Choresonasynphoria: The Camp Hollywood High

Camp Hollywood 2026 just wrapped up, and I am still feeling the high - and the muscle soreness - of it! I thought this was my fourth Camp Hollywood, until a vague recollection surfaced in my brain to remind me that I sort of participated in the virtual Camp Hollywood during the COVID pandemic in 2020, in our tiny ass condo in San Diego. So I guess I can claim this was my fifth one! But the virtual one does not compare - the in-person event is so good, and I already have my tickets for next year's event. 

Quality AND Quantity

I'm not sure if there is an official record of attendees; I imagine it's hard to track because some people will get full weekend passes but not attend many or any classes, and some people may show up for individual dances multiple times. But based on the group photo and data around the number of passes sold, I used my favorite AI chatbot, Gemini, to estimate that there are probably 600 to 1000 active students during the days, spread across 4 to 5 concurrent workshop tracks, and the evening dances (five in total, although the first and last are more sparsely attended) might get as high as 1500+ attendees, with 800 to 1000 people in the main ballroom for dancing at any given time. 

What's more, these dancers are top notch, for the most part. There are beginners to be sure, but many of the best dances I've had have been here at Camp Hollywood. In thinking about it, I related to a sort of dance roulette. There are so many people at the event who you may not have met or seen before, and you have no idea if they are any good. I know sometimes people watch others dance to decide who they want to dance with next, but I think, more often than not, both partners are going in blind, unsure of the others' skill level or abilities, and you just go for it. This requires rapidly learning each other's style and connection and trying to match the energy and styling while also learning to lead or follow with this connection on the fly. And the cool part is that, at least where I'm at now with my ability, it usually works out pretty well and turns into an awesome dance. Like a happy accident, but intentional. It's hard to describe. And there's also a little bit of finality to it, or to borrow a Japanese term I've recently leaned into a bit, "mono no aware" which is about the beautiful sadness of impermanence. In other words, you might have the dance of a lifetime with some random partner, and never see them again or dance with them again. Or, as luck has it sometimes, you see them next on the competition floor, absolutely blowing everyone's minds, and you get a boost of confidence knowing you danced with that top tier competitor.  

The instructors come from all over the world and are some of the best! From legendary pioneers of the Savoy Ballroom days to young, energetic superstars transforming the art form, they are all terrific and bring a lot of variety and interest to the classes. Many of the top dancers and CH veterans I talk to don't take the classes anymore and even sometimes advise against it. That's a shame in my perspective, although I understand the viewpoints based on some of the previous experiences. But for what it's worth, Camp Hollywood seemed to have stepped up the classes a lot in 2026. When I plan my schedule (on my TripIt app - I've been told more than once this weekend how Type A I am), I usually select an option 1 and option 2 class, and sometimes an option 3, so that I can bounce to another class if the one I started isn't doing it for me. I did no bouncing this year. I did choose to sit out and watch for part of a class, from sheer exhaustion and preservation of energy for the upcoming events, but every class I chose as my first option was so engaging and inspiring and all the things, I couldn't help myself. Honestly, well done, CH instructors and organizers! The classes were really well done this year! 

A Study in Happiness, Joy and Fulfillment

I do a lot of reading and considering concepts around happiness, and the intersection of physical health and mental well being. Specifically, I've been learning and practicing shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) of Japan, and hygge from Denmark. 

I think it's especially interesting to study the Danes' way of life, political and economic factors, and their philosophies like hygge, as well as those of the other Scandinavian countries, because they rank so highly on the world happiness studies consistently. From the perspective of an outsider looking in, one might wonder if they're delusional - they suffer terribly cold winters in almost absolute darkness, not seeing the sun for days potentially, have lost every war they've ever fought in, and aren't as productive as, say, the UK or Japan or US. By traditional American benchmarks—constant productivity, hustle, and economic output—they might appear to be underperforming. Yet their robust social safety net provides a baseline security that fosters genuine peace of mind, freeing people from the chronic survival anxieties that keep so many Americans trapped in exhausting circumstances. And their embracing the winter cold by building this hygge philosophy is a way to make lemonade out of lemons. 

Yet the one aspect that I don't like about hygge is that it requires the contrast in order to be most hygge. The example at the beginning of The Little Book of Hygge is a group of friends sitting around drinking hot drinks, and the comment was that it would be more hygge if there was a bad storm outside. Later, when the book talks about Christmas preparations, it says that the burden of hosting a holiday puts pressure and stresses people out leading up to the holiday, at which time a verbal confirmation of hygge is a final relief valve of all that stress. I love the holidays and I don't see why holiday preparations can't be joyful and must be stressful. It seems to me that life will hand us enough negatives naturally; minimizing the negatives within our control shouldn't detract from the positive impact of the highs. 

So coming off the high from Camp Hollywood, I wanted to try to capture what makes this event so special, at least for me. Much like, Las Vegas, New York City, and Disneyland, what you get out of Camp Hollywood is personal depending on what you want to get out of it. CH veterans will advise newcomers not to try to do everything because, while it's not impossible to try to do everything, it is at the physical limits of human beings to go hard the whole time you can. And actually, because there are often multiple interesting classes happening at once, it is impossible to do all the things. 

What struck me last year is that this even is so full of joy, it's like a bubble of positivity, a sanctuary for the love of dance, away from the world of crappy politics, work stress, and the challenges of adulting and doing life. I've searched for a word or phrase that describes this specific feeling, and couldn't find something that fit well, so I'm coining my own term. Based on the title of the blog, you've probably guessed it: Choresonasynphoria. 

I workshopped this with Gemini because I wanted to fully encapsulate the feeling, and while I wished it was a little more concise, brevity has never been a strength of mine, and I think the particles are necessary to get my full meaning. So what's it mean? I started with the feeling I get at Camp Hollywood of unbridled joy resulting from a love of dance. The dance is the joy and the love of dancing for the sake of dancing itself is the point. But it's not just when I'm dancing that I have this feeling. It's being in the room where it happens (wink wink). It's the possibility and opportunity to dance, but also in sharing the love of the dance with others, even without participating in that moment. It's a togetherness, and a joy, and a contagion, all based on dance. It's not the dance itself, the dance is the means. 

So weaved into this one word are four parts: 

• Choreo- (Ancient Greek choreia): The art and spirit of dance. It is active. It can be technically and physically challenging. It is beautiful. So few things in life are all of these things, and those who dance have a love and appreciation for it because of what it is. 

• -resona- (Latin resonare): To echo, ring back, and amplify through a space. This is the contagious nature of the joy and love of dance. 

• -syn- (Ancient Greek -syn-): Together, in unison, united as a community. The swing dance community has always surprised me by how welcoming it is. When having to move to Texas under duress, I found comfort when I found a swing dance community there. 

• -phoria (Ancient Greek phoros/euphoria): Carrying a deep, transcendent state of joy. The pre-existing word I found closest to the feeling of joy I wanted to describe was Eudaimonia from Ancient Greek; Aristotle used the term to describe a deeper state of human flourishing and peak fulfillment. It is the joy that arises from actively engaging your skills, expressing virtue or artistry, and living fully in alignment with what brings you vitality. It's a little like the modern concepts of flow or being in the zone. I thought this was true, but it didn't have the community and contagious effects I also feel, so I wanted to incorporate part of the word while adding those other elements to it. 

A Happiness Spectrum

Writing with the assistance of AI chatbots can be really insightful, and I want to share a question and answer directly, because I thought it was really good. I've been reading and trying to practice and embrace concepts from shinrin-yoku and hygge recently, but was also reminded of the spirit of aloha and Costa Rica's philosophy of pura vida. It struck me that there are some common threads in human anthropology: an underlying drive to anchor ourselves in presence, cultivate gratitude and honor the light precisely because we know the dark exists. Other concepts include Norway's friluftsliv ("free air life"), Japan's wabi-sabi ("imperfection and transience"), ubuntu of Southern Africa, and Finland's sisu. Anyways, the question Gemini asked me was: 

"Hygge is inherently about shelter and sanctuary (retreating indoors from harsh weather or stress), whereas Aloha and Pura Vida are about flow and connection with your surroundings. Where does Choresonasynphoria land on that spectrum—is it an escape from the world, or an exuberant engagement with it?" 

I found this a deeply interesting question with no obvious answer. Instead, I thought about A Wrinkle in Time and imagined folding the proposed spectrum so that both ends meet. My answer, then, was that if the spectrum is sanctuary on one end and flow and connection on the other end, Choresonasynphoria is not in between, it's the extreme of both. The spectrum folds in on itself and it's the best on both extremes. Choresonasynphoria refutes the idea that stress-free sanctuary and high-energy connection are opposites. Like a fold in space time, it brings both extremes together: you are simultaneously in an intense, high-cardio, high-engagement flow and wrapped in a profound sense of communal sanctuary, in a bubble of joy deflecting the outside stressors of life. 

Can You Feel It?

The physical manifestation of Choresonasynphoria, for me, is the soreness in my cheeks. My face physically hurts from smiling so much, and maybe laughing, and sometimes even crying tears of joy and appreciation. The workout of the dance is felt in my feet, knees, quads, calves, glutes (the other cheeks), back, shoulders, neck and arms. The hands and the head may be the only parts of the body that are largely exempt from the physical repercussions of dancing for 50+ hours over the course of 5 days. But the cheeks hurt not because of the dance, but because of the joy, because of the Choresonasynphoria. 

And the joy isn't just from the dance. It's from the community, the togetherness, the fun, the creativity. I love a good theme party, and Camp Hollywood delivers themes in spades. Every year, we are encouraged to embody four themes, which change every year. The Barbie theme from a couple years ago was hilarious because every pink-clad woman greeted one another with, "Hey Barbie!" with a responding, "Hey Barbie!" in return. It never got old. 

This year, both the Star Trek and the Muppets theme nights brought out some very creative interpretations. Since we generally want to be able to dance, full on costumes are usually not ideal, so seeing what people came up with holds entertaining value of its own. 

Stepping up my CH theme game even more this year, I worked really hard on my outfit for the office theme. The official description on the website said, "Tonight we’re back to work at The Office – wear your executive or secretarial gear to dance…" Since I despise the show referenced, I leaned into my infatuation with office supplies (I can't explain why, but I'm like a kid in the candy store when I'm in the office supply aisle or store). I designed a custom repeating pattern on a vintage mint green background, layering paperclips, retro staplers, rolodexes, rotary phones with coiled cords, and classic typewriters. Having no luck finding a seamstress to construct it, I dove headfirst into a sewing challenge that far exceeded my skill level. The end product wasn't boutique-ready, but I was damn proud of it—and even more thrilled to spot another dancer wearing a skirt made from one of my original fabric designs!

And while I love dancing with both old friends and complete strangers, and winning dancer roulette so frequently, taking a break and watching the dancing is just as joyful for me. I think anyone, even without a lot of dance knowledge, can appreciate the spectacle and feel the infectious energy of the dancers and the audience. But there's also a deeper level of appreciation that comes from learning the vocabulary of the dance moves and recognizing when people execute them well or remix them in a surprising way. There are layers of joy in both the dancing and the watching. 

Do It Anyways

When the dancing was all over, I started my recovery with a dip in the hot tub Tuesday morning. I ended up in a deeply engaging conversation with a dancer from New York who dubbed my philosophies a "hot tub TED talk," to my great amusement. He said something, though, that deeply resonated with me because it stirred up something I may have been trying to ignore or overlook: that this event can be a bit cliquey at times. I definitely find this to be true, and maybe I assumed I felt alone in this thinking, which in hindsight is obviously absurd. 

Despite having many people I consider friends coming to the event from California and Arizona, and even some from Texas and elsewhere, I am not so close with them that I am part of their group when making plans or finding roommates. There are benefits of having my own room, to be sure, but the result is that I am often eating alone or feeling like I am imposing on a group's meal. I know I have a tendency to feel ostracized even when it's not intentional, and I love the swing dance community for so rarely creating the feeling of intentional exclusion. But it's not perfect, and I suppose I try to ignore this in order to glorify the event with the level of joy I feel. His comment awakened this reality I had been refusing to acknowledge. 

Nevertheless, I think the point is to not let that stop you. The fear of entry may be high, but it's mostly self-imposed. You can test out waters until you find your people, and I hope you never feel outright picked on in this community. The cliques are real, but they are minor noise compared to the signal of the dance and the fun and the joy. And that joy can be accessed by anyone willing to step by the fear of entry. 

Choresonasynphoria in Daily Life

One book's messaging has stuck with me for a long time; it was Alex Pang's Rest, and part of it talked about good rest not being a couch potato vegging and binge watching TV, but that active activities that engage the body and brain differently than your normal work is more restorative and activates different parts of the brain. Swing dancing, for me, is both a cardio workout but it's also a restorative rest in that it requires a different kind of brain power and learning, and also brings people together for (generally positive) socializing. Almost all studies about happiness and aging well point to relationships with people as a strong contributing factor, and while the relationships formed in swing dance may not be the strongest, they are a different kind of relationship that enriches a life well lived. 

And while it is not sustainable for most of us to go Camp Hollywood-hard all the time, we also don't have to wait a year to experience Choresonasynphoria. Joining dance troupes, practicing a solo jazz routine like Shim Sham or Tranky Doo in a class or group, or just going out dancing regularly can give us doses of the joy throughout the year and give us an active respite from the drama and stress of life. 

Niche Problems, Smart Solutions: AI for Health

Disclaimer: The content in this article reflects my personal experiences and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. I am not a medical professional. The AI tools discussed are used for general wellness, lifestyle optimization, and non-emergency comfort measures—not for diagnosing, treating, or preventing medical conditions. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for medical advice, diagnoses, or before making changes to your health regimen.

Fuck! Ow! Fuck! Fuck! Ow! Fucking ow! Fuck! 

There I was in the economy window seat on a short flight to Greenville, South Carolina for a week of work there, and I was in excruciating pain. 

I wasn't sick. It wasn't my ears. I was having a Charley horse for the record books. My hamstring was contracting, and with minimal space to stretch my leg out, I could not find a position to ease the pain. I tried pushing it into the small space below the seat in front of me. I tried pulling it back. Fuck! That was worse. I flexed my foot, I pointed my toes, no relief. I tried massage it with my hands. I wriggled in my seat in such discomfort I'm surprised I didn't jab the person next to me with my elbow. 

This went on for what felt like an hour, but was probably a total of 20 minutes, which is still quite a long time. It wasn't just one of my legs either. As soon as one stopped, the other started, and I'd go through the same fruitless efforts of trying to straighten, trying to pull it back, trying to stretch my foot out, trying to massage. 

It was my own doing, I realized. I had planned this flight as late in the day as I could while still getting in before a decent bedtime in order to allow as much time as I could for dance classes in the morning. The weekend had been full of social dances at night with a greater attendance than normal as out-of-towners traveled for the event, and hard-hitting dance classes during the day. 

That morning I had started off with a solo Charleston class which both challenged my muscle memory and blew my mind, as well as worked up a sweat. I had brought a change of shirt to prepare for the next class, which was a partner Charleston class, as a courtesy to my rotating partners. I had brought a full change of clothes to the airport, along with wipes and antiperspirant to freshen up after the classes. 

I had not stretched or put my feet up sufficiently. After a weekend of moving and straining my muscles, culminating in those Charleston classes which involve some of the most leg movements, I had boarded a plane and attempted to sit still while I rehydrated and ate protein-packed snacks. I had thought of everything, or so I thought. 

And then my glutes started cramping. Mother fucker! Ow! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Ow! 

AI to the Rescue

With nowhere really to go and not knowing what I would do even if I did get up, I grabbed my phone and opened it to my AI chatbot of choice - Gemini. I switched it into my ongoing conversation generically called, "Health" and explained the situation, asking it what I could do while sitting here on the plane. It commended my choice of snacks and gave me specific instructions for stretching and relieving the immediate pain. I then inquired what I should plan to eat and what I could do at the hotel.

This is one of a few ways I used AI chatbots for my health: for innocuous, non-emergency conditions like soreness. While general remedies for soreness can simply be googled, I prefer to use the chatbot because it (usually) remembers my likes, and more importantly, dislikes, of certain foods, and can tailor its recommendations based on my history of general ailments and my lifestyle. I am trying to incorporate occasional tea into my life, and so I've used Gemini to explore the various benefits of different tea varieties to figure out which ones I want to drink. I'll also sometimes take a snapshot of a menu at a restaurant when I'm traveling for work to get recommendations for the best options based on my health-related concerns at the time (e.g. muscle recovery versus watching inflammation). 

Fix Your Face

A similar example was when I was getting frustrated with dark circles and bags under my eyes. I snapped well-lit selfies with multiple views - smiling, not smiling, looking in different directions - and shared that with Gemini and consulted it for recommendations. It wasn't just sleep that was an issue, it was inflammation from sodium, according to the chatbot. We reviewed my general diet and it gave me low-sodium recommendations to reduce to inflammation, as well as methods to help drain the fluids over time. I also used it to investigate potential skincare creams I could use, given my skin sensitivity and desire to keep my routine very easy and minimal. 

Again, innocuous, non-emergency type things that googling would only give generic advice while AI can pull in context of the selfies and provide reassurance and helpful tips that also pass the human litmus test of being healthy recommendations. Once we had a solid plan in place, it suggested I check back in after a week with updated selfies, but since the chatbot doesn't have a reminder mechanism, I had to set a reminder in my to do app, Tick-Tick. When I uploaded new selfies, Gemini confirmed the great progress I already had started to notice, but it actually provided deeper insights and specifics that I hadn't really clocked. Now, I regularly check in with selfies and context of recent travel, dancing, hydration diligence, etc., and it continues to provide recommendations that seem to help. 

Not only have my selfies improved. I have made a habit of noting my blood pressure readings whenever I visit various doctor's offices for regular appointments, and I've tracked a dramatic decrease in my readings into much healthier ranges. Whenever I get a new reading, I share this with Gemini and it puts into context for me the success based on what it knows I've been doing to improve my healthy lifestyle. This data-driven result, combined with contextual feedback from AI, creates a tangible intrinsic reward that builds momentum and motivation in my busy life.

The Urge to Find a Solution

A couple years ago, a weird phenomenon started happening. I don't drink alcohol every day or anywhere close to that, but occasionally I enjoy tasting local craft beer from wherever I happened to have traveled, or having a glass of wine or a cocktail with friends. 

Within seconds, and I mean truly, seconds - no more than half a minute - of the alcohol of choice hitting my lips, I'd have a sudden, intense urge to urinate. It was so strong it would be a little painful, and it seemed to come out of nowhere. This wasn't a breaking-the-seal feeling resulting from having many drinks without going to the bathroom. This was an immediate, inexplicable feeling like I was about to pee my pants if I didn't get to a toilet now. 

The first several times it happened to me, I'd bolt for the bathroom, only to find no relief. Nothing would come up, and the urge persisted. If you've ever had a UTI, it was a lot like this. I'd go to the bathroom two or three times in ten minutes without producing anything, feeling no relief from the urge to pee whatsoever. 

It was awful. But I found, after ten or fifteen minutes, the urge would pass. After learning this, the next few times it happened, I'd try to just sit still and wait it out. It was awful, but it would pass. 

While I don't live a perfectly healthy lifestyle by any means, and I have a lot of diagnosed conditions that make life a little harder in their own ways, I generally consider myself at least a bit health conscious. I try to drink water a lot, I don't drink a lot of soda or alcohol, and I dance and do other forms of physical activity pretty regularly. 

It didn't happen all the time, either. It seemed random, but happened with enough frequency that it started to weigh heavily on my mind. This 10 or 15 minute discomfort that was clearly tied to all forms of alcohol, at least as far as I could tell, created a pretty massive disinterest in drinking. Not the end of the world, to be fair. But it was frustrating because I did want to drink socially with friends and colleagues every so often. So I would have to weigh my willingness to risk putting myself through it or not. 

I googled it many times, and all I could find were results about alcohol being a diuretic and causing this after many drinks. None of the results mentioned anything related to the immediacy of the feeling for me. When I tried changing up my google search, it led to UTIs and other conditions that were more persistent, but I knew this was a very short-term symptom that passed much faster than UTIs from my (thankfully) limited experience. None of the results made sense or seemed to even get close to what I was experiencing. 

I thought about talking to my doctor the next time I went in. But it wasn't an emergency, and the obvious solution was just to not drink, so it didn't seem like an issue I needed to rush into the doctor to manage. I didn't drink for a long time, and people gave me looks but thankfully none of my social groups would apply pressure or judgment in that regard. So it wasn't a big deal, except to me. The times I wanted to drink but didn't want to deal with the consequences were irritating and puzzling. 

I shifted my google searching to talking about it with my chatbot. I explained the circumstances and the weirdness, and confirmed it wasn’t the obvious suspects - a ton of consumption or a UTI. I emphasized the immediacy of it, the fact that nothing happened if I went to the bathroom, and how it would pass and not reoccur again until literally days or weeks later when I drank again. It suggested it was a sort of bladder irritation that would occur when I was dehydrated. That explained why it didn't always happen - if I had properly hydrated during the day before drinking, it wouldn't hit the same way. 

Since ensuring proper hydration is never a bad recommendation for a reasonably healthy, able-bodied person, it was definitely worth testing the theory. So on days when I felt confident I had drunk enough water and then wanted to drink alcohol, I would allow myself to do. And if I didn't think I'd had enough water that day, I'd pass on the alcohol usually, although from time to time I went for the drink anyways. 

The results were crystal clear. When I felt properly hydrated and had alcohol, no issue at all, ever. When I risked the alcoholic drink despite knowing I probably hadn't had enough water that day, I felt the urge, and it would pass after 10 minutes. So I still opted out of alcohol pretty regularly when I traveled, with the knowledge that my poor hydration that day would likely lead to the annoying discomfort. I literally haven't had this issue that couldn't be explained by obvious lack of hydration discipline since then. 

This example, while a little embarrassing, is the perfect example for what AI is capable of. Instead of doing a keyword search, like google, the chatbots can apply context and perform deeper critical "thinking." And honestly, I am not sure if a doctor would have been able to help here. Since this is a passing feeling, not a disease, and it's not an emergency situation, doctors may have zero exposure and experience with treating this concern. It's such a niche issue, and probably doesn't have a test that could be run. Sure, we could rule out things like UTIs and maybe other diseases like liver disease or whatever, but could the doctor actually tell me the solution? Would they have prescribed something for incontinence or medication that provides a numbing quality to mute the feeling? If you know or have heard of anything like this, please put in the comments - I'm genuinely curious. 

Custom Workout Plans and Realistic Expectations

Since I have a varied personal schedule and hate routines, efforts towards losing weight and focusing on my health have to integrate easily into my life or they won't work. While I won't pretend I have it all figured out, I do regularly use my chatbot to give me short-term routines and suggestions that are palatable to me. I also lay out longer-term expectations using my real history data which can be uploaded to the chatbot. When evaluating a new product, I can throw screenshots in of the product claims and have it assess the validity of it, narrowing down my search to features and results that are most important to me. With the ongoing dialog being stored in its memory, it easily pulls in contextual information and proactively provides insights that are helpful and I might not have thought of. 

When I was working on my inflammation, I decided to spend an evening at World Springs, and was able to ask Gemini for a custom plan for which baths to soak in. It even encouraged me to try the cold plunge, despite my protests. I had heard about the benefits of cold plunging before and had made the excuse that it wasn't "for me." But after investigating the specific benefits it could potentially bring to me with Gemini, I relented. I initially went into a very painful shock state, but a random stranger coached me to keep breathing and to get all the way in the water, and tracked my time for me while I mentally could not function. Rushing to the hot tub afterward, I felt the reassuring pinpricks of sensation returning to my body. After about 15 minutes, I felt so rejuvenated—and I'm not sure how else to describe it—just so wholesomely healthier and more alive, I actually wanted to do it again. I couldn't have been more surprised by the results, and it finally made sense why people promote it. And I wouldn't have discovered it without the clear, personalized recommendations from Gemini urging me to consider it despite my heavy resistance. 

What Are We Losing

I want to talk a little bit about a few concerns, real and unwarranted, here. I believe it is always healthy to evaluate what it is we're losing that goes hand-in-hand with what we're gaining with new technologies. When cell phones first came out, we were worried about radio waves frying our brains with the close proximity to our heads. Now, despite many studies that suggest having a phone in close proximity to our beds disturbs our sleep, I'm willing to bet most of you still sleep with the phone next to your bed. I do too, so no judgement. I've considered trying a different alarm method so I can leave my phone in another room, but I haven't done it yet. It's a choice that we should actively test and be open to new data in either direction. 

Personal Data Security

First, you might be reading this and noting the things I've shared with my AI chatbot - my health history and statistics, real-time selfies, travel plans, my diet choices, and niche concerns - and thinking that this is a threat to the security of my personal data. What I'll say to this is, yeah, but "they" already have that. I'm giving my chatbot the data from my FitBit, which recently was acquired by Google anyways. I'm uploading selfies that are maybe more detailed, but not too different than pictures I post on facebook, or people post of me. My travel plans already exist in TripIt because that's my favorite app of choice for building my itineraries. Amazon knows what food I order. These may be somewhat disconnected data streams, but the data is out there. To me, the idea of protecting your personal data while engaging with these products and technologies is an illusion. The only way to truly protect your personal data is to disconnect from all devices and from the world. That is an option, and I won't shame that as a personal choice for people. But I would acknowledge that those people are missing out on the benefits of these technologies, and that's the tradeoff they pay for feeling secure. No judgment. For me, the "price" of readily sharing my data that already exists, to get the benefits of these custom recommendations easily, tips that actually help improve my life, is worth it. That's my choice. But pretending that you can live and operate in this world and reap all the benefits of these technologies without exposing your personal data to the companies and systems that could find it anyways is just kidding yourself. So while I won't judge anyone on their decision to share the information or not, I do assert that it is a conscious choice one way or the other. 

Critical Thinking Ability

Another example from the early cell phone days is that we all realized we no longer could remember the phone numbers of the people we called the most. While most of us remember our own phone number still, I literally couldn't recite more than the area code for a single person I contact regularly. Part of this might be that we now have to use 10 digits (in the US), whereas before cell phones, we primarily made local calls with 7 digits (in the US). I've had the same personal phone number since I went to college in Arizona, so naturally, my area code is one of Arizona, despite the fact that I haven't lived in Arizona since 2017. 

So what are we losing with AI chatbots in terms of our brain power? I'm sure time will tell and there will be many studies done, but even without data, I can definitely feel my willingness to create things manually waning. Looking up individual things through google search and go to the source website for a specific topic already feels too tedious and taxing when I have a quick solution. There is a newly created conflict I now have to weigh in my head, between the risk of AI hallucination and the benefits of validated, contextual insights. 

How do we combat this? I think it starts with acknowledging the real trade-off, and making choices. If I just want to explore ideas and am open to novel suggestions, like when I'm planning a personal vacation, I love treating AI as a partner in mapping out itineraries. To validate claims of products, I definitely like querying AI and sharing my specific concerns. But when tempted to create, I think we need to make choices about whether its important we create it ourselves, or if the end product is not significant enough to require the human touch. For example, I use AI to generate a lot of graphics to accommodate my blog posts. Since the writing is usually the important element, I'm okay with graphics that are imperfect - in fact, I really enjoy the imperfections to demonstrate the quirkiness of AI, and I will often use graphics unedited. Sometimes I use them to give me a framework of the graphic, and I edit them with my amateurish skills. 

But the blog is the important element, and I write those. Sometimes, when I'm having a hard time structing my thoughts, I'll use AI to generate an outline. I'll also use AI to check my work for clarity, to workshop specific sentences that could be phrased better, or to ensure I haven't left anything out when I have a lot of topics I want to make sure I cover. I'll use AI to generate professional disclaimers (like the one at the top of this post), and to ideate snazzy or punny headlines, although I often end up using a combination of its suggestions because AI struggles with human comedy still. Nevertheless, the work is mine. It's more than human-in-the-loop, it's further on the spectrum towards using AI as a collaborator, amending my human abilities rather than replacing them. 

So we need to be conscious of the choices of when to use AI and when to use our brains, to keep ourselves sharp. And ultimately, we need to use AI for what AI is good at - deep, contextual, niche searches and personalized recommendations, rather than trying to replace our humanity. And in terms of health, we aren't in a world (yet?) in which AI chatbots can diagnose real medical conditions. While they could provide a notional assessment of symptoms and things to talk to your doctor about, the risk of hallucination for something more medically serious is too great to not consult a doctor. 


And on that note, I need to get more water and stretch my still-tight muscles, because of course I went dancing again the last two nights. Cheers! 

Singing in the New Year: 2026 Resolutions

Every year, I relish looking back to reflect on the happy memories made, sometimes despite minor or major troubles in life. And the coming of a new year always holds such potential, I excite at the prospect of setting new goals and seeing what I can do through the twists and turns life will inevitably throw at me. 

I've been brainstorming for a couple weeks now on what I want to set out for myself in 2026, but instead of finding clarity and focus, as is exemplified by my life, I have a million thoughts in a thousand different directions. It has been helpful to look back at my previous new year's resolution posts to remember what was important to me, and which of those areas of my life may still be important. 

Let's Get Physical

Movement - whether straight exercise or more adventurous activities like hiking in the wilderness or swimming in ocean, along with dance which has a social element to it - has been a consistent theme and one that I would be remiss if I left off again this year, and perhaps all years. 

In some of my recent reading, I have been reminded that we can sort of rewire our brains by strengthening the paths of the habits we want to create or by lessening the frequency of exercising the pathways we don't want to promote. While I've had sprints of good exercise habits, and I've continued going out to dance regularly, it still has not become consistent enough and I am very good at making excuses for myself. 

So putting those ideas together, I think I need to exercise with the intention of re-wiring my brain. Reframing it in this way gives me a purpose and a way to combat the excuses I inevitably want to make for myself. Calling out the excuses for what they are, and reminding myself that fighting against the choice not to exercise is actually promoting the thing in my brain that I want to strengthen. 

I want dancing to continue to be a part of my life, and I don't think I have to set that as a resolution for that to continue idly. I have toyed with getting more serious with it - taking lessons, for example, or practicing and really becoming an expert in a routine or two. Specifically, I love the "Doin' the Jive" routine, it's not too complicated or difficult, and I think if I practiced enough, I could even possibly offer to teach it at FWSDS. I could practice the "California Orange" routine to get better at that in case it is taught again at Camp Hollywood next year, or maybe I could spy on what the LA dancers are working on and try to get ahead of it with that routine. 

I also think, beyond the comfort and convenience of indoor exercise, I should aim for more intentional outdoor hikes. I already have scheduled for myself a trip to Kawaii and a trip to Yellowstone, so those are great opportunities to not just be outdoors but to do something rigorous. This starts by simply searching for and planning things to do which would involve walking or hiking in the wilderness. And I do love a good trip planning session! 

One Song

Musical pursuits have been on my mind a lot in recent months, and I've tried to postpone it to keep myself focused on writing and publishing my book(s) for the remainder of the year, so now is the time to explore what I really want to do in 2026. 

My reinvigorated interest started as more of a fun thing: playing with generative AI to create songs that are surprisingly catchy and entertaining, even if not totally perfect in pronunciation and logical flow. I've had a latent desire to get a better recording of "Go in Peace and Love," an a capella song I sang with my Madrigal Choir in high school every year, and which had great meaning I think to all of us. Wouldn't it be amazing to get the gang back together to record it? Or to find new talented singers with whom to rehearse and record it? My niece, Anna, has a beautiful voice and expressed interest in recording - I think her Dad even got her a recording session for Christmas - so I shared my thought with her which piqued her interest. 

I've also had a latent desire to pick up on piano/keyboard lessons and learn how to play some songs that people can sing along to, or even better, learn how to sight read on piano. I recently went to a Christmas party at the house of a swing dancer I know in Fort Worth, and he was actually playing songs on his historic but surprisingly well-tuned piano, while a few of us stood around and sang along. We started with Christmas tunes and then moved onto Broadway show tunes. It was so much fun to me, I would love to do that regularly, and I hope I'll at least be able to return to that as a holiday tradition while living in Texas. 

Beyond gen AI music, I often dabble in writing parody lyrics, or even writing lyrics for original tunes. I've enjoyed these exercises and sometimes dream of writing a full musical, but the ambition and lack of focus are daunting. So trying to find the middle ground between taking on a fun project and being able to complete it is the challenge. 

I have a decent microphone and sound-dampening panels, so I think I'd like to set a goal of recording a least one vocal song. In addition, I do want to dig up the "Go in Peace and Love" sheet music and pass that on to Anna, or at least get it in front of myself again. Perhaps I could record the individual parts myself, if I am so inclined. 

Beyond creating and performing, it has occurred to me that I often feel behind on learning of new musicals, and that seems like a very solvable problem. So I'd like to find ways to be more connected to Broadway news and up and coming shows. 

No Place Like Home

Until I looked back at my old new year resolution posts, it hadn't even occurred to me that a new DIY home design project has been turning in my head. Having fully satisfied my vision for my Love Island-themed bathroom, and executed my alternative Texas styling in my family room, complete with hot pink fireplace, I think it's time I turn my attention to that boring kitchen of mine. I already have a theme - citrus - and a vision, so really, it's just about refining the design and executing at this point. 

Sorry, Not Sorry

It has weighed on my mind that one of the pieces of actionable (but annoyingly hard) feedback from my boss was that I say, "Um," too much and that my speaking could use polish. While I recognize this as true historically, I've also sort of embraced it as I've been told how I communicate is effective. I also take a little pride in being unapologetically me, and that is a part of my language. But, if I want to advance into the higher echelons of the company, which I do, then it may be worth acting on the feedback. 

Billionaire (Passive Income, Automation and Technology)

Ever since my Python script to post to Twitter stopped working, I haven't had automated or manual promotion consistently for my book(s), fabrics and blog. As such, I think it's time to dig in on figuring out a way to automate social media posts again, especially for my fabric business which is a small but steady source of passive income. It is much improved when there are posts about it, so ignoring that untapped potential seems frivolous. 

I also would like to complete my AI certification program and find ways to utilize that learning as part of my IncQueries project. 

And similar to my desire to keep up with the latest Broadway musicals, I've realized I've defaulted to books for much of my intel, but books hardly keep up with the changing technology landscape, so I should shift some of my "input" bandwidth to podcasts, YouTube channels, or news publications and the like, related to my interests in technology and economics. 

A big source of frustration and reason for procrastination in my personal resolutions for 2025 was wanting to publish my management book. I set out to establish relationships with actual publishers who could provide editorial critiques and help market my book and maybe even create a path towards becoming a writer beyond a single book. I found it to be much harder than I anticipated, and pivoted to self-publishing with a program I was willing to invest in if it worked. I got stuck, however, largely on the "building a list" based on social media posts discipline again. I could still exercise one of the features to try to get unstuck, but I'm not convinced self-publishing is the way to go for books I really care about. The topic of the book didn't explicitly have to be management per my resolution, and I did, indeed, self-publish my book on Astoria, which was a fun rabbit hole to go down. But the pivot away from seeking a real publisher relationship was unsatisfactory to me. As such, I think I'd like to give that another go, but I'm not sure I'm committed to making it a resolution this year. 

The rabbit hole I went down for my Astoria book was a fun one, and if I wanted to do a more light-hearted book again, I have many topics I could pursue, including connecting the disparate mythologies and conspiracy theories of the Bermuda Triangle, ancient unexplainable architecture, crop circles and patterns in stone under rivers, etc. When I moved from California to Texas a couple years ago, at the urging of my friend Allison, I stopped at The Thing to see the updated museum, and documented the new bizarre explanation of all of history as we know it (spoiler alert: it was all the aliens' doing). That kind of stuff makes me laugh but also is a fun exercise is challenging the "known" science and history. 

I'm leaning towards an "either/or" resolution. Either I figure out how to automate my social media, and try to build my list / audience, or I attack the challenge of getting in with a publisher. 

And if I could combine another fun rabbit hole project with the outdoor movement, that would be a reasonably efficient way to accomplish a lot with limited time and resources. 

You've Got a Friend in Me

Finally, I want to strengthen my existing friendships and develop new local friendships. While swing dancing offers a social environment outside of work, that is not a sufficiently social environment to forge deep friendships necessarily. So I think this is where I can set more discrete goals for myself, spending one day (or part of a day) a month with a friend or family member (not a romantic partner), and seeking classes or activities in which socializing could promote new friendships. 

My Resolutions

It feels like a very well-rounded list is formulating, with lots of bonus ideas or general focus areas. So, let's give it a go. In 2026, I think I'll endeavor to: 

• Physicality - Make Movement a Requirement to Re-wire my Brain
• Bonus: Make plans to get out into nature for walks and hikes
• Plan Yellowstone trip in detail
• Plan Kawaii trip in detail
• Plan for work trips
• Bonus: Learn a dance routine expertly
• Musical - Record at least one song (or continue on with an album)
• Bonus: Find the sheet music for "Go in Peace and Love"
• Bonus: Start practicing keyboard/piano again
• Optional: Try to find new musicals and stay up to date on them
• Home - Complete Kitchen Redesign/Renovation
• Bonus: Finish unpacking all boxes
• Bonus: Consolidate clothes into my primary closet (and donate the rest)
• Technology & Passive Income - Automate Social Media and/or Get into a Publisher with my (management) book
• Optional: Go down another rabbit hole to write another low-stakes book
• Bonus: Complete AI certification course
• Relationships - Spend one day per month with a (non-romantic) friend or family member
• Find classes or activities to attend with like-minded people 
• Profession - Invest time and energy towards refining my language

Here are a few fun videos that capture just some of the fun I had in 2025. 

Exercise Programs Based on Strengths

It's that time of the year again when people kick off their weight loss resolutions and so-called "Diet Culture" is promoted. I've put less and less significance on the start of a new year, but have continued to struggle with diet and exercise, and the biggest symptom - my weight.

My sister does a really good job losing weight with Biggest Loser, FitBit competitions and Weight Watchers. I see her success and think, wow, I wish those things worked for me as well as they work for her. But they don't. I'm too prideful, and not competitive enough, or so I thought. When I'm in a Fitbit competition, sure I'll look at it and try to keep up and/or stay ahead, but a couple bad days and I easily give up, or if someone is just killing it, then I stop caring. I make excuses that satisfy me - I'm really busy with work right now, I need more sleep, I have other things to attend to. Diet programs only work for me when I choose and craft them myself. But even those are only as good as my ongoing commitment, which tends to suck. I've tried using reminders on my phone, print out plans to mark off everyday, and just plain "do your best everyday". Turns out, I hate routines and I'm terrible at sticking to them on my own.

So what does work for me? Well, for a while, I was sharing in the exercise experience remotely with my sister - I'd text her my exercise regimen for the day, and then I felt obligated to complete them myself. When I dissected this, I realized it came down to two of my strengths in Gallup's Strength Finders test - a tool most often used for career development and team building. The first aspect is Responsibility - by texting my sister, I instantly felt a burden of responsibility on myself that is far more motivating then competitions or peer pressure - I was accountable for doing what I was making her do. The other aspect is Communication - I don't want to be "that person" who posts on social media about every workout and every good meal and every ounce of water drank. But, sharing my story helps motivate me in some way. Getting positive feedback, too, helps, but it's more the communication than anything else for me. As I dug more into this idea, I realized that I choose programs that work for me because I have the strength of Individualization, meaning I don't believe in a one-size-fits-all approach.

My other top-five strengths are Activator and Achiever. Interestingly enough, you might think these would help me succeed in diet programs, but they actually work against me in some ways. My Activator strength helps me start a program, but not necessarily finish it. If you find that you jump into things and start with a ton of vigor, only to flame out after a while, you may be an Activator. The Achiever in me likes ticking boxes, but when I see unticked boxes, I'm disappointed in myself and become demotivated. Now, I'm a big believer in the Strength Finder exercise and results, but I recognize not everyone sees it as helpful or even realistic that answering a few questions can tell you so much about a person. So I say it is as useful as you make it. And why not make it about our personal weight loss journeys, too?

Based on my personal analysis, my theory is that losing weight or getting fit, or any other type of personal goal for that matter - reading more, getting financially healthy, etc - could be done better by utilizing your Strengths. I bet my sister has Competition as one of her strengths, and that's why those programs work for her but not for me. If you haven't done it, I strongly encourage you to take the test here. You can even make a date night out of it with your significant other, as talked about in my friend's blog here. 

Daniel Lieberman, author of "Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do is Healthy and Rewarding," talks about how we are biologically programmed to (a) conserve energy (i.e., be lazy and not exercise unnecessarily) and (b) consume food in an unrestricted way (aka not dieting). This has been known and discussed in other articles and publications I've seen throughout the years as well. What Lieberman has done, though, is take it a step further and suggest that because of those biological programmings, we need to think about exercise in a different way, to make it a necessary part of life, much like it was necessary for our ancestors. I've been thinking along the same lines for several years, as well.

This was why, when relocating to Connecticut for work, I chose to live within walking distance of the downtown restaurants and to my office, so that I'd walk to work, and we'd walk to dinner or lunch on the weekends. Parking wasso expensive and hard to come by downtown and the traffic was even worse - so we were discouraged from driving because it would take longer than walking and would cost money. We

My winter commute in CT

even saw a few shows at the theater which we walked to. There were months I didn't get in the car at all, and when I did get in the car, it was just to go to the grocery store, which was too far to walk. Jaiman, too, took advantage of our population density in the downtown Stamford area by walking dogs; he rarely had to drive to  an appointment, he usually walked to the residence, picked up the dog, walked for a half hour or an hour, returned the dog and walked home or to his next appointment. His long legs and quick, long stride, meant that his customers loved how far he could walk their dogs in the given timeframe, and he had a recurring customer base that loved him.

I didn't really have the same option in Florida, as there was no housing within 15 miles of my office by the airport, although I did consider mapping out a bike path to get to work - unfortunately, I never got around to seeing if I could actually bike to work before we had to shutter the plant. Moving to the San Diego area, I thought about living close to work again in order to encourage walking or biking, but I opted to live near downtown San Diego instead, thinking we'd walk to restaurants and such. Most things have been closed due to COVID pretty much since we moved here, but when things were open, we did walk to some nearby places to eat several times before they got shut down again. However, it's still a bit far to walk to the major areas like Little Italy, home to my favorite brewery, Ballast Point.  In the

Morning run in Balboa Park

meantime while things are still closed for COVID, I've taken full advantage of walking and running around Balboa Park, right across the street from my condo. This, however, is more forced exercise rather than the necessary embedding I was aiming for. Still, it's quite a pleasant area to walk or run, even if I recognize I am doing it for the sheer purpose of exercise rather than transportation.

The other method I've used to get us walking is the Pokemon Go game that was all the rage when it first released. Yes, yes, I know,

Mr. Mime in Cannes, France

we still play. But it's true that it had us chasing Pokemons (especially on Community Day - gotta get those shinies!) and walking from gym to gym during Raid Hours to get those Legendaries, and quite often we can walk much further doing this than we would have if we had elected to simply go for a walk. Now, I appreciate what Niantic has done during the age of COVID, to allow us to raid from the comfort of our homes (at a small cost) in order toprevent gathering, and to improve incense spawns so that we don't have to be and about to catch Pokemon, but these COVID-prevention enhancements have proven to make it easier to be lazy and not walk around during Community Day or Raid Hour, which means, even though I'm still playing, I'm not seeing the same benefits as I was. Not to say that all is lost, indeed we do still get up to go to nearby raids so we can use our normal free passes instead of the not-free remote passes, and I have found myself heading towards stops I normally wouldn't go to when there's a particular Pokemon I'm chasing sighted there. But for the most part, I can play Pokemon Go from my recliner sofa while watching TV, and that defeats the point. The biggest motivator I'm getting from Pokemon Go these days is hatching eggs, because that requires walking (or driving reeeeaaalllllllly slow, which is often too impractical to do much of).

In addition, I just finished the book "Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less" by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, and I think one of the biggest breakthrough ideas I learned from it was that strenuous activity or activities requiring a lot of creativity and brain power are actually forms of rest, especially for those in more intellectual jobs. These activities can improve your work while becoming an integral part of your life that feels required to do your best work, rather than taking away from your work.

Anyways, I think there's something to this idea of making the exercise necessary, and I think it very much goes hand-in-hand with the Gallup Strength Finder strengths.  I did a quick google search and found that one of the Gallup Strength Finders coaches actually thought of this exact thing - she had 100 pounds to use and applied her Strengths to actually, finally, lose the weight. Her story sounds so similar to mine, and her results - 100 pounds lost in 6 months - is very encouraging. Read her story here. 

Based on that, I wanted to give it a shot to see what ways people with different strengths could use to make exercise specifically a more necessary part of their lives. Here are the themes and strengths with my ideas and recommendations for each.

STRATEGIC THINKING

    Analytical - People exceptionally talented in the Analytical theme search for reasons and causes. They have the ability to think about all of the factors that might affect a situation.
I would imagine FitBit or other such trackers would be useful if you're Analytical, because you can get all sorts of data and trends to see what is working and what is not working. Calorie counting or macro counting may also be helpful for dieting.

    Context - People exceptionally talented in the Context theme enjoy thinking about the past. They understand the present by researching its history.

Vision boards including pictures of yourself from when you were thinner or more fit may help people with the Context strength.

    Futuristic - People exceptionally talented in the Futuristic theme are inspired by the future and what could be. They energize others with their visions of the future.
I think Futuristic people benefit from having specific goals in their near future - running a 5k or a half marathon, for example. When my sister and I did pair up virtually to lose weight together, it was for a summer vacation we had planned in Europe, and we wanted to make sure we could partake in all the fun activities without having to worry about our weight being a problem. While not in my top five, Futuristic is my #7 and so this experience is a great example of utilizing my Futuristic strength for weight loss.

    Ideation - People exceptionally talented in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They are able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena.
This strength is also in my top ten, and I think when it comes to dieting and exercise, it works hand-in-hand with my Individualization strength when I want programs that are catered to me. I take all the different ideas that are out there, and create something that makes sense to me and that I think I can stick to. Fellow Ideators can follow suit - read the varied advice and ideas and then come up with your own program.

    Input - People exceptionally talented in the Input theme have a need to collect and archive. They may accumulate information, ideas, artifacts or even relationships.
The author of the article I found had Input as a top strength, and as such, she said that she had "collected immense amounts of information about dieting and healthy eating over the last 20 years…" but that "having information wasn't enough to help me consistently make good food choices." Instead, she utilized her Input strength by actually sharing her goals with others; their interest piqued her input them to share more. So, finding support groups or accountability partners may help those with Input as a strength.

    Intellection - People exceptionally talented in the Intellection theme are characterized by their intellectual activity. They are introspective and appreciate intellectual discussions.
The author of thee "Rest" book mentioned earlier talks about many top-performing scientists who regularly climb summits or train for marathons. And it doesn't seem to be a coincidence - similar graduates tracked over their careers have excelled or not excelled with a direct correlation to their exercise activities. It was a really interesting perspective that I don't I can do justice here, so if Intellection is your strength, I highly recommend you read the compelling arguments in that book and that may be sufficient to get you motivated.

    Learner - People exceptionally talented in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. The process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.
Clearly, learners won't be enticed by the same old things. For learners, taking martial arts classes or dance classes would perhaps be the best route. Practicing and honing new skills that involve movement will help them exercise without thinking of it as exercise. I loved the social aspect of my kenpo class more than the material itself, and what I learned through that process was actually how much I liked choreography (of course, it's not called that in martial arts, but that's essentially what all the katas and forms are) and so it drew me back to dance. For dance, I'm a little biased but I'd recommend east coast swing dance or Lindy hop. If you want to work on upper body strength, pole dancing is incredibly powerful and challenging to learn. Another way of utilizing your Learner strength is to listen to audio books while walking (either on a treadmill or outside). The focus is on the audio book learning, but it will keep you moving and actually helps your mind focus more on what you're hearing.

    Strategic - People exceptionally talented in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and
issues.
I think Strategic thinkers will naturally do some of the Ideation and Learner behaviors as it applies to exercise. People with the Strategic strength may also benefit from fitness trackers and regular weight check-ins to determine what is working and what's not.

    

 The dance troupe I was a founding member of, Gypsy Jitterbugs, performing to Rosie the Riveter!

RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

Adaptability - People exceptionally talented in the Adaptability theme prefer to go with the flow. They tend to be “now” people who take things as they come and discover the future one day at a time.
This one is hard for me to relate to because it is one of the lowest on my own strengths. I think what failed for me may work for those with strong Adaptability - either an app like Noom or reminders at various intervals on your phone to exercise. For example, I used a simple "to do" app to schedule 100 crunches every 2 days, 3 sets of 3 arm workouts every 3 days, lunges every 4 days, Thigh Master every 4 days (offset by two days from the lunges), etc. By doing this, every day had a slightly different workout regime but at the macro level I would achieve all the workout activities I wanted to do. But, like I said, this didn't work for me because it didn't play to my strengths, however, this may work well for people with Adaptability.

    Connectedness - People exceptionally talented in the Connectedness theme have faith in the links among all things. They believe there are few coincidences and that almost every
event has meaning.
People with Connectedness also may benefit from calorie trackers, water trackers and fitness trackers. In addition, the advice in the "Rest" book mentioned above may apply, as even something as simple as a walk can help spur ideas for what you're working on, so exercise could become a part of your work, in that way. You may also benefit from the relationship-forming aspects of groups like Weight Watchers, gyms or fitness clubs, or even dancing groups.

    Developer - People exceptionally talented in the Developer theme recognize and cultivate the potential in others. They spot the signs of each small improvement and derive
satisfaction from evidence of progress.
If Developer is one of your strengths, then I'd suggest you definitely need to get a workout partner or accountability partner, or a dancing partner. Being there for your partner and helping them succeed will likely drive success in your exercise goals without even really noticing it. Pokemon Go, too, or other similar AR games, may help because your focus is on the game progress rather than the exercise itself.

    Empathy - People exceptionally talented in the Empathy theme can sense other people’s feelings by imagining themselves in others’ lives or situations.
Empathy is a hard one to directly apply to exercise, but I think the best thing for someone with this strength would be is to join a group like Weight Watchers or Biggest Loser challenges. Relating to others and seeing their journeys, and hopefully their successes, will motivate and encourage you to do the same. You could also apply your strength towards walking or biking for a cause - there are many races that go towards support research and prevention for cancer or other chronic conditions, for example.

    Harmony - People exceptionally talented in the Harmony theme look for consensus. They don’t enjoy conflict; rather, they seek areas of agreement.
Like many of the other strengths in the Relationship Building category, for those with Harmony as a strength, having a workout partner or a group will greatly benefit. A personal coach may also help, since they will be the ones telling you what you need to do and you'll want to avoid going against their advice.

Practicing kung fu with the Warrior Monks at the Shaolin Temple

    Includer - People exceptionally talented in the Includer theme accept others. They show awareness of those who feel left out and make an effort to include them.
Includers are likely going to feel success in social dancing circles or martial arts classes. By partnering up with people and focusing on inclusion in these physical activities, the exercise will be secondary and come naturally from the primary goal.

    Individualization - People exceptionally talented in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how different people can work together productively.
This is my assertion that the one-size-fits-all model doesn't work for exercise. Instead, people with this strength do indeed have to personalize their own exercise regimen in order to be successful. The "Rest" book may help provide some additional perspective and insight to help in your journey.

    Positivity - People exceptionally talented in the Positivity theme have contagious enthusiasm. They are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do.

For Positivity people, again, having support groups or social activities like martial arts or swing dancing, is going to be a major aid in your exercise goals. Having people share in your success and cheering you on, and doing the same for others, is the focus for this strength.

    Relator - People exceptionally talented in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others. They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.
Relators go beyond the social groups to more deep-knit relationships. As such, being on a team for an extended period of time is probably the best approach for a Relator. I think of crew teams or dance troupes when I think of Relators in terms of exercise.

INFLUENCING

    Activator - People exceptionally talented in the Activator theme can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They want to do things now, rather than simply talk about them.
As I mentioned earlier, Activators actually really struggle with ongoing exercise routines, although starting them comes easily. If you're an Activator like me, I think the most crucial thing is to make exercise a required part of your life, like having to walk or bike to work or putting in a standing desk so you're not sitting all day.

    Command - People exceptionally talented in the Command theme have presence. They can take control of a situation and make decisions.
If you're naturally a commander, then consider leading a group or team. Pick an activity you like, practice at it, and work towards becoming the coach, choreographer, sensei, instructor or whatever kind of leader applies. By aiming for this goal, you'll inherently exercise in the process.

    Communication - People exceptionally talented in the Communication theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters.
Communicators should share their experiences with the world. Start a blog or a private group on facebook, or just share photos and highlights on your main social media platform from time to time. You can also join groups or teams, of course, or use long walks to call or spend time with your favorite relative or best friend.

    Competition - People exceptionally talented in the Competition theme measure their progress against the performance of others. They strive to win first place and revel in contests.

This one is pretty easy to see how it applies to exercise - there are all sorts of competitions big or small, races, weight loss challenges, FitBit challenges, martial arts tournaments, dance competitions, sports playoffs, you name it. So rather than go into more detail on those obvious options, I'll challenge you to also consider some less obvious options. Set a reading goal for yourself and listen to audio books while walking, for example. Or a goal such as hiking every mountain summit trail in a given area. Pokemon GO can help those with a competitive nature as well.

    Maximizer - People exceptionally talented in the Maximizer theme focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. They seek to transform something strong into something superb.
The Maximizer strength is another one that can actually be detrimental to an exercise routine - flawed performance or missed days can be demotivating. My recommendation is to set small goals such as running for at least 1 minute each day, it's super easy to achieve but often will result in longer runs. Also, the author of the Gallup article suggests focusing on efficiency rather than perfection.

    Self-Assurance - People exceptionally talented in the Self-Assurance theme feel confident in their ability to take risks and manage their own lives. They have an inner compass that gives them certainty in their decisions.
Self-assurance, too, can work against you in the ways I've talked about previously, like when I make excuses for myself - "Work has been crazy this week so that's why I haven't…"  For Self-assured people using the small goals as I mentioned in Maximizer may be one good tactic. My other suggestion would be to make the exercise part of your life by walking or biking to work or to other places for errand, etc.

    Significance - People exceptionally talented in the Significance theme want to make a big impact. They are independent and prioritize projects based on how much influence they will have on their organization or people around them.
If you have a strong Significance theme, you want to heed the advice of the author of the Gallup article, that keeping your exercise goals a secret actually prohibits the Significance of it and leads to failure. Thus, "Putting my fear of failure out in the world actually made me want to succeed that much more," as the author explains. Be excited about it, share it with your colleagues and friends and family. It will be come more important because you have put it out there.

    Woo - People exceptionally talented in the Woo theme love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. They derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with someone.
When thinking about Woo, I will always think of my employee and his great disappointment when he discovered his top strength was Woo. He thought it was soft, but I convinced him how it was an enviable strength - his charming over-the-top personality and humility made his smile contagious in the toughest of times and he could make friends with the harshest of people. If you're a Wooer, you will be energized by sharing your story and playing with others in whatever sport or activity you choose. The author of the Gallup article was also a Wooer, and she said, "Woo allowed me to socialize what I was doing with people I wasn't as close to and my ability to quickly connect with others served me well."

EXECUTING

    Achiever - People exceptionally talented in the Achiever theme work hard and possess a great deal of stamina. They take immense satisfaction in being busy and productive.
With my Achiever strength, I thought that ticking the boxes off my plan every day would be enough, but it wasn't. I think Achievers need additional motivation, whether that's aiming for a big goal like a race or competition, or utilizing exercise to achieve other things like the insights talked about in the "Rest" book or something as simple as listening to audio books. As an Achiever, I do like seeing my information on my FitBit app, everything including steps, heart rate zones and resting heart rate, active minutes and even how well and long I slept. These are good rewards for after the achievement, but getting to the achievement needs additional pushes.

    Arranger - People exceptionally talented in the Arranger theme can organize, but they also have a flexibility that complements this ability. They like to determine how all of the pieces and resources can be arranged for maximum productivity.
For Arrangers, I think tools like paper charts or whiteboards set up for tracking can be useful. Also, focus on your schedule and incorporating whatever exercise you choose into your schedule so it's regularly planned in.

    Belief - People exceptionally talented in the Belief theme have certain core values that are unchanging. Out of these values emerges a defined purpose for their lives.
People with a high Belief strength should read the literature that is most compelling about why and how they should exercise. In addition to the books mentioned above, I might also recommend "The Blue Zones" by Dan Buettner. You could also consider taking up a martial art, since there are core beliefs that may align well with yours and they promote self-defense abilities.

    Consistency - People exceptionally talented in the Consistency theme are keenly aware of the need to treat people the same. They crave stable routines and clear rules and procedures that everyone can follow.
The fact that I'm so terrible at routines is so well aligned with how low consistency is in my strengths. People who excel here will thrive on a good routine, which I wish I could do. Preparing the same meals, running the same route at the same time every morning (even on weekends or off-days), going to the gym or whatever else you have planned will be amplified when you form and keep the routine. It not only will help in your exercise goals, but it helps free your mind from making decisions and allows you to work better and be more creative, as the "Rest" book talks in depth about.

    Deliberative - People exceptionally talented in the Deliberative theme are best described by the serious care they take in making decisions or choices. They anticipate obstacles.
I had two employees who were both high in Deliberative and they happened to sit right next to each other. They made a pact that each time one of them stood up for any reason, they both had to do 10 push ups. This went on for weeks and weeks and they kept at it, taking it very seriously. They were also both very serious military veterans and saw exercise as a required discipline. I think if you're Deliberative, you'd do well to choose what you're going to go after with careful consideration and commit to it fully.

    Discipline - People exceptionally talented in the Discipline theme enjoy routine and structure. Their world is best described by the order they create.
Setting up a solid routine will empower and inspire people high in Discipline, much like Consistency. Using "to do" apps or workout apps can aide your goals, but aren't necessarily required. Keeping to a stable routine even on weekends will strengthen your resolve.

    Focus - People exceptionally talented in the Focus theme can take a direction, follow through and make the corrections necessary to stay on track. They prioritize, then act.
I think people with Focus strengths would do well reading the "Rest" book to help them set their priorities. If Focus is one of your strengths, having clear goals with deadlines, and having a coach or leader to get you there will likely help.

    Responsibility - People exceptionally talented in the Responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say they will do. They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty
The heavy burden of Responsibility is a powerful that can be used as I described earlier - simply communicating the workout plan to my sister compelled me to complete it because I felt responsible for both of our successes. If you have a high Responsibility strength, getting into leadership or coaching roles in a team or dance troupe or martial arts dojo may magnify the effect for you.

    Restorative - People exceptionally talented in the Restorative theme are adept at dealing with problems. They are good at figuring out what is wrong and resolving it.
Restorative people again may benefit from fitness trackers to help them figure out what is working, but should also read the "Rest" book to learn how active pursuits can actually solve more problems than we think it does.


Of course, nobody has just one strength, so your unique combination of strengths, whether you focus on your top five or your top ten strengths, will help guide which tactics will work best for you and which pitfalls you need to actively work to avoid. 

Another thing I think is important to mention that Lieberman also discusses is that exercise alone is not all that efficient for the purpose of weight loss, so when setting weight loss goals through exercise, we're kind of putting too much hope into one thing. Instead, dieting is a much better way to lose weight, and exercise is great for preventing weight gain and all sorts of other diseases and conditions. Diet and exercise together, of course, are a winning combo, but exercise alone should not be expected for significant weight loss achievements.