Former Gogglebox star and County Durham favourite Scarlett Moffatt has partnered with the This Girl Can campaign to help more women re-discover the joy of being active through exercise classes.
The classes launched in late 2021 and continue to be rolled out across the country – in community centres, halls, and many gyms and leisure centres, and aim to tackle the gender ‘exercise enjoyment gap’.
The gap itself means that 2.3 million fewer women than men strongly agree that they enjoy exercise and sport - with 4 in 10 women aged 25-34 say they exercise for the purpose of losing weight.
Read more: Scarlett Moffatt facing Comic Relief challenge of becoming opera singer in just 24 hours
This reveals that many women use exercise as a way to conform to body image pressures imposed on them by society and may see getting active as a chore - rather than something they enjoy. However, group exercise is a very popular option for women, who make up 84% of group exercise visits in leisure centres.
Although over a third (35%) of women say they have recently taken part in group exercise, the ‘exercise enjoyment gap’ - as well as fear of judgement - are two of the big obstacles preventing more women joining in. Sport England’s research shows that, of women who don’t currently participate in group exercise, over a third (35%) of women say not feeling fit enough prevents them from participating, while 33% are also held back by insecurities around their body image.
Since launching last year, This Girl Can Classes have been on a mission to tackle the ‘enjoyment gap’. Many women who have attended have expressed their delight at finding a fun option that works for them and their fitness and confidence levels.
The classes provide a welcoming and pressure-free space to empower those who aren’t currently active on a regular basis - or are intimidated to try group exercise - to get active among like-minded women.
And TV presenter and author Scarlett Moffatt is no stranger to the pressures of body image and the nerves that taking part in exercise can bring.
The former Queen of the Jungle said: “I loved being active when I was younger, I was really into dancing and even took part in ballroom dancing competitions, but as I got older, I started to feel more self-conscious and worried about taking part – was I fit enough? Did I look right? What did other people think?"
The classes offer the chance to try a range of exercise styles including dance fitness, boxing fitness and yoga-inspired stretch, acting as a stepping stone into mainstream exercise class options. The class instructors have been trained to create a warm and welcoming environment, so less active women can feel confident that they will be able to take it at their own pace in a highly supportive space.
Recently, Scarlett took part in her local This Girl Can Class in Newcastle to inspire other women to overcome their fears of getting active.
Speaking about the event, she said: “Everyone in the class was so welcoming and the instructor made me instantly feel at home. Looking around the studio it was great to see women from all different backgrounds, with different body shapes, and at similar fitness levels to me, relaxing and enjoying just getting active and moving their bodies.
“In the past I’ve often felt daunted by exercise – viewing it as a means to change my body rather than appreciate what my body can do. I now have a very positive attitude to exercise and do it for my mental and physical health and because I’ve found exercise options that are right for me such as gentle swimming.
"I really want to help more women get to a place where they exercise for the pure joy of it rather than to punish themselves.
"These classes are a perfect way to learn to enjoy being active again, in a supportive environment and at your own pace with a great playlist. I’ll definitely be back – and I want all women to choose joy when they’re getting active.”
This Girl Can Classes instructor at Newburn Activity Centre in Newcastle, Catherine Muckle, said: “I love teaching these classes and giving women a chance to find a way to get active in a warm and welcoming space – whether its low impact stretching or an upbeat dance class, what matters most to me is that everyone feels comfortable and finishes the class with a smile on their face.”
Frances Drury, This Girl Can Activation Lead, added: “We’re delighted Scarlett joined us and experienced the camaraderie and fun that This Girl Can Classes can provide. Our research has shown that truly enjoying being active leads to longer-term lifestyle changes - rather than doing it purely for body image reasons.
"There is a lot of pressure for women to look a certain way – even when they’re exercising – but This Girl Can has always challenged these conventional ideas and used joy to inspire women and prove that getting active should be fun. We want more women to discover the joy that being active can bring.”
Shelley Meyern, Head of Operations at EMD UK, also commented: “We created these classes with This Girl Can to bring the joy of exercise to women who previously might have felt that fitness and sport was something they had to do, or who have been too intimidated or worried about their fitness to get involved in the past. We like to tell women at a This Girl Can Class that “getting it wrong is totally alright.””
To find a class near you, go to: https://thisgirlcanclasses.co.uk
