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TALKBACK


Kath Hudson • Journalist • Health Club Management


Active women


The stats show women are less active than men and more likely to drop out of sport. Is the industry doing all it could to support them in being active, or are there some quick wins we could put in place?


I


f we do Parkrun as a family, my husband shoots off into the distance as soon as the whistle sounds, leaving me to coax the


children round. While my exercise is limited to blocks of 20 or 30 minutes, snatched between work and childcare, he exercises instead of doing childcare. I’m one of the lucky ones: there are


many women living in the UK whose husbands, or cultures, stop them from exercising altogether. I also know he’d swap if I asked – he just doesn’t think of it fi rst. This is very important because, according to the team behind I Will if You Will – the Bury Council-led initiative aimed at women – I’m not alone in this. In fact, this is one of the common barriers


to many women being active: mothers are conditioned to put their children fi rst. If childcare options or family activities aren’t available, they therefore don’t exercise. There was a general consensus


among the women on this panel that there needs to be a cultural shift whereby husbands and partners are supportive of women exercising. But equally, the industry can also do


its bit to make it easier for women. Allowing mums to bring babies in car seats into studio classes or poolside would be helpful, as would running sessions all the family can join; offering childcare; or putting on an adult class or swimming session that coincides with a kids’ swimming lesson or activity.


There’s a refreshing level of energy


around the bid to get women active. Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign looks set to be a gamechanger, opening up conversations with all sorts of women’s brands from outside the industry. I Will if You Will – a project that encouraged women to support each other to become more active, and that inspired This Girl Can – had great success in its fi rst phase, getting 7,500 women active. As it moves into phase two, it wants to take this further, working with more clubs. So, is your club welcoming to women?


What images are you using in publicity? Is your timetable convenient, your receptionist welcoming? Do you offer hair straighteners? What else could you do?


How can we get more women, more active? Email us: healthclub@leisuremedia.com


TANNI GREY-THOMPSON Former Paralympian, parliamentarian, TV presenter & ukactive chair


“W


e need a cultural shift in how both sexes view women’s exercise.


Time is a major barrier to many women being active: they can feel too caught up juggling work, family and other responsibilities. We need a public messaging campaign about the importance of women finding time for themselves, and men also need to support women in this. Anything health clubs can do to facilitate this would help


– for example, providing childcare so that mums with young children can exercise, running gym sessions and classes where they can bring their children, and organising activities that are suitable for all the family to be active. Many girls drop out of physical activity during their teenage


years, but health club operators could reach out to them with teenage gym sessions, classes and outreach programmes. I’d like to see more innovation from the industry. Marketing is crucial. I’m a big fan of the This Girl Can


campaign, because it reflects what people really look like when they exercise. I’d like to see more of this sort of imagery in marketing campaigns, not the size zero model in lycra doing yoga. Finally, I’d like to see clothing companies making more flattering sports clothes in larger sizes.





JENNIE PRICE CEO • Sport England


“F


rom our insight work, we’ve learned that lots of women and


girls feel judged at sports and health clubs. They feel they don’t belong, either because they’re the wrong size, shape or not wearing the right clothes. We want to take these insights and make sure clubs place them at the heart of their offering. The easiest and most powerful thing any club can do to


become more female-friendly is to ask women who aren’t currently using their facilities what they want. Reach out to former members, the local WI, NCT or colleges and find out why women aren’t coming to your club. There’s a sharp drop-off in activity during teenage years,


which is partly due to interests changing during puberty, but also because at this age sports clubs start focusing on talent; the average ones get left behind. Health clubs and sports clubs need to think about what they’re offering these girls and give the opportunity for teenagers to dip in and out of a range of activities. Unless they’re especially talented, teenagers don’t want to do a single sport. The activities that are growing are those where the user is in control, such as running and cycling. People also want to be casual, so all clubs need to react to that, offering the opportunity to be spontaneous.


” 30 Read Health Club Management online at healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital May 2015 © Cybertrek 2015


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