Horsham-based female personal trainer, Becky, works at an independent gym and focuses on the confidence and enjoyment of her clients. As the world prepares to mark International Women’s Day, she examines the aims of rights, equality and empowerment through a fitness lens…
On 8th March, the UN and the wider global community marks International Women’s Day. Whilst I don’t only work with women, they have consistently formed the majority of my client base, plus I am one myself! This year’s theme for the day courtesy of the UN is, “For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.” Let’s apply that to a fitness experience, and establish what that could mean…
Rights – to exercise
Sadly, the right to physical activity is not something that women and girls experience globally. There are countries where our movement in general – that is, our ability to exist outside of our homes – is limited, which means that women and girls in certain parts of the world can’t participate in fitness.
Fortunately, many of us live differently. The right to access fitness environments is certainly important to me, and I think this is something that it’s important to remember: we must not discriminate against people trying to access fitness spaces on any basis, and gender is one of these.
During the last few years, this has become quite a contentious issue, particularly at elite competition level. I’m not here to solve that argument, partly as I don’t work with those kinds of athletes. I am here to support those I work with or who wish to train alongside me as a gym user myself.
Remember that all people have the right to access the space you, too, occupy. Please welcome them.
Equality – of opportunity to exercise
Very recently, this is something else that has come under even greater attack than usual. But again, we are, for the most part, equals within the fitness space.
Gyms are a great example of this: members generally pay the same fee to access the same facilities… and should all be able to take part as a result. Women feeling intimidated in mixed spaces is something that’s been spoken about a lot, and this is where either friendly smiles and body language, plus a bit of self-awareness comes into play.
Just as you do when you’re driving your car, or even walking down the street, be aware of your surroundings at the gym. Is it busy? How much space are you taking up at any one time? Do you truly need that much space, or can you adjust your position in order to help others feel a little more comfortable, and be able to take up their own space safely?
Many women in particular will crush themselves into a corner rather than striking up conversation with a stranger – partly because experience teaches them that this can be an unsafe thing to do – and so we can all help the community out by monitoring our own usage, and making sure that there is indeed space for everyone.
Empowerment – to be active with confidence
This is something that I think is culturally lacking still. I’ve only seen in recent years how girls – myself included – where I was brought up aren’t typically empowered to be confident and joyful in their physical activity. The majority of us mostly experienced exercise in childhood via school PE, and it was abundantly clear to me that we weren’t being coached to improve, and that our health wasn’t the main factor in participating. The purpose was chiefly to occupy an hour or so of our time, and fulfil a government-issued obligation.
Those who were naturally talented, or put their resources into developing their skills outside of school were lauded… and the rest of us just got left behind as though there was no hope for us. It’s only very recently that I’ve come to reframe that continual improvement of performance is not a mandatory goal.
I believe that we should all aim to be moving in a way that is safe and beneficial for our physical and mental health. But that is not the same as encouraging ourselves to be competitive, and be seeking ongoing performance improvement. It’s totally ok to be absolutely average at something, and to participate simply because it is physically good for us and we don’t hate it.
And that’s the attitude I aim to pass on to my clients. I coach them to know how the equipment in the gym works, and encourage them to train independently if they wish. That starts with how I work with them, so I set the tone, and empower them to follow it.
A final thought on International Women’s Day…
I’ll be honest – I find a lot of the messaging harder every year. I think it’s exhausting that we’re still having to fight for equality in this way, and in this timeline. I try to live these values every day of the year, as I wish everyone would. If this has inspired you in any way, please do pass the message on, and make sure that you are supporting our fellow humans year-round.