In a society where the promotion of the fitness industry, body confidence and feminism are on the up, rates of self and body esteem amongst women are still pretty low. I feel that it is important to promote the fitness industry as a means of feeling more self-confident and happier in your own skin, especially since University can make you feel somewhat worse for wear due to a) alcohol and b) actually having to do work. Horrendous.
Exercise and going to the gym shouldn’t revolve around the modern-day ideologies that all women should be an hourglass figured size 8 though. It should be about what your body can achieve and how you can set and achieve certain goals if you really try; it’s more about accomplishment and self-satisfaction.
It is important that nowadays women shouldn’t fixate on how society wants us to be, but who you want to be, and what makes you feel good inside. Deadlines and general university life dragging you down? Smash a quick gym session, whether it be running further or lifting something heavier than ever before – you’re guaranteed to feel stimulated and motivated for the rest of the day, buzzing off levels of serotonin and endorphins.
A prominent issue in the gym industry is the combination of women and weights. Despite the recent increase in the popularity of women using what might be perceived as ‘big boy weights,’ e.g. the squat rack, girls are still very much afraid of them. This can be due to a simple lack of knowledge of technique, or equally the misconception that using such weights will lead to crazy gains and bulging ‘manly’ quads.
The latter is what irritates me most. I’ve had first hand experience of this annoyance from my own mother; she makes remarks such as ‘hmm your legs are looking big, you should probably stop using those weights the men use…’ Firstly, at this point I’d only ever used the squat rack about twice, and secondly I’m never going to have ‘petite’ legs – and maybe I just don’t care.
If you’re not really one for the gym, which is understandable, maybe consider joining one of the sporting societies university offers. Obviously it has the potential to benefit you socially with all the nights out as well as developing such a tight-knit community with your team and club.
I believe that being involved with something, such as playing for a team, really does benefit your mental health as well as social. Not only does it give you something to look forward to (Wednesdays are easily the best day of the week for me), but it gives you something to strive towards no matter what standard you are. A bit of healthy competition doing something you enjoy can really work wonders for both physical and mental health.
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