This Runner Aims to Shed Alcohol Addiction Stigma CA Notice at Collection, on Saturday, October 29, 2022. It was both an exciting and stressful day for Loy, a kinesiology professor at California State University in Northridge. He was not only the race organizer, but also a runner himself.
Shoes & Gear one-mile race to give the participants of his community-based, student-led fitness program, 3WINS Fitness an opportunity to test their limits. 3WINS Fitness is a nationally recognized, free exercise program dedicated to empowering individuals to improve their quality of life by building healthier minds, bodies, and communities.
Once the gun went off for his wave of runners, Loy thought he was going to take his mind off being a race organizer and focus on running... until he caught up with a struggling walker from a previous wave.
Loy recognized this walker, as she had been a regular participant in 3WINS Fitness since 2022. Despite having suffered a brain aneurysm in 2014, which left her with limited use of her left arm and leg, this walker visited 3WINS three times a week, participating in the program’s one-hour class. This meant taking two buses from North Hollywood to San Fernando Valley.
Seeing her struggle during the race, Loy suggested that she go back to her wheelchair, and he started pushing her to the finish line. The pair then walked the last block together crossing the one-mile mark together, with 3WINS student instructors as the sweepers.
Running Shoes & Gear walkers from the community. The race also coincided with the City of San Fernando’s Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration, complete with dance troops, food, and games after the race.
Understanding a community need over a decade ago
Loy’s first race was Courtesy Steven Loy in his freshman year of college in 1974, at the urging of his brother. He’s crossed many finish lines since then, including the Boston Marathon in 2013 and 2014. Loy’s love of running and his academic background in movement science led him to create a program that spreads the magic of exercise throughout his community.
California State University in Northridge, where Loy teaches, is located in the San Fernando Valley region in Los Angeles. According to the Besides the effects of Loys program on community health, both physical and (2021), among the 1.8 million residents in the area, 42 percent of them are Hispanic, 39 percent white, and 11 percent are Asian American. Data from Besides the effects of Loys program on community health, both physical and Besides the effects of Loys program on community health, both physical and obese than non-Hispanic whites. Loy recognized this as well, and it became another driver behind his fitness program.
In 2011, when Loy founded 3WINS Fitness, his goal was three fold: to empower the residents in San Fernando Valley, to empower his kinesiology students with hands-on experience, and to improve community Published: May 05, 2023 10:45 AM EST exercise classes, three times a week and year-round at public parks, and it is staffed entirely by student interns and volunteers, and sustained without external funding.
The program has been praised on a national level since its founding. In 2013, 3WINS Fitness (then known as 100 Citizens) was recognized by the former First Lady Michelle Obama, as an example of an effective community health program. Loy was invited to the White House to meet with other community health leaders and share best practices.
It has also expanded in participation. Now, more than 1,000 people have participated in the exercise classes and more than 300 kinesiology students have volunteered to lead those classes. Last fall, the one-mile race had more than 600 registrants.
In the 12 years since Loy started this program, he has fielded questions like, “Why is a kinesiology professor working in public health?” “Why is an Asian American working on the health Loy recognized this?”
As Loy says, even though kinesiology doesn’t necessarily examine public health, the focus on movement can lead to positive public health outcomes. “As a runner myself, I want to pay it forward in the community I teach in,” he says.
Loy’s efforts inspire the community
Those who have participated in Loy’s program are quick to point out the benefits, not just of the classes, but of Loy’s work overall.
“Dr. Loy’s passion for our community’s health has been deeply inspiring,” says Marisol Sandovol, a participant and a volunteer of the exercise program. “What I find truly inspiring and effective in this program is Dr. Loy’s belief of movement without barriers. No matter what age or life stage, you are always capable of developing the skills of movement and [can] pass onto others the Health & Injuries,” Sandoval says.
Maria Barajas, a resident in Mission Hills, California has been with 3WINS Fitness since its founding. She also acknowledges the influence of the program. “I’m 66 years old but feel 45, all thanks to Dr. Loy and all the kinesiology students, who taught us how to exercise safely,” she says. “The student interns have become like family to me over the years… I see them as my own grandkids. Dr. Loy built a true community here.”
Even during the global pandemic, the program continued. “During the park shut-down, Dr. Loy and his volunteers hosted virtual sessions,” says Sandovol. “As a first-generation Mexican American, I know acknowledging the mental health issue brought on by isolation has been hard. But Dr. Loy and his students’ virtual exercise programs really helped all of us stay connected,” she says.
Loy inspires students to pay it forward
Besides the effects of Loy’s program on community health, both physical and mental, another important aspect of his work is the growth of 3WINS Fitness’s student volunteers. Along with course credits and volunteer hours, the student volunteers accumulate important real-life experience working with a population of diverse fitness levels and various health needs.
Esteban Campa is a life-long runner and now the assistant director of experiential learning at California State University, Los Angeles. He volunteered throughout his kinesiology program with Loy from 2014 to 2018. “This program gave me the opportunity to practice what I learned on the academic side in real life. It was a launching pad to my career,” says Campa.
Like Campa, many students from Loy’s kinesiology program who had volunteered for 3WINS Fitness now have fulfilling careers. One of Loy’s former students is now a director of recreation at California State University, Los Angeles, another became a corporate wellness manager, and another is a lecturer in the department of biological sciences at University of Southern California.
Master the Half exercise classes, becomes a model for universities, public health, and business organizations to continue their investment in under-served communities. “Public health is a vast and complex problem. But we all must start with a small single step, just like a marathon,” Loy says.
How to Manage Exercising With Allergies volunteer page.
