Tatra Mountains Slovakia Ski Touring

About us

We’re people who love to play outside and think that everyone should have the chance to play outside.

We know from experience that exploring the natural world around us, adventuring, and pushing our physical limits brings a certain kind of joy. And we know from accumulated medical research that exercise is fundamental in physical and mental health.

Yet, medical practice has yet to integrate exercise as a preventative, therapeutic, and rehabilitative intervention. At the same time, off-road sports are too often seen as something only for elite athletes, or for those who already have the resources to get out there.

We’re a group of future physicians, scientists and multi-sport athletes who had a simple idea - the more people we can show that moving your body outside can be FUN, the more disease and unnecessary suffering we can prevent. Although we train with focus and compete at the highest levels in our sports, inspiring others to get outside is the driving mission of the collective.

We hope to lead by example - to bring people together, enjoy the process more than the results, and show that covering ground off the beaten path is something that anyone, and everyone, can do.

Our mission

  • Change begins at the community level. We organize & participate in group rides & runs, educational events, charity events, and local races.

  • At its core, EON Collective is about giving back to the community. Through education and support, our aim is to empower individuals to incorporate healthy life habits through outdoor activity.

  • EON Collective is open to everyone. Our club is a place where individuals interested in off-road sports can connect, learn, and encourage each other.

  • Women’s endurance sport is exploding in popularity. Unfortunately, opportunities for women in sport are still limited. For that reason, we are committed to supporting a women’s team.

  • The cost of sport can be a major barrier to physical activity. Our aim is to provide equipment and educate the community to mitigate barriers to endurance sport.

Background

“Because exercise is medicine, it should be seen and dealt with in the same ways as pharmaceuticals and other medical interventions regarding the basic and continuing education and training of health care personnel and processes to assess its needs and to prescribe and deliver it, to reimburse the services related to it, and to fund research on its efficacy, effectiveness, feasibility, and interactions and comparability with other preventive, therapeutic, and rehabilitative modalities” (7)

“exercise should be viewed as a cost effective medication that is universally prescribed as a first line treatment for virtually every chronic disease” (9)

“Metabolic health” is defined by optimal levels of: blood sugars, triglycerides, high-density lipoproteins, blood pressure, and waist circumference (1). When outside of the ideal range, these are all risk factors for:

  • heart disease

  • stroke

  • atherosclerosis

  • immune system diseases

  • liver diseases

  • mental health conditions (2)

  • cancer (3)

  • and many more…

Currently, only 12% of Americans are considered metabolically healthy (4).

This means that the majority of the population is at increased risk for serious disease.

The two main forces driving what is considered a “global epidemic of metabolic syndrome” are the increased consumption of high-calorie-low fiber food and a decrease in physical activity (5).

Physical activity is cost-effective and can be used to both prevent and decrease the impact of metabolic risk factors. Nevertheless, it remains underutilized (6).

Despite the insurmountable evidence in support of physical activity as a medical intervention, health care systems fail to integrate exercise into their patient care strategies (7).

Furthermore, community-level interventions are the most cost-effective and successfully reduce disease (8).

Change begins at the community level, and we’re committed to doing just that. We understand the benefits of physical activity, but our goal is to show people that they’re capable of exploring the outdoors and sharing laughs with friends while moving their bodies. As a byproduct of teaching our communities how to have fun outside, we can reduce the burden of chronic disease.

Sources:

  1. What is metabolic syndrome?. www.heart.org. (2023, March 9). https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/metabolic-syndrome/about-metabolic-syndrome

  2. Peluso, M. A., & Guerra de Andrade, L. H. (2005). Physical activity and mental health: the association between exercise and mood. Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil), 60(1), 61–70. https://doi.org/10.1590/s1807-59322005000100012

  3. Friedenreich, C. M., Ryder-Burbidge, C., & McNeil, J. (2021). Physical activity, obesity and sedentary behavior in cancer etiology: epidemiologic evidence and biologic mechanisms. Molecular oncology, 15(3), 790–800. https://doi.org/10.1002/1878-0261.12772

  4. Araújo, J., Cai, J., & Stevens, J. (2019). Prevalence of Optimal Metabolic Health in American Adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2016. Metabolic syndrome and related disorders, 17(1), 46–52. https://doi.org/10.1089/met.2018.0105

  5. Saklayen M. G. (2018). The Global Epidemic of the Metabolic Syndrome. Current hypertension reports, 20(2), 12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11906-018-0812-z

  6. Myers, J., Kokkinos, P., & Nyelin, E. (2019). Physical Activity, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, and the Metabolic Syndrome. Nutrients, 11(7), 1652. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11071652

  7. Earnest, C. P., Johannsen, N. M., Swift, D. L., Gillison, F. B., Mikus, C. R., Lucia, A., Kramer, K., Lavie, C. J., & Church, T. S. (2014). Aerobic and strength training in concomitant metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 46(7), 1293–1301. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000000242

  8. Roux, L., Pratt, M., Tengs, T. O., Yore, M. M., Yanagawa, T. L., Van Den Bos, J., Rutt, C., Brownson, R. C., Powell, K. E., Heath, G., Kohl, H. W., 3rd, Teutsch, S., Cawley, J., Lee, I. M., West, L., & Buchner, D. M. (2008). Cost effectiveness of community-based physical activity interventions. American journal of preventive medicine, 35(6), 578–588. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2008.06.040

  9. Sallis, R., Franklin, B., Joy, L., Ross, R., Sabgir, D., & Stone, J. (2015). Strategies for promoting physical activity in clinical practice. Progress in cardiovascular diseases, 57(4), 375–386. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2014.10.003

Green Gravel Road Vermont