Gym reluctance among women

Large numbers of women are avoiding the gym due to fears of being judged, and hence missing out on its health benefits, according to a new survey.

This feeling is reflected in conversations I've heard among many of my female friends. But the British Heart Foundation, who commissioned the survey, believe this problem can be challenged with positive action, such as their new initiative, the "MyMarathon challenge".



In a sample of 2,000 UK adults, surveyed earlier this year (2016), a third of the women feel intimidated by other fitter or more competitive people. Nearly as many (29%) feel "embarrassed or worried of what people think of me when I exercise".

Health risks at the gym

Having been inspired to run next year's 10k in my home town, my thoughts are turning to my cardiovascular fitness. It's not great. And my opportunities for running are limited to the late evening due to my family. So I've found a late-opening gym nearby, with treadmills. I can manage indoor running as long as I'm listening to music at the same time (fast music, of course).

But what risks may I face at the gym?

Stone age exercise

I've been reading a lot recently about "paleo" approaches to fitness - which goes hand in hand with the increasingly popular paleo diet (or "lifestyle" as it's often presented).

The principle behind paleo fitness is that we should be exercising in ways that we were designed to, in other words, more like humans from the paleolithic era. This time period covers most of human history, from the first recorded use of stone tools about 2.6 million years ago to the beginnings of agriculture about 10,000 years ago. Following this idea, the exercise we undertake should be incorporated into our general life, not just one-off trips to the gym or the pool.