COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
In Action FEMALES
M
BY CRYSTAL HILDENBRAND
ore than 5,000 women come together every day, across 22 states, sharing workouts, friendship, and so much more. Greenville is home to one of the national FiA groups. FiA ENC Greenville was first started at Alice Keene Park on July 9, 2016, with some 60 ladies in attendance. We are still going strong almost six years later with six workouts a week being held at local Greenville parks. Mission: FiA stands for Females in Action, which is a community of women dedicated to making each other stronger in all areas of our lives through activities that include bodies, minds, and hearts. A FiA workout is a promise, always free, open to all women, held outdoors, and ends with a circle of trust. · Bodies—We organize free, peer-led workouts each week. Workouts are held outdoors rain or shine, hot or cold. · Minds—We get together for book clubs, career and family discussion groups, or workshops. · Hearts—We give our time and resources to the community and invest in each other by joining together for coffee, weekday lunches, and FiA socials. FiA is for women only, including persons identifying as a woman. FiA workouts are open to women of all ages and fitness levels. FiA workouts are open to women of all religions and beliefs. We accept all faiths. This might be faith in God, a concept, the universe or the good of humanity. Generally, a belief in something larger and outside of ourselves. At a FiA workout, everyone is welcome and accepted. FiA workouts are always free. No catches. FiA workouts are outside, rain or shine. We do not cancel workouts unless conditions are absolutely unsafe because being together outdoors connects us with nature and each other. “Unsafe” means lightning, tornadoes, icy roads, flash floods in the park, etc. When participants are attired appropriately, hard rain, painfully cold weather, and snow are all perfectly safe and are just another way to make us stronger. Workouts might be modified to adjust to the conditions, such as seeking covered areas or
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parking garages, or sticking to in-place moves like burpees. No one is left behind. There is always someone watching the back so no one is lost or feels alone/ discouraged/unsure. A scheduled FiA workout is a promise. A scheduled workout starts and ends on time and will have someone there every time. If a workout is canceled because of unsafe weather, a convergence, or a major holiday, it will be announced on the regional social media platform(s). A FiA workout ends with a Circle of Trust and Name-O-Rama. We acknowledge each individual after every workout. If you’re new, you’ll receive a nickname right then and there. We take a moment to pause in reflection or contemplation often with a motivating quote or story before going into the world. Crystal Hildenbrand took over as the Regional Leader of FiA ENC Greenville in February 2020. She formerly served as the Gear Q and has been with FiA ENC Greenville since the very beginning back in July 2016. Hildenbrand is a former Couch to 5K coach who still leads weekend runs with the ladies of FiA. When not working out with her FiA sisters, Crystal volunteers with the Greenville Women’s League in various capacities around Pitt County. She also enjoys spending time with her miniature schnauzer Winston and working on renovations around her house.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON FIA ENC GREENVILLE: Facebook: FiA ENC Greenville Instagram: fia_enc Website: www.fianation.com Email: fiaencgreenville@gmail.com
Her - Magazine
May 2022
