Why Movement Matters

We spent time talking with women in our communities and asked them their ‘why’. We wanted to know what keeps these women exercising, pushing themselves physically, and why movement is so important to their lives. We hope you will join us on March 8 for International Women’s Day and complete a 5k on the erg of your choice. Learn more about our International Women’s Day Challenge and how you can help raise money for two great women’s organizations working to empower women and girls through sport.

Self

Of the women we talked to, many move for themselves. They feel the benefits of working out and staying active, and how it makes them feel physically and mentally. From working parents to retired athletes, finding the time to work out and move is a hurdle a lot of us face. While the primary reason people move is for physical improvements, the mental health benefits are huge for many, and drive us to move more.

Family

Family comes first. This often means prioritizing family over moving for yourself. We talked to some women who were able to combine moving and family time, but that isn't feasible for everyone. Of the women we talked to a few of them found family members to be one of the biggest reasons they moved. The ‘why’ ranged from being a good role model, staying healthy so they are around longer for family, or just wanting to be able to spend more time moving together. Movement can be a special way to connect to loved ones.

Community

Movement can be a great time to be with your community, and this can look like a lot of different things! For some women this meant working out hard at home to play even harder outside with friends. In our busy lives free time is precious, so instead of choosing a bike ride or catching up with a friend, we found women who chose to do both together. We spoke with women who went to the gym to get their time with friends in, where they grow those relationships and where they both move and move to be with the community that matters to them.

Movement really does matter. The reason we move varies, but it is important to so many of us in our unique ways. Whether it’s to clear our heads, be with our friends, get the dogs running, find that peaceful moment in the woods, or to just be outside or on the water, movement is important. We hope sharing some stories from the inspirational women we spoke with, pushes you to move, and to find joy thinking about the ‘why’.

Check out the video of all the women we spoke to: https://youtu.be/w5okPvX4tP0

We hope you will join us on March 8 for International Women’s Day and complete a 5k on the erg of your choice. Learn more about our International Women’s Day Challenge and how you can help raise money for two great women’s organizations working to empower women and girls through sport.