Building the Future...

Over the holidays I have been trying to get to grips with the idea of the what might happen in the future. Specifically the future of fitness.

But as yesterday's post discussed there are so many injustices all around and misconceptions how can we best proceed?

My 13 year old son and his friends expressed the view recently that all their dreams were impossible to achieve now.

They see it that the world/planet is being well and truly fucked up, pollution, policies that disrupt and damage the ecosphere, wars, and everything else. Their planet is being is being ruined and there is nothing they can do about it.

We are always being told that there is a shortage of this or that? Then we find out that companies have been either stockpiling or holding things back to bump up their prices. All in the pursuit of profit.

But what if we could start over today. All the world's resources. Imagine taking the resources using them in such a way that we prevent homelessness, we prevent starvation, we eradicate disease and we protect the future of the planet for our children and our future generations. we innovate and create the most amazing future full of potentials. 

When I hear about politicians meeting to discuss a world agenda that they intend to implement in 2050 I laugh.  We should should instantly sack them. No questions. 

Give me that level of resources and in 36 years I'd build something that would tick all the boxes. How long would it take the car manufacturers to design a solution away from oil?
I'm pretty certain they already have one. 

How long would it take the energy producers to come up with a new solution to our energy crisis?
I'm pretty sure they already have one. 

How long would it take to implement a solution to the imminent threat to our water supplies?
I'm sure they already have one. 

The answer to all of these questions is not 36 years. 

Our politicians have a lot to answer for. I think we need to address this lack of ambition and possibly corruptness. 

I think that anyone that wants to be a politician should have to do 5 years of public service in some form. It might be that they started as a teacher, doctor, nurse, policeman or fireman. They might do voluntary work in the community, it doesn't matter. Career politicians have very little experience of real world people and so their policies are disconnected. We need people that can cut through the bullshit and find the solution. If someone wants to resist, decide if it's out of self-interest or they're gatekeepers, then deal with them appropriately. 

Politicians should be paid a lot more. 

Doctors earn substantially more than the Prime minister. How does that make sense?

In effect he is the Chairmen or the managing director of UK Ltd. There are very few companies I know of where the top guy earns a fraction of the guys underneath. 

Do we really need 600? I don't know. 600 potential leaders. Well lets be honest in the present system that 600 are pretty much told what to vote for by the party whips. So how is that a democracy? If we have three people deciding how they should vote then let's cut out the other 597. Yeah that does sound extreme. But is it any more ludicrous than the system they are using?

Boing!

Jumped a bit there.

Ok let's get back to it. The future of fitness...

As a designer I don't believe you have to follow the trends that are meant to happen, I think you can create them.

A little bit of history....

There is nothing new or innovative about the concept of wellness. When I was at design college we spent a term studying the history of the domestic landscape. One of the model towns we studied was Bourneville.

Bourneville was considered, thought out and designed to alleviate the cramped conditions of the late 1800s. The houses were built in an Arts and Craft style designed by the architect William Alexander Harvey. For me the important aspect is the that the Cadburys were the first people to consider the health and fitness of their workforce. They encouraged swimming, walking and all forms of outdoor sports.

So fast forward to the 50s. The start of bodybuilding. Then the 70s, 80s and 90s. Many of the decisions made along the way didn't come out of the desire to develop fitness but from what the Americans felt would be more 'marketable'.

A lot of the development of training principles came out of the old Eastern Block, but the Americans didn't feel they were 'exciting' or 'marketable' and thats where the treadmill and 'fitness' machines came from.

I started working in a hardcore bodybuilding and powerlifting gym in 1987/88. I can't remember us having a treadmill, a couple of old bikes maybe.

It's all about creating the right stories that will lead us to the future.

Tomorrow I am going to start writing THAT story.

The Future of Fitness...