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Active Women, Healthy Lives: Understanding Barriers to Women's Participation in Physical Activity

We at Vitality, have published the ‘Active Women, Healthy Lives: Understanding Barriers to Women's Participation in Physical Activity’ report into women’s physical activity and health, which finds that less than 1 in 4 (23%) women are completing the recommended 150 mins of moderate exercise per week. A group of experts led by Vitality, including The Well HQ and Women in Sport, are calling for decisive action to help tackle this urgent issue.

The research identified that women across all ages groups were falling below the recommended levels of activity per week: 20% of women aged 20-39, 27% aged 40-59, and 23% aged 60-79 reach this goal. The low level of exercise across ages is concerning due to the well-documented benefits of exercise to support overall health and wellbeing throughout life. In fact, two thirds of women report that their weight, lack of strength and low fitness levels negatively impact their ability to exercise.

Key findings

The majority of women are not meeting recommended exercise levels

Less than one in four women hit the recommended weekly exercise target but 41% of women express a desire to reach these targets.
Women are walkers and independent exercisers: only 4% of women engage in group sports.
Two thirds of women report that their weight, lack of strength and low fitness levels negatively impact their ability to exercise.
41% of women said that weight management was their main motivator for being active.
There are three major barriers that keep women from being physically active: a lack of motivation (82%), a lack of enjoyment (65%), and a fear of judgment around physical ability or body image (62%).
There are strong generational trends that negatively impact women’s activity levels: younger women struggle with mental health challenges or demanding work schedules, whereas older women struggle with their changing bodies and physical fitness.
Only 9% of women strongly agree that they feel informed about what exercise is beneficial for them at different life stages.

Read the full report

Tips and ideas to inspire you to move more

It doesn’t matter if you’re just starting out or already have years in the game. Getting active is for everyone. And everyone can be healthier.

From playing netball to going for a run, everyday movement is a great way to feel better today and live longer in better health. Even if your thing is just a daily walk with the dog.

It’s why we do what we do at Vitality. We actively support a whole range of sports, like football, netball, cricket and run events to keep people moving. That includes everything from local programmes like Back to Netball to UK-wide events like parkrun.

"Sport and activity can do so much for people, from helping them to be healthier today, living a longer life, to supporting better mental health, sleep and giving a sense of connection and community."