Fitness instructors should stop saying phrases such as ‘thunder thighs’: Researchers warn appearance-based jibes don’t benefit women in the gym
- Women who hear such comments feel ‘disgusted’ with themselves after a class
- College students were assigned into two groups by researchers in Chicago
- Those who heard words based on health felt more positive and body-confident
Fitness instructors should not use terms such as ‘thunder thighs’ because it lowers women’s self-confidence, researchers say.
Women who hear comments based on appearance while exercising are more likely to feel ‘disgusted’ with themselves, a study found.
On the other hand, scientists discovered women who heard words related to their strength felt more positive after exercise.
Fitness instructors should not use terms like ‘thunder thighs’ as it lowers women’s self-confidence, a study by Northwestern University has found
Researchers at Northwestern University looked at how language can shape women’s psychological outcomes after a fitness class.
They randomly assigned 203 female college students into two 16-minute classes that were exactly the same – other than the approach of the personal trainer.
In one class, the gym-goers would hear comments such as: ‘Think of how strong you are getting’, and ‘This exercise is cruicial to developing strength in the legs; these are the muscles that truly help you run, jump, sprint like a super hero’.
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For the other class, they would hear comments like: ‘This exercise blasts fat in the legs, no more thunder thighs for us! Get rid of that cellulite!’
The instructor made comments with an emphasis on ‘bikini bodies’ and weight loss, which the authors note are the same comments seen on glossy magazines.
While the work-outs generally improved their mood and body satisfaction, women felt better if the instructor made comments that focused on strength and health.
The women who heard comments based on the appearance of their body did not feel the same positivity.
CAN A WORKOUT BOOST YOUR MOOD AND REDUCE STRESS?
Just one sweat-inducing workout is enough to achieve exercise’s mood-boosting benefits, research showed.
After examining brain scans, researchers at New York University found exercise even improves our cognitive function, including our memory and problem-solving abilities, the study review found.
The most consistent behavioral effects of short-term exercise are enhanced mood and decreased stress levels, according to the researchers.
They also found that the brain is activated in multiple areas after just one workout.
The team of researchers, led by Professor Renee Engeln, asked women to write down three words about how the felt after the class.
She said: ‘Our goal was to determine whether the psychological outcomes of a fitness class might vary based on whether the instructor made motivational comments based on health verses appearance.
‘Those who heard appearance-focused comments were much more likely to write things like “ashamed” and “disgusted with myself”.’
Professor Engeln added: ‘Those in the health-focused classes were more likely to write things like “accomplished” and “strong”.’
The most common negative words written were ‘annoyed’, ‘ashamed/guilty’, and ‘out-of-shape/not fit’.
‘The women in this study all did the same exercises, in the same room, with the same music playing,’ Professor Engeln added.
‘Yet just modifying the script the fitness instructor used had a meaningful impact on the way they felt about themselves afterward.
‘If we want people to stick with exercise, we need to remove shame from the equation.’
The authors, writing in the Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, said appearance-based language adds to an already ‘objectifying environment’.
‘In most fitness classes, a number of cues orienting women toward the appearance of their bodies are already present (mirrors and the presence of other women in revealing clothing),’ the report said.
‘It is important not to underestimate how these comments about “bikini bodies” and “ditching love handles,”… can negatively impact the women who hear them.’
The NHS recommends adults aged 19-64 should do 150 minutes of weekly physical activity every week, which be 30 minutes on five days of the week.
More than a billion adults around the world are at risk of serious disease through lack of exercise, a recent study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) found.
As a result, they face an increased risk of heart and artery disease, Type 2 diabetes, dementia, and some cancers.
In the UK, 40 per cent of women and 32 per cent of men were insufficiently active in 2016.
‘This study points to an easy and cost-free step that fitness instructors can take to make their classrooms healthier, more inclusive and more inspiring,’ Professor Engeln said.
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