Health Monitoring During COVID-19

Health Monitoring During COVID-19

In times of uncertainty, confusion, and fear, especially when it comes to our health, we believe a little data can go a long way towards prevention, early detection, and peace of mind.

In that spirit, we have created a special covid-19 version of our health dashboard so you can monitor your vital signs and remotely monitor the vital signs of your loved ones – especially those at high risk. 

Let’s take a look at the metrics on your personal covid-19 dashboard.

Body Temperature

The first tile on your dashboard tracks body temperature. The most common symptom of infection with the coronavirus is a fever – about 90 percent of patients suffer from it, according to the World Health Organization.

You can test body temperature with any standard glass or digital thermometer. You likely already have a thermometer sitting at home in your medicine cabinet.

For a typical adult, the normal temperature can be anywhere from 97F to 99F. That’s why testing regularly can help establish your personal baseline, which will make it easier to detect if/when your numbers start to go out of range. 

Anything above 100F degrees is considered a fever. You may feel terrible, but on the whole, a fever isn’t bad for you. It’s a sign your body is doing what it should when germs invade. It’s fighting them off.

However, if your temperature is 103F or higher or if you’ve had a fever for more than 3 days, please contact your doctor. You should also contact your doctor if you have a fever with symptoms such as severe throat swelling, vomiting, headache, chest pain, shortness of breath, stiff neck or rash.

Resting Heart Rate

As our body temperature rises, our resting heart rate also rises above normal. Therefore, we can use resting heart rate as another early indicator of potential illness.

Much like your body temperature, a normal resting heart rate can vary from person to person. A normal resting heart rate for adults ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute. That’s why it’s good to establish a baseline over several days so you know your personal resting heart rate value.

To measure your heart rate, simply check your pulse. Place your index and third fingers on your neck to the side of your windpipe. To check your pulse at your wrist, place two fingers between the bone and the tendon over your radial artery — which is located on the thumb side of your wrist.

When you feel your pulse, count the number of beats that you feel in 15 seconds. Simply multiply this number by four to calculate your heart beats per minute, then record the value on your covid dashboard.

Try to be consistent with your testing. Test at the same time each day and in the same seated position to ensure consistency.

If you think you may be getting sick and your resting heart rate starts to increase significantly above your baseline, it might be worth a call to your healthcare professional.

Blood Oxygen

If you are at home and dealing with a coronavirus infection, particularly if symptoms become severe (especially shortness of breath), testing blood oxygen can help you and your doctor determine if you should seek medication attention.

Individuals with pre-existing respiratory or cardiovascular conditions (asthma, collapsed lung, anemia, heart disease, pulmonary embolism, congenital heart defects, COPD) are at higher risk during the coronavirus outbreak. 

If you are one of these individuals you may wish to closely monitor your blood oxygen levels with a pulse oximeter. If you don’t yet own a device they can be easily purchased online for approximately $30.

This device measures oxygen saturation and refers to the extent to which hemoglobin is saturated with oxygen. Hemoglobin is an element in your blood that binds with oxygen to carry it through the bloodstream to the organs, tissues, and cells of your body.

Normal oxygen saturation is usually between 96% and 98%. If your levels are below 90% or you are feeling shortness of breath, please contact your healthcare professional.

Blood pressure

The last item on your dashboard is for blood pressure. Much like blood oxygen, tracking this metric is mainly intended for those with pre-existing cardiovascular conditions who may be at higher risk if exposed to coronavirus.

If you think you are at higher risk, regularly tracking blood pressure levels can be very helpful in the event you need to seek medical attention. Your doctor can review your readings which can help with appropriate treatment. 

Like all the metrics discussed here, consistency is very important. Take readings after you’ve been sitting still for a few minutes and try to test at the same time each day and in the same seated position. 

Summary

Some simple self-monitoring can be very helpful for you and your loved ones. The data can provide some peace of mind for those not exhibiting symptoms. For those who are experiencing symptoms, depending on the severity, the data can mean the difference between knowing when to seek medical attention and when to stay home.

Our covid-19 dashboard is free during the current global pandemic as our way of contributing to the greater good. 

If you have questions about the dashboard, feel free to shoot us an email at support@headsuphealth.com

If you have questions about your health, please contact your doctor.

Disclaimer: The content in this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this post.

Alex Fergus – Bodybuilding and being your own health advocate

Alex Fergus – Bodybuilding and being your own health advocate

Alex Fergus is an Australian National Natural Bodybuilding Champion, health and fitness coach, researcher and author. After finding his health declining at the age of 23 and feeling a lack of support from his doctors, who dismissed his concerns, he took his health into his own hands.  By being his own health advocate in researching, testing, and biohacking, he found his way back to optimal health and found a new passion for helping others to improve their life and health from a foundational perspective.

In this episode of Data-Driven Health Radio, Dave Korsunsky interviews Alex Fergus about his personal and professional journey of turning his own health, as well as his clients,’ around from struggling to thriving. 

Listen as Alex Fergus sheds some positivity on empowering your own health. By creating optimal health through foundational supports, your body will be in a much stronger and resilient state.

You can find Alex Fergus on his website and blog at www.alexfergus.com

Listen in iTunes!

This podcast is brought to you by Heads Up, a web app designed to help you centrally track all of your vital health data. Instantly synchronize your medical records, connect your favorite health devices and apps and use your data to optimize your health!

Click on the button below to start your free 30-day trial. Or, read on for more information about our latest podcast episode!

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In this podcast you’ll learn:

  • Alex Fergus’s story of finding his health struggling as a bodybuilding athlete at the age of 23, and having doctors tell him he must just have a virus or need testosterone to feel better leaving him feeling dismissed [1:40]
  • After doing his own research and asking for lab testing he wanted to explore, he was dismissed by his doctor which lead him to find a doctor that would look deeper. [3:50]
  • Always playing by the rules in bodybuilding and sports, he was disappointed when his doctor alluded to the fact that she thought it was all the supplements he was taking that was causing his health issues [4:45]
  • About the differences between lab testing options for your health in Australia vs. the USA [7:10]
  • Why you shouldn’t consult Dr. Google and why getting feedback through health markers is important in navigating your health by having a trusted provider to consult with the results of your specialized testing [8:50]
  • The role of HRV in the everyday person and how they can utilize that to see how their diet and lifestyle is working for them [14:30]
  • What biomarkers Alex Fergus monitors for himself and how the amount of feedback needed varies as your health progresses [15:25]
  • How people can use medicinal cannabis or think they sleep better after a few drinks. However, tracking with the Oura ring or other device can help you to see the real effects on your body that you may not have noticed otherwise [20:50]
  • Lab testing that Alex Fergus tracks now and why [23:16]
  • How to monitor your thyroid and stress response with basal body temperature [25:15]
  • How to use basal body temperature to change your macros [27:50]
  • About Alex Fergus’s protocol, he developed for clients focusing on the fundamentals of health – gut health, resetting baseline hormonal markers, dietary changes, meal timing, education, etc.[29:05]
  • The benefits of reducing and over-adding in training, etc. to be able to move forward in a healthier way [34:00]
  • The importance of slowing down your exercise, which can show you a much more accurate reaction of what your body is ready to do – energetically and otherwise. [35:00]
  • How to know when you’re ready to go back to exercising after taking a break to allow your body to recover [39:45[
  • About blue light – how it affects health and how to navigate it in the modern world [41:45]
  • How to hack our way back to optimal health in a modern world [42:55]

References

www.alexfergus.com

About Heads Up 

Heads Up is a website designed to empower individuals who want to take a self-directed approach to managing their health. Instantly centralize your medical records, connect your favorite devices and apps (e.g., Oura, MyFitnessPal, Keto-Mojo, FitBit, Apple Health, MyMacros+, Withings and many more) and use your data to optimize your health.

Click on the button below to start your free 30-day trial now!

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Become the CEO of Your Health

Become the CEO of Your Health

Hi there! Welcome to Heads Up. Our mission is to put the power of data at your fingertips and make you the CEO of your health!

We’ve built our platform around the following core concepts:

1. Centralized Medical Records

We help you centralize all of your medical records in one place, regardless of where they exist. Thanks to advancements in electronic health records, we can now automatically pull in your records from thousands of different facilities across the country. For your medical records that aren’t online, we make it easy to import data from those files as well. If you are busy and on the go, our Concierge Service can do the data entry for you. Whether it’s your cholesterol data or your immunization records, we make it easy to maintain a complete history of your health at all times.

2. Technology to self-manage

Emerging wearable technology makes it easier than ever to collect valuable data on our health. We integrate with industry leading wearables (Oura, Keto-Mojo, Biostrap, Garmin, Apple Health and many more…), wireless scales, blue tooth blood pressure monitors, glucometers and a range of other health devices. 

With your medical data and your wearable data in one place, it’s easy to see how your lifestyle choices are affecting your overall health.

3. Help me use my data to improve health outcomes

With all of your medical and wearable data in one place, we provide you with personalized insights and powerful analytics tools to master your health using your own data.

Is my FitBit really lowering my weight over time? Are my dietary changes really lowering my cholesterol or my blood sugar? By bringing all your information into one place, we can help you measure and quantify your progress over time in ways that have never been possible before.

4. Share my data with whomever I choose

At Heads Up we realize that your care team extends beyond just your medical doctor. We’ve made it easy to share your health information as you see fit. Whether you choose to consult with a medical doctor, a nutritionist, a personal trainer, a functional medicine specialist or a family member, we make it easy to give them access to your health information so you can make informed decisions.

5. Take my data with me

Whether you move to the other side of the city or the other side of the world, you need to take your health information with you. We built our software so that your health information is not locked into any specific doctor’s office, hospital system, insurance company or employee wellness system. You control your data and you can take it with you wherever you go.

Keith Norris from Paleo f(x) on Biohacking, Business and Burning Man

Keith Norris from Paleo f(x) on Biohacking, Business and Burning Man

If you’ve been around the health and wellness world for a minute, then surely you’ve heard of Paleo f(x) and its co-founder, Keith Norris. Paleo f(x) is the premier health and wellness event in Austin, Texas every year, gathering health and wellness industry leaders, as well as companies creating biohacking products, to bring the paleo lifestyle to the 21st century. Interestingly, there is also a beautiful overlap with the Burning Man community. 

We think you’ll enjoy this engaging interview with Keith Norris and Dave Korsunsky about Paleo f(x), holistic entrepreneurship, MDMA and psilocybin therapies, biohacking, Burning Man and more. It’s also about finding yourself at a place in life where you feel you have nothing to lose and building a dream to change the world. 

Whether you’re someone who just enjoys biohacking your own health, or you’re a practitioner working to help people change their health and their lives, there is something in here for all of you. 

This year, the Paleo f(x) event will be held on July 14-16, 2020. The Health Entrepreneur f(x) event will take place on July 13, 2020. And it sounds like there are some after-parties that you won’t want to miss!

Listen in iTunes!

This podcast is brought to you by Heads Up, a web app designed to help you centrally track all of your vital health data. Instantly synchronize your medical records, connect your favorite health devices and apps and use your data to optimize your health!

Click on the button below to start your free 30-day trial. Or, read on for more information about our latest podcast episode!

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In this podcast you’ll learn:

  • About the interesting connection that Keith Norris made when Paleo f(x) partnered with the Health Optimisation Summit in the UK last year, which revealed a greater desire there for biohacking to optimize health. Is this focus higher due to their healthcare system vs. the U.S. where we are more focused on just regaining our health? [1:50]
  • That having achieved the “American dream” and feeling hollow inside, Keith Norris left the pharmaceutical job he’d worked his way up the ladder to, and along with his wife Michelle — and co-founder of Paleo f(x) — they shifted gears to create something that helps contribute toward healing the world [6:25]
  • More about the exact moment Keith knew he was done working for a pharmaceutical company [8:30]
  • After losing their daughter in 2009 and most of their money in the Great Recession of 2008, Michelle and Keith Norris felt they had nothing to lose and dreamt big [10:25]
  • About Keith and Michelle’s start in the paleo world running gyms and a paleo catering business in Austin, TX [11:22]
  • That Paleo f(x) was born sitting on the tarmac at LAX on the flight back to Austin. By the time they were back home, they had a business plan and 6 months later, the first Paleo F(x) show took place in 2012 [11:50]
  • About bankruptcy and the side of entrepreneurship that you don’t see [13:30]
  • About the contrast of what Paleo f(x) began as and what it is now with paleo principles layered with technology [14:10]
  • In the 2020 Paleo f(x) show, a whole section of the hall will be dedicated to biohacking [17:30]
  • How the only way to know if changes are working is to use a platform like Heads Up to layer the metrics and see what is causing the changes – good or bad [18:25]
  • Why tracking the effects of sleep, alcohol, and inflammatory foods, etc. and the impact on your recovery ability and overall wellness helps you to learn what specific inputs are most important to your wellness [20:05]
  • The top two lifestyle/dietary choices that have the biggest effect on Keith Norris personally [22:00]
  • “Paleo is much more than diet and exercise. It’s 7 pillars. It’s mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, financial, relational and tribal. That is paleo.” [23:30]
  • In 2016 Michelle and Keith Norris were massive proponents of plant medicine for use in PTSD, depression and other conditions, and utilized a shaman to roll it out on stage at Paleo F(x), uncertain if it would be well received. It turned out to be the most highly attended panel with the highest ratings to date and has been a huge part of the event since then. [28:25]
  • Discussion around the use of psilocybin, cannabis, and microdosing and more vs. socially acceptable forms of mind-altering substances like alcohol [30:24]
  • Mental health and pharmaceuticals vs diet, nutrition, and nutrient depletion as well as the effect of MDMA on PTSD [32:40]
  • About plant based ceremonies for healing like Ayahuasca and Huachuma that works and is cheap relative to pharmaceuticals [34:00]
  • The Millennial generation is getting hammered financially – struggling with an average of 40k in student debt (which can’t be wiped clean with bankruptcy) and can affect overall health. The paleo lifestyle and biohacking can help to support them as they navigate the working world [35:50]
  • The Health Entrepreneur f(x) came about because they saw a need to provide motivated health driven business owners that were lacking the business tools for successful holistic entrepreneurship [37:50]
  • Paleo f(x) is the wrecking ball to challenge the old paradigm. Keith Norris wants an army of heart-driven entrepreneurs to fill that void after breaking the old paradigm [38:25]
  • The beautiful overlap between Paleo f(x) and Burning Man communities [40:05]
  • “The healthier a person is, the harder they party because that is a natural expression of joy.” [40:55]

References

Health Entrepreneur F(x)
Paleo f(x)
FDA Grants Psilocybin Second Breakthrough Therapy Designation for Resistant Depression
The Health Optimisation Summit 2020
Burn for a Cause Event
MAPS

About Heads Up 

Heads Up is a website designed to empower individuals who want to take a self-directed approach to managing their health. Instantly centralize your medical records, connect your favorite devices and apps (e.g., Oura, MyFitnessPal, Keto-Mojo, FitBit, Apple Health, MyMacros+, Withings and many more) and use your data to optimize your health.

Click on the button below to start your free 30-day trial now!

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New to Health Coaching?  The Best Health Coach Tools to Keep You  (& Your Clients) Thriving

New to Health Coaching? The Best Health Coach Tools to Keep You (& Your Clients) Thriving

The health and wellness market is absolutely exploding, now estimated at $4.2 trillion as of 2019. It wasn’t that long ago when being “healthy” meant hitting the gym and getting an occasional massage. Today, however, the wellness mindset is permeating the global consumer consciousness, so it’s no surprise that right along with it has come the explosive growth of health and wellness coaches for hire. 

If you’ve jumped into the health coaching game with gusto, then finding the best tools for your health coaching business is just as important as finding your first clients. That’s not only good for business, it’s great for your soon to be clients because once you get going, it’s easy to quickly get lost in the weeds. The good news is that there are some useful coaching tools to help you get organized while streamlining critical aspects of the business such as communicating with clients, scheduling, promoting, and tracking client progress. 

So you don’t get bogged down in tool reviews, here’s the low-down on the best we’ve tools we’ve found to fast-track your way to productivity, so you can spend more time focused on helping clients and less time in the admin details. 

Scheduling, Organizing & Communication Tools for Health Coaches

 

Evernote is a note-taking and task management app that gives you an easy way to take notes, share with clients, and keep an organized to-do list. One of the best features is the sync across devices, so you always have access, even when on the go. 

Cost: Free version; PRO upgrade option for added features

Acuity Scheduling. We’d probably all love it if email disappeared from our work lives, and although that may not quite be the case yet, Acuity Scheduling software lets your clients book appointments with you directly instead of doing the back and forth dance through email or SMS.

Cost: Free version for solo use; plans start at $15/month for added features.

Bookly is an appointment and scheduling plugin for WordPress websites which creates a form that you can easily add to your site to handle booking, cancellations, and re-scheduling, so it’s all automated. The system also handles online payments, notifications, and syncs with your Google calendar. 

Cost: $89 regular license with 6 months support included; WooCommerce integration; 12 languages

Practice Better is online coaching software specifically designed to help manage a variety of aspects of a health coaching business, including managing 1-on-1’s with clients and managing your online coaching. The free version lets you manage up to 3 clients, storage space, HIPAA and PIPEDA compliance, scheduling, billing and a client portal.

Cost: Free version up to 3 clients, storage, compliant iOS and Android apps and more; upgrade for additional features.

The Coaches Console

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the number of tools you need to manage a coaching business, not to mention the costs, then consider The Coaches Console, an all-in-one platform for managing nearly every aspect of your new coaching business. 

Cost: Core system is $147/month; upgraded system is $247 per month.

Zoom.us

Meeting with your clients regularly is obviously vital, but staying in touch with them via a video conferencing tool is a great way to stay connected more frequently without the travel time. Zoom is a user-friendly video conferencing tool that lets you and clients host and attend web conferencing easily on any device, including tablets and smartphones.

Cost: Free version for 1-on-1 calls for up to 40 minutes; upgrade plan options starting at $14.99/month.

Marketing & Social Media Tools for Health Coaches

Buffer

Social media is essential for promoting your new business and being easily found, but it can take a lot of admin time. Tools like Buffer let you create posts and custom images and schedule them out over time, so you can crank out social media content like a pro, and look like you’re posting all week, even when you’ve spent just 30 minutes on it the week before. 

Cost: $15/month basic plan; upgrade plans available for more users, posts and social accounts.

Edgar

Another social media automation tool, Edgar lets you create and schedule evergreen posts, as well as update your status in an automated way so you can control your brand reputation while looking like you’re on top of regular status updates.

Cost: One month free; plans starting at $25/month.

SumoMe

Smart marketers and entrepreneurs understand the power of growing your email database over time. SumoMe is a free email capture tool for adding simple pop up forms to a website. Ideally you offer your web visitors something of educational value or an ‘opt-in’ offer, and they ‘trade’ you their email for the offer. That gives you a captive audience of prospects to stay in contact with over time. 

Cost: Free basic plan; upgrade options to remove Sumo branding and customize more on your web forms.

MailChimp

Marketing automation is another important way to stay in front of clients and prospects, so once you’ve grown your email database with a tool like SumoMe, you can stay in touch regularly with contacts through newsletters, special offers, and more. 

Cost: Free plan; upgraded plans start at $9.99/month as your database and automation needs evolve.

Canva

Canva is an online design tool that expedites the custom image creation process with a do-it-yourself way to create custom images for everything from brochures and business cards to YouTube thumbnails, Facebook page graphics, social media ads, and more. Templates for every type of graphic are provided along with access to free stock images you can use. 

Cost: Free plan for individual users; Pro plan starts at $12.95/month for added features.

Boomerang for Gmail

Yes, we all wish email was a thing of the past, but frankly, it’s just not yet. So, this cool little tool for Gmail helps you better manage your inbox with read receipts, email scheduling, email reminders, and prompts. You can set follow up reminders so you never forget to circle back when you need to again.

Cost: Free basic version includes up to 10 email credits; upgrade plans available for unlimited starting at $4.99/month.

Client Progress Tracking & Measurement Tools for Health Coaches

As a new health coach, tracking client progress is mission-critical to demonstrating your value over time, and therefore, to maintaining a healthy pipeline of recurring revenue and a solid way to gain word-of-mouth referrals. Using the above-mentioned Coaches Console is certainly one way to do that all in one system, and there are a lot of health coaching practice apps on the market too.

Practice management apps have important features to streamline the business admin side of your practice, such as processing client intake forms, logging and sharing goals and meal plans, keeping client charts (securely), sending and processing invoices, email marketing and client scheduling. Take a look at several well-balanced tools that offer such features including Healthie, SimplePractice, MindBody, Trainerize and Cliniko.

And yes, all that’s required to build a successful coaching business, but what about tracking client’s health metrics so clients also have a clear view of how your efforts are helping them reach their goals? You could do everything else right, but if you’re clients don’t see real, measurable results from your work with them, it will be challenging to retain them over the long haul. Arguably, keeping tracking of their health metrics is the #1 thing you can and should be doing.

Try Heads Up (free for 30 days), a health metrics dashboard app designed to help users optimize their health. The system integrates with a wide variety of other niche health tracker apps and wearable devices so you can see all of your client’s health metrics in one place, via the web dashboard, or for quick views from the mobile app (for iOS and Android) that’s synced across devices.

Ready to Go?

Your new health coaching career will be off to the races with the right tools in place to help you more easily manage the day to day aspects of the business, and a few key tools to track client progress. All of that will be well worth it so you can clearly demonstrate your value over the short and long haul… which is precisely how you retain clients and secure positive referrals. 

The key to success will be finding ways to simplify and streamline your daily to-do list, and most importantly, finding ways that work with your style and comfort level with just how ‘teched-up’ you want and need to be. 

Health coaches can grab a 30-day free trial of Heads Up, and trials and/or free versions of many of the tools listed above. 

Happy Coaching My Friends, and Namaste!

?? Dave