If you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t come across the latest in ladies’ fitness, This Girl Can Classes, then let us introduce ourselves. Launched off the back of the award-winning This Girl Can campaign, Sport England and the National Governing Body for Group Exercise decided to come together to create group exercise classes specifically designed for women who are just getting into or have taken a break from exercise. Ours is a community of women getting active together in a safe space, giving judgement the finger and enjoying exercise in all its sweaty, jiggly glory. The dream? Kickass classes in every community, that give women the confidence they need to attend regular classes. But where did it all start? We’ll cover the story so far, hit you with the cold hard facts and share our This Girl Can Classes ethos with you, so read on and we’ll catch you at class!
Let’s take it back to where it all started...
It all started with a dream. To simply get more women active. To help them live a happier and healthier life without fear of judgement. To give them the freedom to try out different exercises in a safe space where fun is the focus.
Following some frankly quite scary stats, Sport England launched their This Girl Can campaign back in 2015 in a bid to rip up rulebook of getting ripped, show #fitspo the finger and get more women active. The result? Around 2.9 million women more active, a campaign that showed the sweaty reality of what women look like when they exercise and the creation of the This Girl Can Classes in 2021.
But why did we need this groundbreaking, relatable-AF campaign in the first place? Research showed that the gender gap in exercise was persistently big. In fact, around 75% of women want to be more active but are held back by various barriers including:
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Appearance: our old friend ‘the fear of judgement’ here. We found that women were too worried about sweaty pits, unfashionable ‘fits and the jiggle when they wiggle to pursue regular activity.
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Ability: I’m not fit enough, I have zero clue what I’m doing and I’m going to get everything wrong and embarrass myself. We observed that women’s worry of ‘getting it wrong’ outweighed their want to get moving.
- Priorities: we found that women weren’t comfortable with putting themselves first - not even for a 30-minute run or 45-minute class. And here’s where the guilt comes in! Women tend to feel guilty about putting their own health above family, work and friends.
The story in stats
The This Girl Can campaign has already shifted the narrative and made huge strides in addressing the gender imbalance when it comes to physical activity, but we’re not done yet. So far, we have 283 trained instructors, 26 leisure operators have joined the movement and we’ve got 59 classes running up and down the country. If you want to be a part of the story then read more about instructor training or find a class in your local area.
Judgement-free, fun and full of laughter
In case we haven’t made it clear, here is what you should and shouldn’t expect from our classes…
Don’t expect..
- Intimidating instructors
- Complicated moves with lots of equipment
- Scary routines that are not made for beginners
- Only serious, seasoned gym-goers
- If you’re laughing and smiling, you’re not working hard enough
Do expect..
- Friendly, approachable instructors who are there to boost your confidence and be your biggest cheerleader
- Straightforward moves made for total newbies, no equipment necessary and a chance to try five styles of exercise!
- o We keep things simple here – wave bye to burpees and see ya to squats!
- Classes that are specifically designed with absolute beginners in mind
- Lots of laughter and fun where sweat, cellulite and slip-ups are celebrated not judged
Join the club
So,
there you have it – that’s what This Girl Can Classes are all about in a
nutshell. We’ve covered our journey so far (we’re not even nearly done yet),
our ethos and what you should and shouldn’t expect. If you’re ready to dive in,
then find your closest class on our Find a Class page. Still not sold?
Find out more on our What to Expect section.
