{"id":23881,"date":"2018-03-19T09:14:52","date_gmt":"2018-03-19T16:14:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=23881"},"modified":"2022-04-13T11:28:27","modified_gmt":"2022-04-13T18:28:27","slug":"andia-winslow-what-keeps-me-moving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/social\/andia-winslow-what-keeps-me-moving","title":{"rendered":"Andia Winslow: What Keeps Me Moving"},"content":{"rendered":"

Social media is changing the way we share things. More often than not, sharing is facilitated by fully charged phones and computers, instead of communal experiences and real conversations. And the outdoors is not immune from that shift. That\u2019s why REI Co-op member and fitness activist Andia Winslow is combating the change the best way she knows how: with a simple invitation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I lived in New York, I\u2019d organize hikes. I ended up taking a lot of people to local, state and regional parks. It kind of changed their mentality about what a hike was \u2026 getting people to see that they could do this\u2014it\u2019s free, it doesn\u2019t take much time\u2014and they would continue it on their own with their own families,\u201d said Andia, who now lives in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

\"Andia

Photo Credit: Alison Vagnini @alisonvagnini<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

While living in the city, she also founded a program called The Fit Cycle<\/a> with a goal to \u201ccreate a culture of wellness in communities that have often been disenfranchised and\/or ignored.\u201d Through a series of online workout videos, Andia offers alternatives to the traditional hike. She wanted to help people be active, no matter where they are. That\u2019s also why she partners with the National Park Service on \u201cEvery Kid in a Park<\/a>,\u201d which gives fourth graders and their families free access to national parks.<\/p>\n

Since not all of us are lucky enough to live near national parks, Andia offers this advice: \u201cTry to find local state, city and regional parks. If you don\u2019t have a car and it\u2019s not within walking distance, find out how you can get there using mass transit. That\u2019s how you start,\u201d Although taking the first step can be the hardest part, she says just one hike, bike, run, walk or other small change can create a ripple effect.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom there, these people then want to protect land. They realize what the importance of it is\u2014it\u2019s not just some mountain far away in the distance,\u201d she said. \u201cThis belongs to you, and you need to protect it. And so that for me [that] is the most important thing, turning people who are ambivalent into stewards and protectors of land that we all need to share and protect.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Andia

Photo Credit: Alison Vagnini @alisonvagnini<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

The idea of sharing a love of the outdoors hits close to home for Andia. As a child and teenager in Seattle, she spent weekends exploring the Pacific Northwest. \u201cWe grew up hiking and biking and kayaking and sailing and rock-climbing and all of those things. Living in Seattle lends itself to that kind of upbringing. I was so lucky growing up. I won the lottery\u2014both with my family and also our access to the outdoors,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Her childhood sparked her quest to create a generational change in other families who maybe didn\u2019t have the same opportunities. \u201cIt\u2019s cool to engage with people and hear their stories when you\u2019re walking, and to have folks who have never done this before say, \u2018Wow, for me this is a gift, I have access to it,\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Although Andia\u2019s fitness activism started online, analytics software can\u2019t measure her true impact. When she started making videos showing folks how to be active in their own spaces, without equipment, she was giving people more than just fitness advice. \u201cA lot of folks who didn\u2019t have the capital or the means or access to gyms, they didn\u2019t think they were eligible to be healthy and well,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

These days, she\u2019s in Los Angeles embarking on another initiative that bridges the gap between online and outside. And instead of viewing social media as a distraction, Andia uses it as a way to bring people together by inviting people to come hiking. \u201cOn Facebook, I talk about the trail, the history, what you\u2019ll encounter. If you\u2019re a beginner, there\u2019s a whole list of things you\u2019ll need to bring and consider,\u201d she said. And then they set off. \u00a0She doesn\u2019t position it like a challenge. Just another invitation. To anyone and everyone with the slightest urge to get outside.<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Social media is changing the way we share things. More often than not, sharing is facilitated by fully charged phones and computers, instead of communal experiences and real conversations. And the outdoors is not immune from that shift. That\u2019s why REI Co-op member and fitness activist Andia Winslow is combating the change the best way […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":24860,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[242],"tags":[552],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-23881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social","tag-rei-members"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/social\/andia-winslow-what-keeps-me-moving","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Andia Winslow: What Keeps Me Moving","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/social\/andia-winslow-what-keeps-me-moving","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/social\/andia-winslow-what-keeps-me-moving"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/03\/Vagnini_101017_1199_Hero.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/03\/Vagnini_101017_1199_Hero.jpg?fit=3000%2C1400"},"articleSection":"Social","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["rei members"],"dateCreated":"2018-03-19T16:14:52Z","datePublished":"2018-03-19T16:14:52Z","dateModified":"2022-04-13T18:28:27Z"},"rendered":"