Why fitness is not inclusive for everyone

Have you ever felt that your Fitness Professional doesn’t truly understand you??

Or that you have looked around and thought: I don’t really fit in here.

Or perhaps you have not been asked the questions that really do impact your ability to exercise.?

Instead leaving it to you to communicate (or hint at) what is really happening mentally or physically when you exercise.

No more is this true than for postnatal (especially when your babies are no longer babies), peri-menopause and post-menopausal women.

Why is an exercise not inclusive for post-natal women and those experiencing menopause and perimenopause?

The answer to this question is one the fitness education and education providers don’t want to admit to, nor share. The answer to this question lies at the heart of what fitness professionals are taught.

Let’s clarify what a fitness professional is.

When you think of a fitness professional – your thoughts might be to the PT in the park or the instructor at your local gym. But I want you to cast your net wider. A fitness professional, may also be a yoga or pilates instructor, run your local F45 or a mums and bubs class in a local hall. One thing all of these people have in common, is that they share a basic education (to varying degrees) in anatomy and physiology and understand the relationship between exercise or movement and muscles.

Those fitness qualifications have been created based on credible research. This research is universally acknowledged, hence you will find the same assumptions made and similar fitness education created across the world.

But what that research and the education created from this research omits to tell you, is that this research has been conducted on men.?

And the assumption that has been carried forward is that women should be trained as “small men.”

This does not mean that women are?unable?to train as hard, or as specific as men. They can. But let us be clear - women have different contributing factors that will significantly impact on their training results.

Differences between the sexes must be acknowledged and respected, not ignored.?

There are three key differences that heavily influence women’s different training needs and outcomes.

1. Hormonal Differences

The role of hormones plays an enormous part in our response to exercise.

For men, their hormonal landscape is linear, with the gradual tapering of testosterone in older age. For women, the hormonal differences are more extreme with rising and falling levels of oestrogen and progestogen (and some testosterone) as we ovulate and menstruate each month.

There is also another hormonal picture for women during their lifetime and that is pregnancy and postnatal. And then for peri-menopause / menopause / post menopause.

Each of these hormonal changes impacts on how women make (and keep) muscle and bone mass. Hormones also impact on recovery and potential risk of injury… and a whole lot more.

The most effective training for a woman must be in sync with the menstrual cycle. Or if she is menopausal, further modifications are needed.

When was the last time your trainer / fitness professional asked you where you were in your cycle? And then modified or intensified your program to work with, not against your hormonal changes.

Unfortunately it is left up to the individual fitness professional to seek out, pay and complete for extra qualifications and training.

?Women’s health is often lumped into “special populations”. Really?

When you look around your gym class / PT studio / yoga class - how many women do you see? The statistics tell us that there will be more women there than men.

And although not all women will choose to be mothers or give birth to children, all people with a uterus will experience menopause.

2. Anatomical Differences

The shape of a woman’s pelvis is different. However, the most distinctive anatomical difference between men and women, is that women have an extra opening at the very base of their pelvis. The vaginal opening.

Men and women both have pelvic floor muscles that help control the flow of urine, faeces and wind and they also play a vital role in sexual performance and enjoyment. However, due to the anatomical differences, coupled with the child bearing influences, hormone changes during menopause transition, women have a much higher risk of pelvic floor dysfunction.

Does this impact on training??It most certainly does.

If a woman leaks urine when she works out, this will impact on her enjoyment and commitment to exercise. For a woman who has pelvic organ prolapse, exercise will be a significant concern and worry.?

We? don’t want women to stop exercising?– as prolapse and incontinence does not kill women – but inactivity does.

It is not rocket science to learn how to modify exercise to work with and support women with incontinence and / or prolapse.

But this vital information on how to work with women with pelvic floor dysfunction is simply missing from fitness education.

3. Feminism and Fitness

As we live in a patriarchal society where a woman's worth is valued on how she looks. ?The pressure to look and behave in a certain way is still all pervasive.

It is found women spend an average of 27 minutes per day getting ready for work. Across a year, that equates to an extra 10 full working days!

"Over our lives, on average, women will take 3,276 hours in grooming; for men it's 1,092 [hours]," Tracey Spicer said in this TED talk.

Although it is starting to change, fitness motivation for women or social media influencers – are usually young, skinny and usually white. And almost always fully abled.?

New mums are told “How To Get Your Body Back!” Like it went away on a holiday. In reality, when women give birth - their bodies have forever changed. They are now postnatal. And postnatal for life. Aging women often feel that they are becoming invisible.? The pressure to remain young is reinforced from products like face cream to foods to fitness regimes.

A woman’s work is never done.?

Women still continue to carry the lion's share and mental load of household tasks. A survey from the Melbourne Institute’s Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey, published in 2019, showed that even when women took on more paid employment, they continued to do more domestic chores in the house.

Women rarely simply go to work, go to the gym and then come home.? Women may also be mums or having career responsibilities of parents. This impacts significantly on their fitness commitments. Women need flexibility and understanding with training commitments as they are usually many things to many people. Exercise may just be one more thing on a never ending to do list.

How we can make exercise more inclusive:

• Actively mute fitspiration quotes if they make you feel “less than”. Find the influencers who reflect what you are, or who challenge the stereotypical (and often unrealistic) and unattainable standards to which we should “live up to” or be inspired by. Remember, your body will change with age. Embrace this.
• Ask your fitness professional what extra education they have done in the area of women’s health. It is not their fault that this education is missing. However, without this knowledge they will be training you as per the research - as a young fit man. At times this is going to be at odds with your hormonal cycles and increases your risk of injury.
• Educate yourself. The best person to drive your body is you. Every body is different and understanding your unique set of factors will ensure you can make the best decisions for you. Every time.

The best way to do this is to enroll in EVEolution? - the online course designed for you to remain active - no matter what age or stage of life you are at.

EVEolution? is best explained here:

To read more about EVEolution? - click here

For over a decade, I have been writing education, writing articles / blogs and presenting at conferences - raising awareness with fitness professionals. And the good news is that relatively simple changes can be easily implemented, in order to cater to women equally. This stuff is not rocket science!

However, the change is slow and with all industries – the motivation to change is often in response to the demands of the customer. If you are a customer of exercise, and this article has resonated with you; then ask questions of your fitness professional about their qualifications.

Or share this article with them.

And trust that if you feel that you are not feeling included in exercise… you are not dreaming it.

If you’re a fitness professional or any other service provider for women and want to become an EVEolution? partner?CLICK HERE.

If you’re interested in learning more about EVEolution??CLICK HERE.

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