That's the scary thing. Fitness sites flood the Internet. In fact, online personal training may be an oxymoron. The Personal Health Development network has only been up a month, says Bill Kraus, a Duke cardiologist helping to oversee the content. ActivHealth envisions the PHD network as a virtual health and fitness center it can sell to businesses, health insurers and even health clubs like Duke's own Diet and Fitness Center, a part of the Duke Center for Living campus off Erwin Road.
Many visitors spend a couple of weeks there and go home.
The idea was to use the Internet to stay in touch with them. Right now the site is supported by annual subscription fees. The site also enables clients to track their members' usage and see what impact, if any, it's having on their health-care costs, Kraus says. Individual memberships will become available later. PHD, which Sheeler sees as a supplement to getting personal attention from a trainer or physician, does not dispense specific medical advice.