Advocating for working women to reclaim time exercise
Olympic athlete Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill and Vitality are launching Walk Out to Work Out to empower women to reclaim time for exercise. 7 out of ten women under the age of 50 says that their work schedule is impacting their ability to be more active and more than a third across all ages (36%) say they feel guilty about taking time to exercise during any point of their day.
Vitality’s campaign encourages workplaces to recognise the benefit of an active workforce, with studies showing that poor health is costing the economy £138bn due to lost working hours and ineffective working.*
Vitality’s new study, ‘Active women, healthy lives’, found that a majority of British women are not as active as they should be, and also presents the significant obstacles that prevent women from engaging in this activity. Nearly half of women say that they would be more active if they were able to exercise more flexibly around their working day and other commitments, such as childcare. Examples include flexible gym hours and programmes that fit around caregiving responsibilities.
Existing workplace support programmes are seemingly not benefitting women, with 78% of those who report receiving workplace support to be active still pointing to time constraints as a driver of their inactivity. If businesses were to ensure women have opportunities to be physically active during the workday, and add more flexibility to their hours, this could offer significant opportunity for change.
A concerning 96% of women believe the responsibility for fitness falls entirely on their own shoulders. So, in a world where demanding work schedules and long hours often limit opportunities to be active, Ennis-Hill and Vitality are encouraging women to ‘Walk Out to Work Out’, urging them to reclaim pockets of their day for physical activity. Whether between meetings, during lunch breaks, or after work, they are campaigning for workplaces to do more to prioritise and advocate for women’s health and well-being, noting the significant productivity gains and benefits available to business and organisations who have a healthier workplace
Jessica Ennis-Hill says: “For so many women, fitting exercise into the day can feel like an impossible task, especially with the demands of work. Whether it’s a walk after a meeting or a stretch during lunch, these small moments really do add up, and there are simple ways you can introduce exercise into the day. From experience, I know how crucial this is, not only for your health, but also productivity levels. But it’s not only women’s responsibility - we need to see more workplaces take active steps to encourage this balance, giving women the support they need to prioritise their well-being.”
With a quarter of women exercising less than once a week (25%), and over half of women exercising less than they used to (52%) it’s clear that changes are needed to help women make physical activity a priority once again. Not only would this have significant productivity benefits, for both the individual and the employer, but it can have serious health benefits. Vitality’s Habit Index** findings show that even small increases in daily movement can add years to a person’s life and improve their quality of life significantly. Sustaining a healthy exercise habit three times a week reduces mortality risk by 27%, while walking 10,000 steps three times weekly reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes by 41% and stage 4 cancer by 36%, improves cardiovascular health, helps build stronger bones, and improves cognitive function.
Dr Katie Tryon from Vitality comments: “It’s worrying that the majority of women are not as active as they should be and would like to be, and to see the barriers that are preventing them to do so laid out so clearly. We cannot continue to let the onus to continue to fall on women. Employers, the Government and the exercise industry have a huge amount of scope to change this for women today and prevent this from being the norm any longer.
“Within the workplace, not only would prioritising physical activity have positive health implications for society, but we know that fostering a supportive workplace culture that prioritises health can lead to significant productivity benefits, not just for women but for organisations as a whole.”
On an individual level, there are also small changes that can be made to ensure exercise and activity is being introduced into the workday. Jessica Ennis Hill provides her top tips on how to do so below.
This initiative comes as Vitality releases its ‘Active Women, Healthy Lives: Understanding Barriers to Women's Participation in Sport’ report into women’s physical activity and health, in partnership with The Well HQ and Women in Sport.
*Vitality's Britain's Healthiest Workplace 2023
**Vitality's Habit Index, 2024