Exercise is an integral part of health. We were made to move. Made to get up and run, to toil in the fields as it were, pulling, dragging, carrying, lifting and more. We hear this all the time, but I don’t know how much we apply it to ourselves. How much we apply it to our kids, to our parents and everyone else for that matter.
I am actually amazed at the number of people that can hear these statements, and somehow think it doesn’t apply to them. I find that this seems to hold true for more women than men. I am not saying that women don’t work out. There are more total women working out in some of my gyms, than the men. But as I ask questions about individuals exercise habits, I find that more women will tell me they don’t exercise, with NO guilt, than men.
Now on the flip side, I know a ton of women who feel very guilty for every day missed in the gym. I am just noticing that there seem to be more men willing to say, “I really need to get back into the gym” than women. But, that could very likely be the product of the gym, not so much the person.
So take yourself back to the superbowl, when the Always commercial for Like a girl came out. What this commercial did, was to level the playing field for men and women when it comes to activity. It helped to promote women as equals in athletic ability. Which would then suggest “equals” in physical activity or action.
Watch the Video here – https://youtu.be/XjJQBjWYDTs
Women’s sports have come up a ton, popularity of womens professional sports, and world league amateur has come up. The idea of women being less than fit as a normal state, is being eradicated. Opportunities for girls to move into any sport of their choosing, is increasing. I told my daughters that their best bet for a scholarship to college, might just be following in my footsteps and playing ice hockey.
My point is for you to see the opportunity for women to engage in sport, and to keep it going for their entire lives. But to then take that one step further, and begin to see this as the norm. Fitness for everyone is part of life and health forever. Working out drives oxygen into tissues, deeper into tissues that have difficulty becoming full oxygenated. This is such a value, such a huge lifetime value, as higher O2 levels have been associated with reduced risk of cancer.
So when I think of Like a Girl, I think of an intense athletic movement. I think running like a girl is a thing of beauty, moving with intensity and purpose.
Women, don’t ever let anyone ever make you feel like you have less athletic potential than a man. But likewise, don’t ever feel like you have less of a responsibility to be strong and fit.
CrossFit Bridgemill just started a CrossFit Lite class for men and women alike, who need fitness (all of us) but who have concerns over stepping into something too hard, or too intense at first. This is one example of all of the programs that continue to flood the market to make it easier for people to become fit. To drive oxygen into their tissues, and to increase lean muscle mass while reducing fat.
Be well and Be blessed…. and be fit. – Dr. E