Women's Place in Exercise...

Myself and my wonderful daughter Freya, teaching a weight training session to a room of amazing women (and some men)

There’s been a lot of noise recently around women and their place in sport. As someone who grew up liking sports and competing in track, as well as having children who were very keen on a variety of physical activities, my view on women in sports has always been that they belong there… even when I used to be the only female in the weights section. I knew I knew my s***, and lets be honest I love a bit of attention and I did meet my husband in a gym after all. 

However, after seeing so many videos presenting amazing women in so many different sports, it also made me think about the interview we did with one of our members, Julia.

You can watch the full interview HERE.

She spoke about not liking exercise, never having “stepped in a gym” and joining Living-Stronger was a departure from a more sedentary lifestyle. 

It dawned on me how many women had experiences early on in life that made them dislike exercise and not pursue it later on in life.

Maybe you weren't very good at it.

Maybe you didn't enjoy the competition.

Maybe you were always picked last.

Maybe you simply didn't feel like you belonged.

And for some girls, that experience can stay with them for years.

I think we can grow up believing that ‘exercise means sport’, and if we don't like sport, or don't feel we're good at it, we stay away from exercise altogether.

But here's what I've learnt as I've gotten older…

Exercise doesn't have to be a sport.

But I still think the lessons that sport can teach us are incredibly valuable.

Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose.

Sometimes you're brilliant at something, and other days you feel rubbish.

Sometimes it's difficult. Sometimes it has to be adapted for certain conditions, and sometimes you have to pick yourself up and start again.

The above can all be applied to exercise, not just sport. Like a little healthy competition. It can be good to be a bit competitive, especially when the person you're competing with is yourself. Can I get a little stronger? Move a little better? Do something today that I couldn't do six months ago?

Perhaps most importantly, sport and exercise can teach us to appreciate what our bodies can do, rather than constantly worrying about what they look like.

So if school sport wasn't your thing, don't let that define your relationship with exercise for the rest of your life.

You don't have to be sporty to be strong.

You don't have to be competitive to enjoy exercise.

And you certainly don't have to look like an athlete to train like one. 

But getting out there and doing something really is so beneficial and effective, to making life more fulfilling as we age. If I could get every woman (and man) lifting weights, I'd be over the moon. But if you’re not going to lift weights I encourage everyone to make time in their life to exercise in some way or another. Safely though of course. 

Women belong in the world of exercise, they deserve it and need it!

Love Cherry x 

P.S - After posting this I realised I missed a huge issue that should not be dismissed in this conversation, especially as I write women deserve to exercise! Our mindset can play a huge roll in how we comprehend exercise, but I'm also aware our physical safety can also limit many women from exercising, especially as the dark nights and mornings come in. I feel this topic deserves it's own blog... coming next!