Fitness professionals being mindful of their language choices when working with menopausal women can have a profound impact on empowering and engaging this significant demographic and raising confidence.
Fitness professionals are uniquely placed to nurture, coach, and inspire women going into perimenopause and menopause, to embrace a healthier lifestyle. By using inclusive and empowering language, we can enable women to take charge of their own narratives, become part of a supportive community, and build confidence.
One of the main take-aways from the recent fitness conference Elevate 2023 was the concept of active ageing and the bridge between exercise and ageing healthily. We heard that around 85% feel excluded from the fitness world for a number of reasons, including the language used by fitness professionals.
For women going into menopause, in addition to these feelings of exclusion, research by Women in Sport found shame and embarrassment around some menopause symptoms – weight, poor self-image and low self-confidence – can be a barrier to exercise and movement, with 84% of women going into menopause wanting to be more active but lacking the confidence to do so.
Fitness professionals being mindful of their language choices when working with menopausal women can have a profound impact on empowering and engaging this significant demographic and raising confidence. By using nurturing, inspiring, and inclusive language, fitness professionals can help women feel valued, motivated, and confident on their fitness journeys.
We look at how using the right words can help motivate and move women forward on their journey to fitness in menopause.
To encourage women to prioritise their well-being in menopause and beyond, it is essential to emphasise the benefits of an active lifestyle, and focussing on the holistic benefits of exercise during menopause. Using words like ‘active well-being’ conveys the idea that fitness is not just about appearance or weight loss but also about feeling strong, energised, mentally balanced and healthy.
Frame exercise in menopause as a means of self-care, stress reduction, and personal growth through positive language and word choices such as ‘nurture’ (the mind and body) ‘cultivate’ (strength through movement), ‘build and strengthen’ (bones and muscles through resistance training).
When discussing fitness goals, shift the focus from weight loss to overall health and fitness. Encourage women to seek personalised approaches that suit their unique needs and preferences.Use language that promotes body positivity and self-acceptance, emphasising that being healthy is about feeling strong and confident in one's own skin.
Replace the notion of, ‘getting in shape’, with ‘getting fitter for health’. This shift in language encourages women to prioritise their health and emphasises that fitness is not about conforming to a specific body type or societal standards. By reframing fitness as a means of improving overall health and vitality, you can motivate women to embrace exercise as an essential part of their lives.
By using language that instils confidence, you can empower women to take ownership of their fitness journeys, make decisions that align with their personal goals and encourage them to be active participants in their own narratives, rather than passive recipients of advice.
As a coach, you can say to clients that you will ‘empower them to make informed choices’; ‘guide them’; ‘coach them through challenges’; ‘inspire them to reach new heights’; you can encourage them to ‘nurture their bodies’; remind them that they have the ‘power’, they can ‘take control’ of their health and wellbeing in menopause –language that can foster a sense of empowerment and enthusiasm.
For social media posts and promotional materials, use language that highlights the opportunities for growth, resilience, and self-care throughout the ageing process to help breakdown age-related stereotypes and inspire women to develop or maintain an active lifestyle. Use words that encourage women to view exercise as a tool for staying strong, independent, and vibrant, by sharing the countless benefits it brings to their overall well-being.
Stress the importance of community and supportive networks of like-minded women. Use inclusive language to encourage collaboration, shared experiences, and mutual support to attract menopausal women. Highlight the shared values and goals that women can work towards together. Emphasise the collective journey towards health and well-being with language that reinforces unity and solidarity, for example, ‘supporting each other’, or ‘coming together’, etc.
Language can build a sense of community and belonging. It can create a sense of inclusivity, common values, and shared goals where fitness journeys are collaborative experiences with a sense of togetherness and support, strength, inspiration, and accountability – all good when coaching women in menopause. Words can make a difference!
June 2023
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