Physical Activity and Women

 Social inequality, poverty and inequitable access to resources, including health care, result in a high burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) among women worldwide. Although women generally tend to live longer with NCDs than men, they are often in poor health. Regular physical activity is vital for good physical and mental health. It helps improve your overall health and fitness, maintain a healthy weight, reduce your risk for many chronic diseases and promote good mental health.

Australia's Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines recommend that at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days is required for good health. This is the same for women and men. However, only 54 per cent of Australian women meet these guidelines.

Some of the barriers to physical exercise that women face include family responsibilities, body image and perceptions of safety.

Benifits of physical activity for women

Regular physical activity can improve womens' health and help prevent many of the diseases and conditions that are major causes of death and disability for women around the world. Many women suffer from disease processes that are associated with inadequate participation in physical activity:

• Cardiovascular diseases account for one-third of deaths among women around the world and half of all deaths in women over 50 years old in developing countries.
• Diabetes affects more than 70 million women in the world and its prevalence is projected to double by 2025.
• Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break and is most prevalent in post-menopausal women.
• Breast cancer is the mostly commonly diagnosed cancer in women.
• In a study of the elderly, it was found that those participants who reported walking 120 or more minutes a week were “associated with a lower risk of emergency room visits and hospital stays in the subsequent year.”
• In a study comparing a group of women who were self-selected to participate in an exercise regimen versus a sedentary group, it was shown that “the moderate-intensity physical activity program experienced potentially valuable health and social cognitive improvements relative to those who did not participate.”
• According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, physical activity not only improves cardiovascular health, but also helps to keep blood pressure, weight, and cholesterol in control.
• The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology educational bulletin recommends that both premenopausal and menopausal women exercise in order to prevent osteoporosis.
• In 2003, the Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation reported that even small amounts of physical activity done routinely are found to improve quality of life and mood.

Physical Activity has also been associated with improved psychological health by reducing levels of stress, anxiety and depression. This is particularly important for women who demonstrate an incidence of depression that is reported to be almost double that of men in both developed and developing countries. It has also been suggested that physical activity can contribute to building self-esteem and confidence and can provide a vehicle for social integration and equality for women in society.

Barriers to physical activity 

Common exercise barriers for women include:
lack of time
lack of motivation
parenting demands
lack of energy
health conditions
lack of money
gender stereotyping.

 Physical inactivity is generally more prevalent among girls and women than their male counterparts. Many factors hinder the participation of women in physical activity and their access to health care:

The income of women is often lower than that of men and therefore the costs of access to physical activity facilities may be a barrier.
Agreement may be required from senior members of the household who control household resources before a woman can engage in physical activity.
Women often have a workload in the home and care-giving roles for other family members which may limit the time available for them to engage in physical activity.
Women who have limited mobility may be unable to travel to health centres or physical activity facilities.
Cultural expectations may restrict the participation of women in certain forms of physical activity.