Busy Mums Encouraged to Prioritise Their Own Activity Levels

17 Jun 2019 02:42 PM

This Girl Can has released a series of new tips, advice and home workout ideas on social media.

With new research showing that 61% of mums would feel guilty about taking time to exercise, This Girl CanOpen in a new window is encouraging mothers to prioritise exercise.

A survey conducted by Opinium for us, showed that a lack of time is keeping busy mums from exercising, with 30% reporting to have less than an hour free to themselves per day.

But with almost 70% of mothers thinking it is important for their children to see them exercising, and our data showing that mothers have a greater influence on their children’s activity levels than fathers, This Girl Can has released a series of new tips, advice and home workout ideas on social media.

The survey also showed that, outside of work, mothers said they were most likely to prioritise tasks revolving around family, such as spending time with them, housework and cooking, but only 17% of the 1,006 respondents prioritised their own exercise.

“Our insights show that children with active parents – particularly mothers – are more likely to be active themselves,” said our executive director for insight, Lisa O’Keefe.

“And children who have positive experiences of sport and physical activity early on are also more likely to prioritise being active in later life.

“This Girl Can’s social media community is a fantastic place to find tips, support and advice for mums looking for ideas to fit exercise into their busy lives because we know with school runs, children’s parties and home life, time is short and many women tell us they feel guilty spending it exercising.

“All of us have a role to play in making mums feel okay about prioritising getting active as they would other things in their lives.

"Whether that’s dads, partners, friends and family, with words of encouragement or a helping hand, we're all in this together.”

As part of the latest phase of the This Girl Can campaign, they have partnered with LES MILLS On DemandOpen in a new window to offer a 21-day free trial to their home workouts, including a tailored introductory This Girl Can workout programme for those women who are new or returning to exercise.

By being active themselves, parents, particularly mothers, can have a positive influence on their children’s activity levels by simply normalising exercise as a part of everyday life – helping children develop a positive early relationship with being active.

Click here for the full press release