Women don’t always feel empowered to exercise or get strong. How do we encourage young women that health and fitness is worthwhile and how can we make physical exercise more accessible?
There was a school of thought that lifting weights at an early age was dangerous and could stunt growth, however we now know that teaching children and young people correct techniques is hugely beneficial and will prevent poor form and technique as they move through life.
It starts in early childhood, with kids expressing themselves through physical play, however, we see a large dropoff in female participation in sport as they age. It can be difficult to get teenaged girls to go out and exercise, but modelling healthy behaviour is always worthwhile and will impact more than you realise. Watching their mom move her body – and have fun with it – is a great way for young women to see how effective exercise is.
By the time kids reach their teens, there can often be a strong desire to be part of a group and not to stand out, therefore, it can sometimes be difficult for young women to find their tribe within a sport that they enjoy. They can find themselves in a friendship group that simply wants to hang out and not get dirty or sweaty and it’s difficult then to break out and find something just for them. Ideally, kids would find their sport from an early age and they would continue into their teens playing that sport with friends, but that’s not always possible.
I always had my kids involved in different activities as they grew up, however, we relocated a number of times to different countries and the activities always changed. When we returned home to Ireland in 2018, therefore, my daughter hadn’t found a sport she loved and it was a little late for me to force her into a team sport as she was almost 13. She has dabbled in basketball in school but has found a love for lifting. I often find her in the home gym working on programs she’s requested from me and her form and technique, as well as her strength, is amazing.
Some kids don’t want to play team sports, and that’s fine. Try to find a local gym that facilitates teen lifting and teaches proper technique to see if that’s more their jam. Increasing strength is especially important and empowering for young women and watching the physical changes to their body through strength training can be really effective in improving their sense of self. Posture, balance, mobility and overall fitness levels will be improved and the effects of this will last a lifetime as we’re more likely to continue working on our fitness, even if we just dip in and out as we get older.
Dads, brothers and men in general also have a huge part to play in how girls see themselves in sports. When we hear men around us making fun of females in sports or dismissing the skill or achievements those females display, it resonates. We need to make a concerted effort to correct our language and attitudes, so much of which is rooted in the patriarchy and misogyny. Simply tagging ‘it’s just a joke’ to the end of statements doesn’t correct the damage it does. Sports games between female teams are often poorly attended and tickets can be easily obtained in even the best stadiums in the world. Let’s start taking our kids – male and female – to support these games.
In summary, we need to model, encourage and support involvement in sports and fitness for girls from a very early age. Let’s keep them playing physically for fun, let’s keep playing with them and let’s bring them to support the local ladies teams in whatever sports are playing in the area.
