This month, Women in Sport are encouraging mums and daughters to reconnect with each other and enjoyment of exercise with their #TimeTogether campaign
The pandemic has seen a huge reduction in activity levels of both teenage girls and their mums, while time spent online has soared.
Research done by Women in Sport earlier this year found that while most (89%) teenage girls believe that being physically active is important for feeling good about themselves, 60% are not meeting the physical activity guidelines of 30 minutes per day, and sadly 55% of girls have lost confidence in their sporting ability since lockdown started.
Mums have also been less able to spend time on exercise, with 32% of women saying that they could no longer prioritise exercise during the pandemic as they had too much to do for others.
Women in Sport believe that time spent exercising together is key for the wellbeing of both mums (or mother figures) and their daughters. They’ve launched their #TimeTogether campaign this month, hoping to inspire and encourage us to reconnect with our loved ones by getting active together.
They’ve been researching how the relationship between mother and daughter can be instrumental in encouraging each other to be active and increasing feelings of confidence. They’ve found that teenage girls cherish time spent along with their mum or mother figure, viewing their relationship as a safe space where they can feel supported and encouraged.
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They’re inviting us to discover new, active ways to spend time with our mother or daughter (or both!). It could be dancing, swimming, walking, running (our favourite) or taking a gym class – the only important thing is that it’s a shared experience.
“Girls in their teens tell us they want to be more active and that they know exercise is good for them, but they are faced with multiple pressures, whether this is schoolwork, commentary on their appearance or their sense of what society expects of them,” says Stephanie Hilborne OBE, chief executive of Women in Sport. “Combined with the impact of female puberty, this means girls drop out form sport rapidly at this point in their life.
“Often at the same time, their mothers are fraught with work pressures, carrying the burden of care for relatives, and coping with menopausal symptoms. During both these life stages our bodies and our minds need the release and freedom of sport and exercise more than ever. There has rarely been a more important time to put down our phones, turn our laptops off and get active together.”
You can find out more information on the #TimeTogether campaign here. Each week, Women in Sport will be sharing suggestions, stories and tips for making the most of this shared experience – you can also find these on their Instagram (@womeninsport_uk)
