Want to help our parks stay healthy? There's an app for that! Check out Htown Bingo!

I know I typically focus on personal health and fitness, but today I'd like to share some information about a way Houstonians can help our parks stay in great shape. It's a fun, game-like app and website called Htown Bingo!

Maybe you are fitness inclined like me, and spend a decent amount of time in your neighborhood park. Maybe you've noticed a light has burned out, there's a dangerous crack in the sidewalk, or maybe the jungle gym is broken. Or maybe nothing is out of repair...but you think "This park would rock if there was a bike rack, so that I could ride over here with my kiddos to play."

So all you have to do is play a little bingo to get the ball moving on any of these suggestions. Htown Bingo is part of a larger effort by SeeClickFix to encourage active citzenship in communities. It's been employed across the country, from bike riders in Tucson reporting unsafe road conditions, to residents in Richmond providing feedback for economic development and planning in their community (you can read about these and more stories here).

How to play? It's as easy as using Facebook or Twitter. You can download the bingo board here, and then Tweet a picture of one of the featured squares with #htownbingo. You can also download the SeeClickFix apps for iPhone, Blackberry or Android to play.

When you have five squares marked off in a row, Tweet "Bingo!" with #htownbingo or post to Htown Bingo's Facebook wall. New squares are revealed about every two weeks by a blogger or organization in Houston (psst...hints here!). The first 10 to get bingo get a prize!

So let's help our community get healthy and have fun playing at the same time! See you at the park.

Half down, half to go ...

I know it sounds cheesy, but it really does seem like only yesterday that I was setting goals for 2011...and we're already halfway through the year. As I did at the end of the first quarter, I thought it would be a good time to take stock of where I am, where I need to go, and what may need adjusting due to changing circumstances:

1. Running: I have run 3 of 8 races for the year. As you may recall, the goal of running 8 races was to ramp up for a spring 2012 half marathon. I'm happy to report that I registered for the Houston half in January. I am running as a "Hero" for Habitat for Humanity. Since I start training on July 23, and my long runs will be on Saturdays, I am not sure how many more races I will complete this year. But since I achieved the greater goal of committing to a half, I'm OK with that.
2. Staying active: As of June 30, I have exercised 5528 minutes this year. Of 26 weeks, I hit the 300 target 8 times (about 30%), and topped 200 minutes (last year's measure) 14 times (about 54%). So my suspicion about raising the bar higher to a 300 minute/week goal was correct in that I would hit more minutes overall. January and June were my best months with more than 1000 minutes...so I need to work to do a better job during the semesters to keep that up.
3. Eating: I have lost and kept off about 3 pounds since Thanksgiving. It's not a lot, and this is probably the area I could continue to improve most. There are still times I struggle to log everything in my Weight Watchers app. There are definitely times I don't make the best choices. And frankly, I enjoy a good social hour with friends. So I need to eat better more of the times to accommodate for these realities of life.
4. Professionally: I have preliminarily passed the CFRE. I should be getting the official certificate and confirmation of my Certified Fundraising Executive sometime this month. It will feel great to put the initials behind my name. This was a lot of studying (which impacts the next goal), and a very challenging exam. What a great way to celebrate a decade in my profession!
5. Personally: I have read 13 books this year (goal was 12). Three of these were for the CFRE exam, so my new goal should be at least 15 by December. I am reading #14 and actually may pick back up a running book started in 2009 and put aside as #15. I have worked to have a good blend of business, leadership, fitness and fun books in the mix. I have found a fantastic site, Goodreads, to track progress, share with friends and it even links to FB and has a phone app.

So what next? In addition to keeping on my 2011 path, I have my eye on a "bucket list" of items I'd like to complete before my milestone birthday next summer. More to come in another post.

So how's your year shaping up? What did you set out to do in January and where are you in the progress?