Have you ever thought your uterus might fall out if you started running?
That was the attitude in the 1960’s. In 1967, Katherine Switzer became the first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon. The race director actually attacked her in the race to try and get her to stop.
A few years ago when she was interviewed, she said “The perceptions of women back when I was running – amazingly enough just 53 years ago – were that you were going to get big legs, grow hair on your chest, your uterus was going to fall out”
To my knowledge no woman has got a hairy chest or had their uterus fall out through running!
The first modern Olympic Games in 1896, as envisioned by founder Pierre de Coubertin, initially excluded women from participation. Coubertin believed that the inclusion of women would be “impractical, uninteresting, unaesthetic, and incorrect.” A few sports were included for women in 1900 but it took until 1984 for the marathon to be added to the Olympics for women.
Many generations of women have grown up deterred from exercise, surrounded by societal views telling them they should not take part. As women age, more so than men, they will suffer the effects of lack of exercise. For instance, they are more prone to sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass) and osteopenia (weaker bones), both of which are critical as we age.
Over the last few years, there has been a growing public awareness of the importance of looking after yourself as you age, particularly for women. Two of my female clients had been pestered by their children to start strength training. It is NOT just for young lads who want a pumped body, it can save your life. And you will not get a hairy chest from doing it!
It is never too late to start, whether it is strength training or cardio exercise. It is much easier than you would think. You don’t have to go to a gym, which can be intimidating, personal trainers, such as myself, have private gyms.
If you want some inspiration, then look up Joan McDonald (trainwithjoan on Instagram), she didn’t start strength training until she was 70.
A phrase that I love, and captures the message nicely: “You want to be the oldest person in the gym rather than the youngest person in the nursing home”. Don’t put it off, speak to someone about how to get started – it won’t cost a thing for that initial chat.