As the Olympic and Paralympic Games begin in Paris, Horsham-based female personal trainer, Becky, wonders whether the idea of event legacy focuses in the right direction…
I lived in London throughout 2012, meaning that I was fully absorbed in an Olympic city. Ironically, I was thoroughly inactive at the time, and truly never thought I’d be a gym person. One of the slogans of the Games which I clearly recall was, “Inspire a Generation”, and it was blindingly obvious that one of the alleged aims for the event was to encourage kids to be active. The messaging wasn’t aimed at me, at 25-year old professional White middle class woman. And I think it should have been.
Recent research on women and activity
Results of a global study supported by Asics were released earlier this year. Researchers looked at barriers to exercises for women of all age groups, trying to answer the question of why an exercise gap between men and women exists.
There were some interesting findings, one of which being the steep rate of decline in how much activity women undertake after leaving school – unsurprisingly, it’s very little. And this study plus the fact that it’s an Olympic year got me thinking…
Why isn’t the Olympics used to get adults into exercise?
I think that the simple answer to this question is that, unlike kids, adults aren’t able to look at Olympians and Paralympians and know that they can head down that path. Olympic and Paralympic athletes in the majority of sports are in their 20s – the prime of physical fitness, and capable of achieving those peak performances that make them the record-breaking one percent.
So it’s not aspirational viewing for adult athletes, even those who are already fit, or competing at an amateur level. But that’s not to say that it can’t be inspirational. Because nobody is sat here saying that every child who enjoys watching the 100m final will one day find themselves on the track lining up for their own Olympic or Paralympic final, there literally isn’t room. What the strategy of encouraging kids to participate is trying to achieve is play the numbers, seek from the broadest pool of talent possible… whereas it could be a more altruistic aim of encouraging them to be active and take care of their bodies.
Watch and do
Many Olympians and Paralympians actually might admit to their lifestyle not being sustainable in the long term. So this isn’t what we’d be looking to replicate at a general population level either. However, if we can get as far as simply inspiring. Encouraging people to see the positives, and the fact that even a small amount of movement and activity can benefit our physical and mental health, then we can help.
Several of the sports are more accessible than people might think, and sadly they’re some of the ones which get less coverage. I hadn’t ever taken an interest in weightlifting prior to the Tokyo Games, but now that I do a similar activity myself, I did make the time to watch some of it. I was really impressed by the sport, and bizarre as it may look to some people, I did feel inspired to focus on my own training and see how else I can learn and develop. For me, it’s not about maxing out a huge best, but it is about continuing to try new things, and appreciate what my body can do.
Feeling inspired?
If you catch any of the coverage during the summer and do feel that you want to try something out, a great first step would be some coaching for beginners. There will be plenty going on in your area, and I hope things for adults as well as kids. A beginners class will give you a community of others who are new, so that you can learn together and hopefully not feel too much awkwardness in the uncertainty! Sessions should also then be tailored for you in terms of the coaching, and help you to learn terminology and have a go. It may not be that you continue in the same sport, but instead find your way to another thing you wouldn’t have otherwise tried, and that I think would be a huge success.
The podium doesn’t have to be the goal. It can simply be about joining in, no matter how old or young you are.