foresightedcompanyfO
foresightedcompanyfO

Manifesto

“Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

Contents
Did you know?
Our mission
Spark a revolution
What are we up against?
What we have going for us
Join us
Why Foresighted?
Our dream world

Did You Know

that our hunter-gatherer ancestors who did not succumb to infantile mortality or violent deaths lived strong and healthy past 70?

Modern medicine solved infantile mortality and modern societies violent deaths. So if we live strong and healthy past 70 without medicine, then we should live way past it, and still be strong and healthy, with all its benefits, no?

Wrong, because as much as medicine really does miracles, it’s our lifestyle that matters, because of our biology. That’s also why we’ve been witnessing increasingly negative health trends in our modern societies for the past years, with well documented exploding rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, chronic depression and so on….

Our Mission

is to make it as easy as possible for people to change their lifestyle so they get the benefits of a HG lifestyle while keeping the benefits of modern medicine and modern life like technologies. We provide knowledge and tools; connect people with each other and with resources; and advocate for change in our communities. 

We are behavior change experts, combining behavioral science, evolutionary biology, modern medicine and the power of tech to help people achieve their behavior goals at the individual, community and societal level.

Insanely ambitious but critically important mission.

We Want To Spark A Revolution

in how we understand and manage our lifestyle in relation to our health because:

  • the exploding negative health trends in our high-income societies are clearly linked, in large part, to our modern lifestyle, resulting in physical limitations, mental health issues and all around limited lives.
  • how to modify our modern lifestyle to prevent, again in large part, these health issues, is well known and simple: being more active and eating better, among other less critical adjustments.
  • the healthier our lifestyle, the more sustainable it is. Literally every improvement we make for our health is also positive for the planet.
  • we live in an age of unprecedented opportunity made possible by all the technological progress we witness each and every day, and yet most of us live lives limited in small or large parts by physical or mental limitations. We could be truly unstoppable.
  • improving our lifestyle to get the preventative health benefits of a hunter-gatherer lifestyle and combining it with all the firepower medicine offers us to treat and heal diseases would take our health and capabilities to another level.
  • even with all the above, changing is so hard that we do need a revolution, with seemingly everything against us, from social norms to our natural instincts, not to mention our current habits.

What are we up against?

  • social norms on what’s a normal and healthy adult: it’s now normal to live with a range of physical and mental health issue or limitations, at ever younger ages and certainly when getting old—which some now define as the 40s (!)
  • social norms on what are normal activity levels: three 1-hour workouts a week is being very active even if you don’t move the other 165 hours and doing push-ups waiting for the bus is frown upon. We accepted ultra-low levels of physical activity as normal and anything else that is not a workout is seen as pointless, limiting ourselves even more.
  • disconnection food and nature
  • our own natural instincts: we evolved in an energy scarce environment and our instincts lead us to minimize all efforts to save energy and gorge on calories when available, preferably salty, fatty and sugary.
  • a vocal minority of natural health influencers denying the obvious benefits of modern medicine, the incredible opportunities offered by technology and pushing a dangerous myth of an idealized hunter-gather lifestyle.
  • a minority of healthcare professionals diminishing the importance of preventative care and prioritizing the treatment of conditions preventable in large part through a better lifestyle. They dismiss as unrealistic the importance of convincing patients to follow the current public health guidelines on physical activity levels and healthy eating.
  • the tendency on both sides to caricature each other with people taking a black or white position when there is good on both sides and what’s optimal are different shades of grey for different people.

What we have going for us

  • an accumulating body of knowledge from evolutionary biology and medical research: we now know more about the human body than ever before and in a much more nuanced way than even 5 years ago.
  • more and more results from behavioral science enabling us to craft tools that result in lasting behavior change and achievable by anyone.
  • the resiliency of the human body itself: it can withstand years of abuse and if you start improving your lifestyle, results are quick to start. It’s of course better and easier to start early, but it’s definitely never too late to improve and see sorting results.
  • digital technologies: they have their drawbacks but the upside is we can now connect with each other on to support and inspire us on our individual quests but most importantly in our attempts to make society evolve.
  • finally and perhaps more importantly: the fact we’re coming up against a wall as society with only a very small minority retiring healthy, strong and capable. With even raw life expectancy now decreasing in high income countries, it will soon be apparent to all that something has to change if we don’t want to live sad and limited lives.

Why foresighted?

Foresighted means the ability to predict what will happen in the future and take action. If we don’t change, then all those negative trends will continue.

Modern is inadequate, but natural isn’t an obvious goal either: it’s natural for us to avoid all efforts as much as possible and overeat, preferably on junk food. A foresighted lifestyle, though, accounts for our natural instincts and biological needs while getting the benefit.

Foresighted company is both our vehicle for change and the company we keep.

Our dream world

is a world where:

  • there is no opposition between a natural lifestyle and a modern lifestyle.
  • we are physically strong and mentally resilient so we can seize each day with energy and confidence to make progress towards our goals and dreams.
  • we view physical activity as normal, necessary and a satisfying part of our lives rather than just dreaded “fitness” workouts.
  • we have access to natural foods providing us with balanced and satisfying meals that make us healthy.
  • we are provided with an “owner’s manual” for our body and mind. The human body is incredibly resilient and it’s never too late to recover and improve. Later is harder than it needs to be though.
  • we can confidently and competently help each other when disaster strikes and solidarity is needed.
  • kids are inspired and guided to develop healthy habits that will keep strong, resilient and happy throughout their long life.
  • we live in harmony with the planet.