Interested in Tracking Your Daily Health? Quantified Self Comes to Beirut
I woke up this morning at 7:30 AM after going to
sleep at 1:20 AM. I woke up twice during the night. My heart rate
was 56 BPM, my weight 65 kg. I then ran 5 kilometers in 60 minutes
followed by 60 laps in the 25 meters pool next to my house. The
maximum heart rate I reached was 135. I burnt 300 calories all
throughout my exercise so rewarded myself with a 200 calorie cheese
sandwich for breakfast. Before leaving to work I recorded all of
these in my FitnessPal application.
You might think I have some kind of numerical disease, but I can assure you that I am not the only one to be hit with this disorder. This lifestyle has become a growing movement, called Quantified Self, first started in the San Francisco Bay Area, that is springing up all over the world. Gary Wolf, the co-founder, explains it brilliantly in his TED talk.
Quantified Self is a collaboration of users and toolmakers who share an interest in self-knowledge through self-tracking. The aim is to exchange information about personal projects, the tools used, tips gleaned, and lessons learned. The community blogs, meets face to face, and collaborates online.
So how do you know if you are a potential member? Simply ask yourself this question: do I use a computer, mobile phone, electronic gadget, or pen and paper to record my work, sleep, exercise, diet, mood, weight, heart rate, blood pressure, calories, food, or anything else? If yes, then you definitely should be present on March 22nd at the first Beirut Quantified Self Meetup!
Come hear an exhausted business consultant talk about counting his hours of sleep (or lack of sleep), Team Lebanon’s hero share about his expedition to Mount Aconcagua, an engineer track his calories, or come to share your own story! The meeting is very friendly, and any person from any background is welcome to join and participate. If you are interested in giving a small presentation about a project or an experience of yours, email me at: hind AT butterfleyeproject DOT com.
Don’t forget to get in touch with the community on Facebook, Twitter and to introduce yourself on the Meetup page.
Looking forward to meet fellow QSers in 20 days!
