Built for power… but what does that mean to you?
16th September is National Fitness Day, a campaign launched by UK Active designed to bring fitness to the forefront of everyone’s minds. This year’s theme is ‘Powered by You’ which aims to promote the role everybody plays in making fitness accessible to all.
Here at the Women’s Gym, empowering women to workout in a way that suits them sits at the very core of what we’re about. We pride ourselves on providing a space that is built different and feels different, because fitness looks different to every woman.
This year’s National Fitness Day theme has got us thinking ‘power’ and how that can also look and feel different to every woman who comes through our doors. We asked some of the Women’s Gym team what power meant to them with the idea of sharing their stories with our members, to better build connections within our gym communities.
Megan – Women’s Gym Manager, Whitefield
“Power to me means seeing the place you are now was once a dream, only made possible by the chances taken to not give up. Using the power of past experiences to build the path for today.”
Megan perfectly captures what so many women feel – power is about progress. In a world where power is often associated with strength or speed, we’re proud to provide a space where feelings of being powerful can be about achievements of all types.
We know from our whitepaper research, Women & the Gym, that women are trying to balance fitness around so many external hurdles. From time pressure to hormone cycles to financial commitments and family priorities, fitness isn’t a linear journey for most women, meaning the goal posts look different for everyone.
For many turning up when they wanted to is a win. For others, that success might look more like weight or reps. But whatever the aim is, the Women’s Gym and our team is built to facilitate it.
Beth – Reformer Pilates Supervisor
“Power to me is being a mum to my little girl. Becoming a mum inspired me to train in Reformer Pilates, so I could support other mums in being strong and able for their little ones too.”
We know that women go through many seasons of life and although it may feel like fitness doesn’t fit into all of them, in our space it can.
Becoming a mum is a transformational time of life for many women and for our Reformer Pilates Supervisor Beth, it inspired a whole new career path.
After suffering with severe abdominal separation as a result of pregnancy, Beth turned to Reformer Pilates to recover and restrengthen her core. She fell in love with the concept and how it changed her mental and physical health, so wanted to deliver that experience to other mums.
Beth’s reason for staying fit is to have the power to keep up with her little girl. The same reason we see many mums join us at The Women’s Gym. The weightlifting goal becomes their child’s body and their speed target is as fast as their little one can run.
This phase of life is far from linear but we’re proud to be part of the journey for many women.
Phoebe – Women’s Gym Manager, Wilmslow
“I see power as strength in the body and mind. Prioritising exercising for both your physical strength and mental wellbeing is how you give yourself the power to succeed.”
Phoebe sums up what power is all about – a balance between physical and mental health. The gym is not just about the body; it’s as much about mental wellbeing as it is muscles and weight.
Exercise releases feel-good hormones in the brain such as serotonin and endorphins. The more you move, the more you’ll feel the benefits.
The physical and mental benefits of fitness really do go hand in hand and by committing to that journey, that’s the key to giving yourself the power to succeed in any area of life.
Power is individual to every woman and our job is to provide the space and the opportunity for every member to fulfil their own feeling of power.
Ready to be something different to your average women’s workout space? You can find out more about the Women’s Gym here.