a line, and taking that line straight back to a 45 degree angle.) Holy quads and abs! Several of the exercises involve using the Fitness Circle either between your ankles (pressing in on the Fitness Circle) or with both feet inside the Fitness Circle (pressing out). I found these more difficult than they looked, as one of my legs is clearly bossier than the other! I enjoyed the variations on classic Pilates exercises, including a modified version of The Hundred and a version of Shoulder Bridge where you press one arm behind you on the Fitness Circle.

What really kicked my butt, however, were the single leg bridge variations. The gist of the exercise is to press up into a bridge pose, then lift one leg while pressing the Fitness Circle into that leg. My other hamstring was ON FIRE. So much so that I couldn’t do even half of the set on either leg. WHOA.

While I am currently not at my optimal level of fitness, I found this DVD very accessible with an appropriate level of challenge. Given my experience teaching yoga to very muscular men, I strongly suspect that serious athletes (like CrossFit junkies) would find at least parts of this program very useful in conditioning smaller muscles that don’t get much love during a typical workout, such as the multifidus, and for the range of motion and movement principles.

Brand new to Pilates type movements? The DVD includes a tutorial on the Five Basic Principles (Breathing, Pelvic Placement, Rib Cage Placement, Scapular Movement & Stabilization, and Head & Cervical [spine] Placement).

Merrithew yellow soft hand weights
Soft hand weights can be incorporated into many yoga and Pilates exercises

Merrithew also offers additional DVDs that use the Fitness Circle as the only prop, including Fitness Circle Flow, the Fitness Circle Challenge, Power Paced Fitness Circle, and Precision & Control: Pilates with the Fitness Circle. If you prefer a workout that incorporates a reformer or more props, you can find more titles on the Merrithew website. Finally, there are a variety of other brands/companies/individuals that produce video content that incorporates the Fitness Circle and you can find many other options online.

 

 

 

This prize pack includes:

  • Merrithew Fitness Circle Lite in black (MSRP $34.99)
  • Athletic Conditioning with the Fitness Circle DVD (MSRP $16.95)
  • Merrithew Soft Dumbbells 1.65 pound each (MSRP $23.99)
  • Miscellaneous treats and surprises

Bain's cat checks out the goodies
Professor Nick Sterling has thoroughly inspected the prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To some extent, fitness conventions meet your stereotypical expectations: lots of spandex, fit bodies, water bottles, and health food. Most people there are into fitness, even if they don’t embody the public’s perception of what a regular gym-go-er looks like, so they are pretty comfortable.  The people who usually look the most ill-at-ease are staffing booths inside the expo area. If the Las Vegas tech conventions are famous for beautiful, outgoing “booth bunnies” whose extroverted nature and interesting outfits draw you into their booths but don’t actually use the tech they are promoting, the LA fitness conventions have their analogue: introverted engineering geek types who create the software and tech devices fitness people use, but don’t understand. IDEA was no exception. Most of the tech-related booths had a semi-shy programmer guy who looked like he’d jump out of his skin if one more fit female approached.

Arya Farzin was not one of those guys. Mr. Farzin is fit and friendly, and was eager to show me the app he and his partner Joseph Phillips created, The Fitness Games.  He explained to me that you can use the app to create challenges, including a running challenge where you complete in real time.  It is immediately available in the App Store and on Google Play. After a quick demo, I immediately downloaded the free version and started to play with it. After IDEA, I was lucky enough to be selected to receive the expanded premium version for free in exchange for this review.  (I already knew I’d like it, so I applied to review it as soon as I saw the announcement.)  You can start with the free version, and then select the upgrades that you find most worthwhile, from individual workouts to packages.  A few features make this app unique and definitely worth owning.

Pre-made workouts, with instruction. From the home screen, you can choose a workout category (strength, full body, cardiovascular, or cross training). Then you choose a workout (there appear to be hundreds, but I did not actually count, and the app tells me there are really sixteen workouts, but over 250 exercises).  Each workout has a list of moves, and each move is broken down into multiple photos and includes a video.  For example, the “squat jack” move includes a photo of both phases of the move (the standing phase and the squat phase), much like you would find it printed in a magazine, but there is also a brief video showing a few repetitions of the move.  If you are new to working out, or want to learn some new exercises, this app is a great resource. If you are intermediate or more experienced, you can skip the tutorials but rely on the app for a balanced workout with a variety of movements.

Challenges! After you select a workout, you can chose to challenge yourself (just do the workout) or turn it into a little competition between you and a friend (or other nearby users, or even a worldwide challenge!). Starting a workout begins the timer, and challenges are based on time.  If you are a competitive person by nature, the challenge option is for you! If you don’t have friends who are using the app, go get some!

Community.  Can’t talk any of your friends into joining The Fitness Games? (Seriously, the Platinum version is like $2–way less expensive than a personal trainer, single class, or fitness DVD!) Head over to the app’s Facebook page and make some new friends! To make and keep a habit, you need positive reinforcement. Creating a healthy lifestyle can be really difficult if no one in your immediate social circle supports you. (Need a friend? I’m TrainWithBain.) You can upload gym selfies and videos, and post comments on your workouts.

Workout creation option. Have a specific goal in mind? Want to work on a specific body part only? Create your own workout! Select exercises, put them in order, and you’re on the way to creating your own custom challenge. I’m sure the app’s creators didn’t intend this, but it is a great resource for group ex instructors. Recently I subbed a class at my club called “BodyWorx,” which is a full-body multi-modality workout. I used the app’s “Create Own Workout” option to organize the exercises and design my class.  (Sneaky, no?)

Flexibility. You can do the pre-set workouts in any gym. Many of the exercises are bodyweight or can be done with free weights, others require a pull-up bar. Remember you can modify any workout with the “Create Own Workout” option.

I’ve got a few dozen fitness, workout, and running apps on my iPhone. This is the only app that combines instruction with social media and a competition.

Ready to Play??

http://www.tfgapp.com/ The Fitness Games website
Have you tried The Fitness Games? What is your favorite aspect?