A gender-balanced (fitness) world

Fitness should be fun. Mix things up with an interactive group class, try different routines, dance and meet new people.

It was so refreshing to see so many organizations, companies and individuals celebrate International Women’s Month this year. While I believe that girl power should be celebrated all year round, I wanted to share my realizations as a woman in the fitness industry as one last hurrah before the month-long celebration closes. 

The theme for this year was “Balance For Better,” urging everyone to forge a more gender-balanced world by celebrating women’s achievements, raising awareness against bias and taking action for equality. For me, the best place to celebrate this is in the gym. Why? Because fitness highlights similarities between all people and encourages empathy for one another. 

The demographics of most fitness centers are now at 50-percent male and 50-percent female. Co-ed gyms are a very interesting natural habitat to observe how men and women interact. While stereotypes still exist — men flexing their muscles, grunting and lifting weights, and women who just do cardio, Pilates, Zumba or yoga — the lines between men and women in the gym are starting to blur.

Men and women who work out together learn from one another.

In the campus that is the gym, women can teach men the importance of flexibility and having fun. Men, on the other hand, can teach women not to be afraid to lift weights and release aggression.

Most men go to the gym to build muscles, but being flexible is just as important as being strong. Flexibility is the core of fitness and will help prevent injury and maintain good health.

Men can switch up that weight routine for yoga and Pilates from time to time to release tightness and improve mobility as well. It does wonders for the body.

Men shouldn’t be serious, intense and aggressive all the time. Fitness should be fun. It’s okay to laugh, smile and just enjoy the me-time away from home and work. Mix things up with an interactive group class, try different routines, dance and meet new people. It will make your fitness journey a lot more colorful and effective as it will be more sustainable.

The number one lesson men can teach the girls is that they will not bulk up if they lift weights. No matter how much weight you lift, you won’t just get bigger unless you consciously train and eat for it, too (and trust me it will take a lot of effort!). Building muscle is important to improve daily functions, strengthen the bones and maintain the body’s overall health. It’s great to dance and to be flexible, but lifting weights deserves a place in your routine as well. 

Men can also teach us women that sometimes it’s healthy to let it all out and just hit something. Taking out frustrations on a punching bag or in a kickboxing class is an amazing way to release stress. We’re human beings. We aren’t designed to be cheerful or Zen all the time. And when work or worries start to pile up, mixed martial arts is an amazing outlet.

Finally, both men and women can teach each other respect. After a grueling training session is done, you can’t help but respect whoever you’re training with. When you experience how difficult and uncomfortable it can be to finish some workouts, you can’t help but feel a rush of pride. 

When you’re training with a partner or a group, no matter how he or she performed, you feel proud of them, too, for making it through. In this sense, fitness is a great equalizer. It helps people see past their differences and connect to one another and cheer each other on.

I love watching co-ed groups of athletes train together. The new school of thought among coaches is to have male and female athletes alike doing the same workout together. The girls don’t get less reps or a shorter workout. They train at the same intensity that the guys do. 

Sure, women’s body composition may differ from men and some exercises may be more challenging for each one. But at the end of the day, men and women in the gym are united by their common goal of improving the quality of their lives. 

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Post me a note at mylene@goldsgym.com.ph or mylenedayrit@gmail.com.