This article references to weight loss.
Are you a woman? Do you fancy upping your fitness? You’d be forgiven for thinking that workouts must begin and end on the treadmill, perhaps followed by a quick Pilates class for that toned (but not bulky!) look. If you’re feeling particularly brave, you could venture towards the squat rack – or even go for a punishing jog along your local high street. In any case, it’s probably something that you want to get over and done with; endorphins be damned.
However, if you really want to improve (and maintain) your fitness, the secret is to find an activity that you enjoy. Ideally, it’s something that you can do with your friends, something that will make you laugh – as well as sweat. Enter the humble exercise class. And no, we’re not talking about Legs, Bums, and Tums.
Research shows that women make up 76% of group fitness class attendees in the UK. And with thousands of classes on offer – including Aerial Hoop, Ravercise, and HulaFit – we’re spoilt for choice. Sadly, we’re also shamed for our choices.
Middle-aged women will do “anything other than cardio, weight training, and counting [ing] calories.” Or at least that’s what one Twitter user says. Their evidence? A clip of women participating in a bungee workout class, which, as X’s community note kindly pointed out, is a form of cardio.
Over on TikTok, clips of women participating in fun exercise classes, including cardio dance drumming and ‘Kangoo Jumps’ (bouncy rollerblades), are racking up views, with captions like “Middle-aged women doing everything in their power to avoid lifting a single weight” and “Middle-aged women doing everything in their power to avoid working out like a normal person”.
TikTok content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
And look, I get it; it’s a bit of fun. Most women – not me, you understand – can take a joke! But why should “middle-aged” women always be the targets of such banter? Earlier this year, an editorial in the British Medical Journal [BMJ] called for urgent action to address the “dearth of older women in sport and exercise science.”
The research showed that out of 5261 studies published in sports and exercise journals, women and girls made up just over a third of the total number of participants, which is “likely to be even lower for women from mid-life onwards.”
“Women in midlife often feel invisible and ignored, with few activities directed towards them and no visible support or encouragement…”
This can be partially explained by the hormonal changes women experience as they transition through perimenopause, which is the period of time when a woman (or any individual with ovaries) ceases to menstruate regularly. This is the body preparing for menopause, when menstruation stops altogether. During this time, women are at a heightened risk of osteoporosis, muscle loss, and cardiovascular disease, which, as the aforementioned research notes, can impact women’s “willingness to take part in physical activity, their athletic prowess, and their response to training.”
A 2021 report by Women In Sport also identified that mid-life women find it difficult to prioritise finding time to exercise due to the fact they’re often balancing the unequal division of domestic labour, caring responsibilities, and career obligations. The report further notes that “women in midlife often feel invisible and ignored, with few activities directed towards them and no visible support or encouragement to take up activity.”