Happy Friday, friends!!!

I can’t believe we are already in July. A year ago, I was preparing for what would be the biggest transformation in my life to date: the birth of my baby girl. It was a long and complicated journey, but she has changed my world for the better. Known to the social media streets as LO (for Little One), she is now on the move and very proud of her two teeth.

In a year, everything has changed, including the landscape of tech in our society. I had the honor and pleasure of writing a book series with my friends Dr. Nicol Howard and Regina Schaffer Carr about digital equity for ISTE. Within the book, I remember doing a lot of research about what forces have shaped edtech, which I later reimagined into a keynote. One major thing that I predicted would continue to change the game was artificial intelligence (AI).

Well, friends, we have seen this in a major way with the rise of tools such as ChatGPT and Bard, to name a few. In this blog post from a few months ago, I will share how I used ChatGPT to gamify my fitness. Keep in mind that even since posting, there have been significant improvements, glitches, and changes. I’m re-posting this as a reminder to myself because I need to get back on track after ISTE, as well as the upcoming NAESP conference this week (btw, if you are there, come say hi in Booth 8).

Without any further ado, here’s a post (appropriately assisted by AI): Conquering Fitness with ChatGPT: My Gamified Journey to Reclaim My Health. I hope it’s relatable 💜

Conquering Fitness with ChatGPT: My Gamified Journey to Reclaim My Health

Hey, everyone! Let me tell you about how I’m using ChatGPT to help me bounce back after my recent c-section. Now that I’m 8 months out, I wanted to step it up, so I enlisted the help of my new favorite thought partner. It’s been quite an interesting couple of weeks, and I’m excited to share it with you!

Calculating Macros and Crafting a Meal Plan

So, I started by having ChatGPT calculate my macros for me. Then, I asked it to create a meal plan based on those calculations. Of course, I had some specifications: I’m vegetarian, I practice intermittent fasting, I prefer meals that don’t require a lot of prep, I shop through Instacart from Wegmans, and I don’t want too much produce that may go bad.

I also let ChatGPT know about my goals and had it tailor the macro plan around them, giving me plans for both workout and non-workout days. I had it give me some variations for both so I wouldn’t get bored. Anytime I need to adjust on the fly, it gives me suggestions so that I stay within my macros.

Some staples: tofu, Chef Woo’s Thai Ramen, Kodiak Cinnamon Muffins, Quest Protein Chips, Wegmans croissant (my daily indulgence lol)

Workout Progress and Goal Setting

Next, I filled ChatGPT in on my workouts at Orangetheory. I update it regularly on my progress, and my current goals are to achieve a 4.0 base, 5.0 push, and 7.5 all-out pace, get over 336 watts on the rower, and lift heavier weights. ChatGPT provides weight and speed suggestions based on my previous performance and even lets me know after class if I’ve broken any personal records!

Gamifying My Fitness Journey

Wanting to make this journey even more engaging, I had ChatGPT come up with a gamified system to help me reach my goals. It broke down targets into levels and side missions and even created a game narrative based on Donkey Kong Country (I was obsessed with it in middle school and recently rediscovered it while playing on my SNES replicator with my husband).

ChatGPT crafted a daily narrative featuring my fight against the fictional antagonist, the Sugar Goblin. This creative storyline helps motivate me to stick to my macros and avoid going too crazy with carbs.

Let the Adventure Begin

So, here I am, armed with my tailored meal plan, workout suggestions, and a gamified system to keep me motivated. I can’t wait to see how this journey unfolds with ChatGPT by my side. Wish me luck in my battle against the Sugar Goblin, and stay tuned for updates on my progress! (Maybe 🤪 -Sarah)

Update: I realized that ChatGPT started hallucinating and giving me false information, so I created a new chat, manually importing information from the first chat (and using GPT4). When that one started hallucinating, I used the share function to automatically have it share information from the second chat into a third chat, using the web browsing function. That worked great, until the third chat started hallucinating. I was about to repeat the process into a version 4, but then they disabled web browsing. Waiting for it to come back.

Currently, I am stuck on Level 2 🤣

#Throwback: Tech for Fitness

Ok, now I’m inspired! But I think I need a little more motivation. Here’s a video I did back in 2014(!!!) about how tech helped me get on track for fitness. I’m sure most of the apps and things I mentioned are either gone or have evolved quite a bit, but it’s the thought that counts, right? Here’s a much younger Me telling Me…I mean us lol…about what’s worked.

What are your best tips?

📚 Closing the Gap Digital Equity Series📚

Here’s another throwback! I mentioned the book series in the introduction, so I wanted to let you know a little more information about it. We have written two books, one for Teacher Prep programs and another for K-12. To be honest, I am kind of partial to the first one, and think it is useful not only to higher education programs but also to anyone who provides professional learning. Click on the images to find the books on the ISTE website.

That’s it for this week. Thanks so much for reading, and again, if you’ll be at NAESP this week, please come say hi at Booth 8!

Have a video to share or interested in being a guest blogger? Email me at [email protected].

Stay connected, stay curious, and let the sharing begin!

Best,

Sarah