Since its creation in 2015, Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign has been working to address the significant gender gap found in sport and exercise. The campaign was based on the insight that less women than men were getting the recommended amount of exercise, but that 75% said they wished they could be more active. When we began researching what was stopping them, we found that one of the unifying barriers was a fear of judgement, whether that was about worries around appearance or a perceived lack of sporting ability.
One group of women who are particularly prone to this fear of judgement is mothers. As I discussed this topic with friends, colleagues and the wider community, it was clear that many of those with children could relate. I wanted to know what we could do to help, and so started working with my team to build a deeper understanding on what drives mums, their biggest barriers and what (if anything) would encourage them to build a regular sporting habit in their life.
Guilt and motherhood can sometimes be synonymous, so it came as no surprise when our research told us that six in 10 mothers feel guilty taking time to exercise. When asked to name their top priorities outside of work, mums were most likely to favour tasks revolving around family such as doing the housework or cooking, or even just spending time together. Our research showed that 70% of mothers were keen to set a good example for their children in terms of exercise, but that the realities of juggling work and family life meant that this often wasn’t possible.
The interesting thing is that being a healthy and active mother has actually been shown to translate to your children. In fact, research from the Department for Digital Culture Media and Sport, ‘Taking Part’ survey confirmed that mothers have a greater influence on children’s activity levels compared to fathers. Simply seeing them in gym kit or being active at home can help children develop healthy attitudes towards physical activity, even if they’re not taking part themselves. What’s more, children who have positive experiences of sport and physical activity early on are also more likely to prioritise being active in later life.
I really hope that by discussing the impact of mothers being active, we can help reduce the feelings of guilt. As a mother, the default can be to take care of everyone else’s needs first, but the benefits of taking time for yourself can’t be overestimated. Exercise has been shown to not only improve your physical health, but to be incredibly useful in improving mental health too. If nothing else, taking care of yourself in this way will ensure you have as much energy as possible to look after those you love.
I believe that all of us have a role in making mothers feel okay about prioritising getting active, as they do other things in their life. Whether that’s your partner or friend looking after the children once a week to ensure you can attend a class, or your family offering words of encouragement or a helping hand, giving you the time and space to look after their physical and mental health is beneficial for everyone – including the kids.
This Girl Can is working hard to try and help mothers get active in whatever way works best for them. This includes a free 21-day trial with online home workout platform LES MILLS On Demand, as well as hundreds of free women-only bike rides throughout the country with British Cycling’s HSBC UK Breeze programme.
For home workout tips, and more advice and support, find This Girl Can on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter