Fitness app Her Spirit has launched its campaign, ‘Your Best Year Yet’, to inspire women to make healthy lifestyle changes during this time of inactivity and growing mental health problems.
ThisGirlCan’s powerful advertising campaign highlighted the importance of exercise to women during lockdown, but the reality is that the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, threatens to take the UK back to a 1950s style of living. Less than 25 per cent of women are active enough to reap the health benefits (according to Sport England) and 72 per cent of mothers described themselves as the ‘default’ parent during most or all of lockdown (according to Sussex University).
During this unprecedented time where women’s wellbeing is being jeopardised by inactivity, nutritional misinformation and a rise in mental health issues, Her Spirit – a free-to-download app supported by Sport England Lottery Funding – is offering crucial support to help women take the first steps to start living a healthier lifestyle. More than just an app, Her Spirit is a global community that inspires and supports women to transform their emotional, physical and nutritional wellbeing.
Worrying exercise statistics
As a solution to these worrying statistics, Her Spirit has launched ‘Your Best Year Yet’, a movement that calls on women to put their health at the forefront of their lives and provides them with solutions to do so. ‘Your Best Year Yet’ aims to empower and enable women to make small but manageable steps that will lead to a fitter, stronger and healthier life for them and their family. Encouraged by Her Spirit’s global community, women who make the 12-month pledge to themselves will also be supported by professional and personalised; coaching, advice and programs. The mixture of Her Spirit’s online and local community ensures that every woman has a constant source of motivation and comradeship to take on any challenge.
Her Spirit co-founder Holly Woodford says: ‘We created Her Spirit to challenge the failing diet and fitness industry that has left women discouraged by unrealistic or unsustainable programs. Her Spirit has an important role to play as we navigate the impact of the pandemic. It is empowering women to put their health first by offering professional personalised coaching, sensible training plans and expert advice within a supportive community.’
Take action now
‘Your Best Year Yet’ has been designed to help women take action, by harnessing the collective power of real women to help each other take small steps towards discovering what makes them happy and healthy, especially in such uncertain times.’
Physical Activity Expert Greg Whyte OBE, who sits on the Her Spirit Advisory Board says: ‘What sets Her Spirit apart is its global community and end to end solution for every woman, that constantly supports the user through to their end goal. The most effective way of reaching a physical or mental goal is to do something you enjoy rather than what you think or someone thinks you should be doing. Her Spirit caters to every member in a completely unique way so that their program, advice and plan is something that is challenging but fun from start to finish. Now more than ever is the time to support every woman and put them at the heart of recovery of COVID19.’
The impact of lockdown
The charity Women in Sport recently researched how women’s participation had been affected by lockdown, with the results showing women being disproportionately impacted by the lockdown, due to juggling home life and schooling. Also highlighting women over 70 suffering the greatest with isolation.
Stephanie Hilborne who is Chief Executive of Women in Sport and on the Advisory Board of Her Spirit says: ‘Women in Sport believe no-one should be excluded from the joy of sport and activity. For far too long women have carried a disproportionate burden of responsibility at home and have rarely felt able to prioritise time for themselves. We think Her Spirit is a fabulous antidote to this ill in society, an inspiring way for women to break the mould and find their way to the exhilaration of exercise.”
Women in Sport also highlighted that as lockdown lifts women want to become more active, with 61 per cent surveyed in the research saying that they want to put more time and effort into staying active. For those women who found Her Spirit during the UK’s lockdown period, it had a positive impact.
‘I didn’t see anyone during the lockdown, but being part of Her Spirit meant that I never felt alone,’ says Her Spirit member, Vicky.
‘I walked every day for 14 weeks and on the final day of my challenge, I walked the full distance of the London Marathon and throughout those long 8 hours and 48 minutes, I received constant support and encouragement from the Her Spirit team and community. I would have given up at mile 21 had it not been for them.’
What’s on offer
Her Spirit’s platform provides women with:
- Live-streamed daily fitter, stronger and more flexible classes. These include sessions of HIIT, yoga, core, aerobics, strength training, indoor cycling and low impact mobility.
- On-demand meditation sessions to calm your mind that start from five minutes in length.
- Healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner options that are quick and easy to make and are updated every week.
- Daily motivational messages that help women with their upcoming goals and provide professional advice across physical, mental and nutritional sectors.
- Weekly Mind, Body and Fuel community challenges that help build fitness and confidence for Her Spirit mass participation events.
- Her Spirit Podcast hosted by BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson. The guests are all phenomenal women in the world of sport and business and include; Mel C, Joanna Rowsell-Shand and Dame Kelly Holmes.
Her Spirit can be downloaded to all smartphones from the Apple or Google Play Stores, their classes can be streamed on all laptops, tablets or computers. Each user will be given free 30-day access to its premium membership before deciding to continue with Premium Membership at £4.99 per month or £49.99 annually. Users can unsubscribe at any time.
For more information, visit the Her Spirit website.
