"Analog Fitness"

Off-the-cuff thoughts here:

Here on a digital platform called Wix, I essentially am offering my face to face services as a consultant, personal trainer, athletic conditioning coach, and kinesiologist/clinical exercise physiologist.

Supposing that far too many persons such as frail seniors who want to stay in their homes have limited means to address their fitness and mobility. They may be swayed by the hype of the fitness industry, or the buzz about AI.

Can you imagine a residential seniors home that only has robots? Can you imagine a 6 year old spending a whole day with AI? Would they not still need the human, empathic hand of a real teacher. What about a doctor? Now, what about a higher level personal trainer or kinesiologist? Make no mistake; in this digital (AI) platform age, my offerings are backed up (steeped) with education, experience, and ongoing study/practice. There is nothing deep-fake here. Let me describe my background some. It might come off as egotistical but I put my own story out there to illustrate the above point (Some persons will need real qualified human beings to work with them, and this may never really go away):

Growing up in Northern Ontario, the outdoors, year round, was foundational. We played a lot outdoors; both structured/organized and unstructured/free-of-supervision. We were lucky to be given skis, snowshoes, fishing poles, and even guns. We winter camped just outside our neighborhood. We road bikes, tobogganed, canoed, and drove boats, skidoos, and some family even flew bush-planes. We played organized hockey in a hockey crazed culture; I also played organized baseball, soccer, basketball, volleyball, and loved pick-up football (and hockey). I downhill skied. Was a city tennis champion. Swam in lakes with ice still melting away. And that is all before and during taking up serious national-team-aspiring gymnastics--from age 14-27. As a gymnast, I was introduced to and coached by persons from leading Japanese and Soviet systems.

Additionally, recognized as having potential to be a coach/teacher, I was hand picked by a mentor/coach to be one of the youngest coaching certification course conductors (at age 19) for the Canadian sports ministry (i.e., a recognized/certified expert in movement and conditioning).

More opportunities to grow and develop: The previous certification with the government got me into 3 different Canadian universities as a gymnastics instructor for Physical Education students (the last was at U of Toronto for 5 year until I left grad school at age 31). At age 22, I took up Taekwondo/hapkido with a Korean master, having attained 4th degree ranking by age 27,--and then ran/instructed a university club, developing 5 black belts in 5 years time. I should mention that my undergrad Physical and Health Education degree involved first aid courses, outdoor education, and numerous individual and team sports courses (i.e., how to coach said activities). Most of the grads went on to become career physical and health education teachers in the school systems.

Getting the picture? It would involve another 30 plus years of of professional work(s). I have not mentioned a considerable amount of training in empathic listening and psycho-social supports. This background described above is certainly not a fly-by-night ("deep-fake") process. Nor are the services and educational/training materials that I offer. If you take up my offer to download my fitness and mobility guidebooks (free) you will have resources that any kid in the seventies would have studied religiously to get good at something. I am talking about an "analog" sensibility here. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was a cult classic book amongst some of my generation.

Digital influences?:

I married a computer/electrical engineer that went quite the distance with IT, ending up as an executive for one of Canada's largest telecommunications companies overseeing the introduction of new technology products and services. I got some insights. The same books that I give out on this blog were also developed with platforms in mind (reviewed by computer, communications and fitness/mobility experts). A bit dated in some respects (15 years ago), my written and illustrated offerings were drawn out/design during the dawning of earlier AI concepts mind (think Duolingo).

Now many can benefit from many quality offerings. All offerings done with some integrity are good for society--because everyone is somewhat unique in their learning style, so it's good to have lots of good choices. If what I offer seems to appeal and benefit a certain profile of client/viewer/reader/user (and it does), I'm so glad.

This post spilled out in under an hour, with another 20 minutes a couple of hours later. No AI required.