Data released last week by This Girl Can revealed almost half of women (45%) are worried about showing their body when getting active this summer.
The research also highlighted that fitness levels and self-esteem issues are additional barriers preventing women from exercising, with 48% citing being too unfit, and 40% feeling inadequate. One in three women said they felt anxious about sweating while being active in the warmer summer months, while one in four women expressed worries about being menopausal (27%) or having their period (25%) during physical activities.
As part of their initiative to support women to Make Your Summer Move, This Girl Can recently launched its first-ever activewear range in collaboration with F&F at Tesco.
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With 61% of women reporting that wearing their favourite activewear makes exercising during the summer more enjoyable, Kate Dale, director of marketing at Sport England, hopes that the new activewear range will encourage women of all shapes, sizes, abilities, and ages to overcome their insecurities and embrace physical activity.
‘This is our reminder to women – of all shapes, sizes, ability and age – that nothing should hold us back from enjoying getting active this summer,’ she says.
In response to the data released by This Girl Can, Cate Campbell, an expert BACP-accredited psychotherapist, wants women and girls to feel comfortable and confident to enjoy sports and physical activities the way they deserve.
‘Summer is a great time to get active, often outdoors, in the better weather and lighter mornings and evenings. Sadly, far too many women and girls want to be active but have negative thoughts and beliefs about what’s possible for them,’ says Campbell.
‘Often, they’ve picked up unhelpful ideas from other people or the media – such as needing to look a certain way to be active or to already be super fit – so that they don’t dare take part, even when they want to,’ she says.
‘Any woman feeling too old, young, unfit, sweaty or anxious to exercise should ask themselves where those ideas come from,’ she adds. ‘Try looking at women and girls who are active in the street, parks and sports facilities who are improving their health while having fun. They’re all very different, and many will have overcome ideas about their bodies and right to exercise – so you can too.’
To learn more about This Girl Can, visit thisgirlcan.co.uk/makeyoursummermove
