Introducing Mission: Active Future 2013!

– a.k.a Ross Reynolds, Eureka!’s Mission: Active Future Coach.

I thought it was about time I introduced some buddies of mine, the Activ8, and told you a bit about our Mission: Active Future project.

Much like a well-known time travelling robot (portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger) the Activ8 –  Jet, Spark, Xcel, Rapid, Quest, Flex, Twist and Rev – have travelled back in time from a grim future. It’s a place where all kids do is watch TV and play video games. Sports grounds gather dust, bicycles rust and skate boards lie neglected. Thumbs have grown in to the primary bodily appendage and while legs whither, waist lines are ever increasing.

It’s a grim place, but it’s also a future so close you don’t need a Tardis or tricked out DeLorean to see it. The latest evidence suggests that inactivity is on a par with smoking in its effects on health and life expectancy . Activity levels in children, teens and adults are at an all time low, with less than a quarter of the population hitting the universally agreed 90 mins of activity a day (60 mins for kids).

Luckily, the Activ8 (pictured below) have a plan to avert the activity apocalypse! Along with myself, a giant transforming truck and the support of the NHS we have a plan to tackle lack of activity one school at a time…

Mission: Active future

Mission: Active Future is currently working with 20 Calderdale schools to increase physical activity. Using a specially developed workshop, the M:AF truck that introduces the Activ8, coaching visits to schools, outreach workshops and a self-assessed activity logs, we hope to switch kids on to a more fun, active lifestyle.

It’s early days for this phase of the mission and my role in it, but I have high hopes that we can turn things around. Stay posted for more updates!

“The future is not set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves.” – John Connor, Terminator

Ross Reynolds, Eureka! Mission: Active Future Coach