Slashdot Mirror
Open Access To Exercise Data?
identity0 writes "A recent Slashdot discussion about heart-rate monitors in schools got me thinking about getting one for my own exercise. It turns out that the available models have a wide range of features: calorie rate, pedometers, GPS, PC connectivity, etc. Being a geek, I want one that will let me look at my exercise data, and I'm curious what experiences Slashdotters have had with them. Some download data to a proprietary application — are open source alternatives available or is the data format easily readable? Others upload data to an online app — can the data be pulled off the site or is it forever trapped on their servers? While I'm not an open source zealot or a paranoid about my data being shared, I would like to know that I can access my data in the future. Whatever method you guys use to monitor your exercise, I'd love to hear about it."
PolarViewer only works with certain monitors, but is under the GPL.
Linux.com had an article in 07 on the subject as well.
I use a Garmin Edge 705 for my training needs. The device shows up as a normal USB Mass Storage Device, and the file format is an easily readable XML type file.
I'm quite happy with the Garmin bike GPS I have. It downloads the data in a pseudo-proprietary format, but it's easy to convert into an XML format that's fully documented on their website: http://developer.garmin.com/schemas/
Also for those that use linux, here's a couple of scripts that sync down the garmin data, do the XML transformation, and uploads it to garmin connect: http://braiden.org/?p=62
Isn't this the wrong forum to ask this question? Pimply 11-year-old slashbots and exercise? Well, hello?
;-)
*ducks*
Concept2 rowers will dump their full workout log to CSV, and also allow realtime monitoring via USB + a supplied SDK.
I've got my rower hooked up to a WinAmp plugin I wrote which pipes heartrate, rowing speed and stroke rate into the visualisation system. This gets projected onto a 2m wide screen, so the harder I work, the more intense and psychedelic the visuals get.
My next project will be to connect the playback speed of VLC to the rower so I have to keep rowing at my target rate to keep watching House.
Use the PASCO gear, with their Datastudio app. It's great, and will take all sorts of data wirelessly.
http://store.pasco.com/pascostore/showdetl.cfm?&DID=9&Product_ID=53770&Detail=1
You should also look into http://www.runsaturday.com/ this site imports/exports data to a lot of sites and devices if you are feeling vendor locked.
Don't worry, soon you'll be able to watch your carotid artery with Google Earth.
NB: The message above might reflect my opinion right now, but not necessarily tomorrow or next year.
If it's your business, if you want to build an application that takes all this data and turns it into something easy to understand that doesn't intrude on people's lives, that's one thing. But fussing over numbers for the sake of it? There are many, many better things to do in the world.
From scarped cliff or quarried stone she cries "A thousand types are gone, I care for nothing, no not one."
There is at least a small number of Linux applications for watches and heart rate monitors, as well as some free and open source tools for bikes, including applications and open hardware for data acquisition from exercise bicycles. You may find (yet little) information about appropriate data formats, too.
There are already a few available continuous blood glucose meters available and last time I checked at least a few of them were approved by the FDA (thus covered by medical insurance in the USA).
Being a type 1 diabetic myself, I have fought to get one of these myself but the powers-that-be here in Norway seem to think there are no advantages to having your blood glucose measured every 1-2 to 5 minutes for 3-7 days (depending on which monitor you get), at least not compared to the price of these gadgets. Pretty insanely ignorant, as having this info available would let me easily have perfect blood glucose levels at all times. Hell, some of these meters even come with an optional automatic insulin pump!
Bodybugg does not measure heart rate but a few other exercise-related data
(acceleration, heat flux, galvanic skin response, skin temperature)
http://www.bodybugg.com/science_behind_bodybugg.php
The data has been hacked by some guy:
http://bodybugghacks.blogspot.com/
it still requires some work to use it thought
I bought one a few months ago. My brain was swimming with options and I didn't want to spend $500.00 on this equipment. I ended up going with a $100 timex solutions that does everything I need. I felt it was a good investment.
The only place where 3 months of exercise implies 89 days of dev work. :)
-Matt
--- Need web hosting?
a wide range of features: calorie rate, pedometers ...
cause you never know how much of a pedo you really are
I used to run prior to buying my Garmin 305, and I even ran a 10k with decent timing, after deciding last year to leave the couch behind. I had a myriad of foot related injuries and at one point my sports med pretty much told me that all lower extremities will require replacement. I hope he was joking. But the fact was I had no clue as to how I was pushing myself. Even the course around my house I knew as if the back of my hand, I didnt know whether I was doing better one day vs the previous, whether I am pushing myself too hard, how far I was running etc. I would drive my car around the course usually, If I ran different to calculate the mileage, but that became a hassle (found out later that there are other ways such as Mapmyrun which overlays google maps etc.)
My two bit advice to you would be dont buy a gps training device (which is what it is) unless you were training for something. And something bigger than a 5k or a 10k. If you just started running, then run for the fun of it and when you have got that in your blood, get a training device, when you are ready to step up to the next level. A gps device the first time you start running would overwhelm you with all the data (and Garmin 305 buries you with it, and I love it!). You need all the data when you are ready to make sense with it. Initially, you should smell the crisp air outside (or the smog), feel your heart pounding inside the ribcage, see the next hill as you race towards it and its more gratifying than a lot other things, like reaching for the next bag of chips.
A Garmin 305 with its heart monitor will give you tons of data. It will poll your position every 3 seconds, and you can use a tool like SportTracks to overlay that on google maps or Google Earth to see what you burned through. Garmin has its own training tool, like Garmin Connect, which previously sucked, but now is much better. Still I would like to direct you at Sport Tracks as its free and gives you a cumulative representation of your training than other tools. There is nothing better than seeing a month worth of data and see that you have ran 100 miles in the last one month, which days you ran, what your average pace were, your splits/laps. And oh..and graphs, more and more graphs. You can also track as to what parts of the course you were running fast vs slow, your heartbeat zones and the areas of the course where you were about to pop so that you can be better prepared etc. The Garmin 305 does a piss poor job at calculating the calories burned, as it computes it based on the distance covered, not on your heart beat which is a better route. But as long as you burn more than you take in, even if its a rough figure, you would lose weight gradually.
Sure, you dont need Garmin 305 (which is rather bulky, but once its on your hand you dont feel its there) or any other training devices unless you are prepared to take your training to the next level. I am running a half marathon in November and I am treating my training just as I would treat anything else thats important in my life. I have a goal of a set number of hours:minutes before I cross the line and I am not ready to leave that to speculation. I train because I want to be injury free and better prepared. And thats what I have my Garmin. YMMV.
Rapid Nirvana
I also want to know how far I've been and gone. I could draw the map on Google Earth or a paper map and get an approximation OR I could just read the distance and time off of the Garmin Forerunner on my arm to get the most accurate measurement.
The reason we want the records is so that we can work out which route will take me (or us) so far.
Having a goal, short and/or long term, is by far the best motivator to keep human beings going, whether you enjoy something or not. RPGs understand this with levelling up. Some of us just want to be the best we can be from ourselves - competitive yes, but humans *are* competitive beings.
Being competitive with others or setting goals for yourself is the most effective way to get something out of exercise. If I don't have a race coming up, even 6 months ahead, I lose motivation to get out there. I know I'm not alone in this. I don't think it is strange to want to run the next one quicker, I would find it strange to run for 6 years and not want to get any better during that time.
But it seems less pure than simply going for a hike, a run, or living some free weights.
I agree going for a hike should be about the stroll and enjoying the outdoors. But a scientific exercise such as lifting weights without a plan of what you are trying to achieve is a pointless exercise that will end up with you wasting your time. The specific counting (kgs, reps, sets) is the whole idea.
If this were really happening, what would you think?
Wait a minute - are you saying that there's some aspect of the US health care system that's better than some other country's?
Sorry - you can't post here anymore.
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
I've written some blog entries about my Garmin Forerunner 305. I also got it to work under linux: http://www.roalt.com/content/blogcategory/28/31/ Just one month ago, I also added a quick release fix and a Cadence meter, so I can use it both with running and with cycling. With the release kit it's also perfect if you want to do triathlon (although I'm not so sure it's swim-proof)...
He said:
And I said:
And the best part is, your reflexive reaction is EXACTLY the kind of response I was hoping to get, therefor reinforcing the point I was trying to make. Thanks!
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
Comment removed based on user account deletion
This is probably outside the price range of most folks, but BodyMedia makes a research version.
And before you complain, yes research versions of such equipment are almost always more expensive than consumer versions. This has to do with the added technical support ("we want people to do [insert crazy unusual thing] while using your device, will it work?") and typical "hey, that's odd data, can you explain it?" types of follow-up. When you're doing research, this level of support and debugging has a definite, non-zero value.