According to a recent BBC article girls exercise concerns were that "getting sweaty was not feminine" and as a result few participated in sport and fitness.
Along with the lack of female friendly physical education classes, like Zumba, being employed in schools a lack of positive female role models was also suggested as the reason.
Enter friend of fizzYcaL and the inspiration for us starting this blog, Sally Moss.
The former Cambridge graduate and UK civil servant swapped the brief case and pinstripes for barbells and dumbbells in pursuit of her bliss...weight lifting. The hobby has led Sally to compete at amateur level, to teach, and to personal train.....and she’s never been happier.
Gubernatrix.co.uk is the home for Sally’s thoughts and musings on nutrition and exercise and is a valuable source of inspiration for anyone, especially women, considering taking up weight lifting.
A great role model for girls as well as guys, Sally believes (and we agree) that being fit, healthy and strong complements femininity!
One of our favourite posts on her blog is the '10 Good Reasons Why Women Should Stay Away From Weights.' She writes:
"1. You might break a nail.
2. You could even bruise a male ego or two.
3. You’ll eat properly and still be able to lose fat. Work of the devil!
4. You’ll look more like an athlete and less like a runway model. Skeletal is sexy, right?
5. You’ll be able to lift heavy things without asking a man for help, thus upsetting the balance of the universe.
6. You will be seen in public without high heels.
7. You’ll grunt, sweat and feel sore. So unladylike!
8. You’ll be proud of your pert bum instead of being self conscious about it like a normal woman.
9. You’ll be more active and confident instead of sitting around looking pretty. What are you, some kind of feminist?
10. You’ll be stronger, leaner and sexier – and we all know where that can lead!"
Encouraging women to challenge their views like this have meant Sally has persuaded a large audience of women of the benefits of weight training.
Another successful vehicle she uses to do this is her ‘Ladies Who Lift’ sessions. These ‘women only’ classes teach and promote weight training in an environment void of machismo and more palatable for ladies.
As Sally says, working out with like minded women is “more motivating and productive than training just with men.”
For details on Sally’s ‘Ladies Who Lift’ sessions visit ladieswholift.co.uk and check out the intro video:
[Photos courtesy of Sally Moss]
