Author: Sarah Walls

Health and Fitness Interview

Interview with Marshall Mosher, CEO and Co-founder of Vestigo

Background: Vestigo Adventures, LLC. is a local start-up whose primary mission is to empower those seeking outdoor adventures by providing them with a guide who knows the way. Vestigo serves as a platform for guides to host trips, whether they be yoga classes, kayaking adventures, or hiking excursions, and allows those interested to sign up for said trips.

Me: Hey Marshall, how are you doing this afternoon?

Mosher: Doing great! Just enjoying the nice weather today. How about you?

Me: I’m doing good, you know, looking forward to the weekend and whatnot – mind if we get started?

Mosher: Yeah of course.

Me: Okay, so tell me a little bit about Vestigo.

Mosher: Well, Vestigo is an adventure-sharing platform. Guides and local experts from anywhere in the world can host a trip and others can sign up for it. It’s kind of like the Air BnB for outdoor experiences. Have you heard of Air BnB?

Me: Yes I have! I’ve stayed in a few actually. That sounds really cool though – what kind of trips are being hosted?

Mosher: Well, right now we’re based out of the Southeast. Mainly running trips in Athens and Asheville. But trips could be anything from hiking to rappelling to kayaking. Eventually we want to expand and be all over.

Me: That sounds really cool, I would love to go on a trip sometime!

Mosher: Haha, yeah you should definitely sign up for one!

Me: I’ll look into it! Okay, but as far as your mission goes, what are you aiming to do? What inspired you to start Vestigo?

Mosher: Well, we really want to get as many people outdoors as possible. I’ve always loved the outdoors and I’ve loved showing people how to do new things. I used to be a trip leader for UGA’s Outdoor Rec Program, so I would lead kayaking, rock climbing, caving, trips like that, and it was always great to see someone try something new.

Me: I agree, I’ve always loved the outdoors too. I think its great, what yall are doing.

Mosher: Yeah, thanks! It’s a work in progress, but hopefully it’ll be big one day.

Me: I’m sure it will! So as far as a health and fitness angle.. are you guys trying to incorporate that into Vestigo at all?

Mosher: Definitely! I always have thought that being outside, hiking or doing whatever, is the best way to get exercise. We’ve started pairing with Fit Bit and use their technology on our trips to see how many calories are burned on a hike, how many steps or flights of stairs are climbed. That sort of thing. I’d like to do more with it eventually.

Mosher: Oh, we also have a lot of yoga instructors as guides. We give them a platform to host classes on, so I think that has a really big fitness and health component as well.

Me: Yeah for sure! You know I have been wanting to try yoga so I’ll definitely have to check that out!

Me: But I totally agree with the whole outdoors thing – I’ve always thought working out outside is the best not just for your physical health, but mental and emotional health too.

Mosher: Absolutely.

Me: Well, Marshall, thanks so much for meeting with me, it was great getting to talk to you and learn more about Vestigo.

Mosher: Of course! Thank you too – always love getting to talk about what we’re doing. Have a good weekend!

Health and Fitness Verticals

EatingWell is a page on Facebook that I follow. They post tons of awesome, creative recipes that are healthy and (supposedly) delicious! I really enjoy following pages and sites like this because they help to spark a new idea for a recipe I would want to try, and most of the stuff they suggest is easy enough for a college student to do, but still intricate enough to have fun with. As I mentioned in a previous post, I don’t usually like sites or pages centered around fad diets and counting calories, so I think things like this are a great and happy medium. It helps people, or me at least, get excited about eating healthy foods, and excited to cook. You can check out the site here.

Eat-Fit-Fuel is a similar page to EatingWell, however, on top of healthy recipes, this page also posts work out plans that target specific body parts, advice from health and fitness professionals, general stories about people trying to get healthier or lose weight, and things of that nature.

I think that using Facebook for these verticals is really useful and a modern way to stay up to date on fitness ideas and a great way to get new recipes. The fast-paced recipe videos are especially helpful and much easier to understand than a regular cook book or written recipe. Its important for people to have easy access to this kind of information, to make it a part of a daily habit or routine, so that people can constantly get new ideas and new inspiration for themselves. While I do have some reservations about fitness trainer and diet pages, these kind outlets are ultimately a good thing.

Where I’m At

Health and Fitness

By Sarah Walls

I have always been a fairly active person. Ever since I was a little kid, my hobbies included things like hiking, kayaking, rock climbing, and swimming. I’ve always enjoyed being outside as much as possible. I am at my happiest when I’m in nature; whether it’s a forest or a lake or a mountain or an ocean, I feel the most connected to the world and to myself when I’m in an environment like that. I’m excited for being assigned the health and fitness beat because I think combining my love for the outdoors with a health and fitness aspect will be something I really enjoy writing about. I think that’s what I would be the biggest advocate for: leading a healthy lifestyle by finding an outdoor activity you are passionate about.

As far as writing goes, however, I’ve never really covered a story specifically about health and fitness. I’ve done plenty of pieces regarding the outdoors and activities or adventures I’ve had, but I think targeting that health and fitness angle will add a new challenge for me. I’m not the kind of person who wants to write about counting calories or fad diets. I’d rather try to inspire people by highlighting exciting events, new activities one could try, or through interesting stories about other outdoor advocates. I believe that one shouldn’t just say “I want to be healthy. I want to be fit”. I think the real success and lifestyle change comes from saying “I want to find a new passion. I want to find something I enjoy that will also help me live a healthier and fitter lifestyle”. Those are the kind of stories I would want to cover; people trying to find the balance between healthiness and happiness.