Friday 8th March is International Women's Day. This annual event, is a global celebration of the achievements of women, and a chance to call for action for accelerating women's equality. In the area of sport and physical activity, we know that for many reasons, including fear of judgement, safety concerns and family commitments, many less women than men are reaching the recommended levels of physical activity. By being less active they are missing out on the benefits to health and wellbeing that participating in physical activity brings - such as relieving stress, building connections and improving self-esteem, alongside the myriad benefits to physical health.

To mark International Women's Day some of women in the Active Lincolnshire team, are sharing their journeys to being active, why physical activity is important and beneficial to them, and how they inspire and encourage others to move more.

Lindsay

Throughout my life, activity has looked different at different stages. I was a ‘sporty’ kid and played a variety of sports, from baseball to football to volleyball and eventually landed on swimming. But outside of sport I wasn’t very active.

As an adult I focused more on running because of how easily it fits into daily life and how good it is for my mental health. Then a year or so ago, I decided to try CrossFit, inspired by my teenage daughter’s new love of it. Whilst I am in no way exceptional at this sport, the community that it brings is so welcoming and inclusive that it somehow makes ridiculously difficult workouts fun and keeps me coming back day after day. Workouts are never finished until the last person is done, so someone is always there to cheer you on.

I have found it so empowering to learn to lift weights – women are not usually taught how to do this, and it is an exhilarating feeling when you discover you can, in fact, lift heavy things (especially satisfying is (safely) dropping the bar after a good lift and the heavy thud it makes as it hits the ground) .

I find it great for my mental health, as well, not least because when in the midst of a really difficult workout, my mind cannot focus on anything else and the endorphins afterwards can last me all day. Seeing how the women there cheer for every single participant has been an eye-opener and shown me how being competitive does not mean we can’t also be kind and supportive of each other – it is literally the antithesis of how society portrays women and plays us against each other.

Watching my daughter fall in love with this has been the best part; it has increased her confidence, given her a much healthier relationship with her body and given her a community to belong to and people she knows she can turn to for anything.

I have become a member of the advisory board for Strong Girl Squad, a girls-only strength and conditioning programme run out of the gym, and the impact I see it having is game-changing. The world had better watch out for these girls, they’re going to change the world for the better!

Jo

Being active is part of who I am. I make the time to walk, run, and strength train every week, and that’s been the case for many years now. I go to Darkside Training Gym in Lincoln, which is a women’s only strength training gym that removes barriers to women accessing strength training by creating a welcoming space where women feel comfortable.

When time allows, I also enjoy cycling and usually this is as a means to get somewhere or as an activity with my children.

Being active is good for my mental health. The time and space to think about things or try and focus my mind on something else like some good music, a podcast or just how flipping difficult the activity is! That’s so important to me. I get a sense of achievement from the activities I do, I feel strong, and more in control of myself and my life as a result.

It’s not always easy to find the time or motivation to be active but it is something that has become part of who I am. My children see me and their Dad doing active things and it inspires them to either join in or want to do something. Modelling positive behaviour is important. Supporting others with their activities is also part of it, from willing on a friend to make that deadlift, cheering on my kids at football, or asking my husband how his run went.

Emma

I haven't always enjoyed being active and I have never thought of myself as ‘sporty’, but now being active is a big part of my life. I have taken part in a few triathlons, and most of my activities involve swim, bike and run! I love getting out on my bike with friends, and swimming in the Activities Away lake for me is one of my favourite things to do during the summer months.

I also try and incorporate yoga and walking as lower impact ways of moving, and stretching out.

Being active really helps me, it can be great thinking time, I can find complex problems become clearer when I’m outside, away from my desk and I have a difference perspective. I’ll often got for a walk during the day to help me bring a different perspective to my work. Its really important for my mental health and also brings social connections too - I have met many great friends through being active.

I talk positively about being active, with friends and in work environments – and I think that by sharing experiences, other people can look and think ‘I want to do that’. Sometimes I can find myself as a women being in the minority at events, but the more women that take part the more we’ll encourage others to do so.

I also talk to people when they ask about being active – about how important it is to do things they enjoy, making it easy and not thinking that we all have to enjoy the same things. There are so many ways to move, if you make it fun, enjoyable and sociable you are much more likely to keep doing things.