Women Are Not Getting Enough Exercise — and It's Harming Their Mental Health

Stephanie Emma Pfeffer
·3 min read

When regularly exercising, women reported feeling more happy, energetic, and confident, according to the global Move Her Mind report

<p>Getty</p> Stock image of woman running

Getty

Stock image of woman running

Women aren’t getting enough exercise — and it’s harming their mental health.

According to the largest global study on the exercise gender gap, there is a direct link between a woman’s level of activity and her state of mind.

Specifically, women reported feeling 52% happier, 48% more confident and 50% more energized when exercising regularly compared with when they were not, according to the Move Her Mind study, which was commissioned by ASICS and surveyed nearly 25,000 people and conducted 26 focus groups around the world.

Researchers also found that exercise helped women deal with negative emotions more effectively, with them reporting feeling 67% more stressed and 80% more frustrated when not exercising regularly.

<p>Courtesy of ASICS</p> Woman exercising

Courtesy of ASICS

Woman exercising

Related: New Study Finds Physical Fitness Can Improve Mental Health in Children and Young Adults

But unfortunately, women are struggling to prioritize this type of self-care.

“Regardless of their level of activity, women are facing barriers to being as active as they would like to be,” study lead Dr. Dee Dlugonski said in the report.

Not having enough time to exercise was cited by more than half of the women surveyed. The most common obstacles were too many other commitments at 76% and not enough time at 74%.

Related: Selena Gomez Reflects on How Mental Health ‘Means So Much’ at Rare Beauty Summit


And kids play a big role, too: More than 60% of women admitted that motherhood was the primary reason they stopped exercising regularly, with activity levels at their lowest during childbearing and child-rearing years.

“Many women reported experiencing gendered expectations that impacted the time they had free to either exercise or play sport,” Dlugonski said.

“Caregiving roles, such as caring for children, elders or conducting other household responsibilities, were particularly salient barriers reported by women in the quantitative and qualitative data.”

But even as their kids grew older, moms weren't necessarily jumping back into exercise, with more than half of women saying they experienced a decrease in exercise as they aged. Some even stopped completely. The two leading reasons were not enough time and work, highlighting how other commitments and women’s careers are forcing them out of leading an active lifestyle. 

<p>Courtesy of ASICS</p> ASICS GEL-CUMULUS 26

Courtesy of ASICS

ASICS GEL-CUMULUS 26

To highlight the connection between movement and positive mental health, and to commemorate Mental Health Awareness Month, ASICS is releasing a limited edition shoe with green detail, the official color of mental health awareness. For each pair of the GEL-CUMULUS 26 sold in May, ASICS will donate $3 to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization.

“At ASICS, we keep our founding principle of ‘Sound Mind, Sound Body’ at the center of everything we do,” said Koichiro Kodama, President and CEO of ASICS North America, in a press release. “The launch of our limited edition GEL-CUMULUS® 26 shoe is a reminder of the power of movement to uplift our minds. And, we are honored that every shoe sold will make a difference through our partner, NAMI.”

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Here's What Happens When You Eat Cashews Every Day

    Densely nutritious and good for your heart and brain, cashews can be much more than just a snack food. Here's what happens if you add them to your daily diet

  • 'Ozempic breasts' to 'Ozempic face': What you need to know about weight loss drug side effects

    While many people suffering from obesity have been using Ozempic to help with weight loss, health professionals are warning of potential side effects.

  • This is the best time of day to exercise for people living with obesity, new study shows

    One hormone in particular may explain the health benefits of physical activity at this time.

  • Woman claims Alzheimer’s symptoms were reversed after five years

    In “The Last Alzheimer’s Patient,” CNN chief medical correspondent follows Alzheimer’s patient Cici Zerbe who says her symptoms have been reversed after participating in Dr. Dean Ornish’s clinical trial on the effects of intensive lifestyle changes on the progression of mild cognitive impairment or early dementia due to Alzheimer’s Disease. That peer-reviewed study will be published in the journal “Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy” in June 2024. Dr. Ornish’s program includes a plant-based diet, regular exercise, group support, yoga or meditation.Watch the full documentary on CNN’s “The Whole Story” premiering on May 19th at 8p et/pt and streaming on MAX on June 18th.

  • What cancer did Darren Dutchyshen have? TSN star's death prompts more than 5,000% spike in web searches

    Two high-profile cancer stories prompted national interest in prostate cancer and breast cancer.

  • Teen Died of Cancer Just 1 Month After School Honored Him with Special Graduation Ceremony

    "Now his suffering is over and his kind, sweet soul is all around us,” the family of Brian Ortiz, 17, said in a GoFundMe

  • 16 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Labor And Postpartum, Now That I'm Almost A Year Into Motherhood

    "These are the stories that were being played and replayed in my mind throughout my pregnancy, but the reality was so different."

  • They were treating waves of wounded in Gaza. Then an Israeli assault trapped the foreign doctors

    CAIRO (AP) — The 35 American and other international doctors came to Gaza in volunteer teams to help one of the territory’s few hospitals still functioning. They brought suitcases full of medical supplies and had trained for one of the worst war zones in the world. They knew the health care system was decimated and overwhelmed. The reality is even worse than they imagined, they say. Children with horrific amputations. Patients with burns and maggot-filled wounds. Rampant infections. Palestinian

  • Kelly Clarkson is the latest celebrity to admit to using weight loss drugs. Do stars have a responsibility to share?

    Are celebrities obligated to tell the world that they're using medication to aid in weight loss? Here's what experts say.

  • More than 250 passengers taken ill after suspected 'vomiting bug' outbreak aboard cruise ship, report says

    A P&O spokesperson told BI that there had been numerous reports of guests with "gastrointestinal symptoms" on board.

  • Fury over trans people deemed 'mentally ill' in Peru

    STORY: ::May 17, 2024::Protesters slam a new law in Peruthat labels trans identities as a mental disease::Lima, Peru::The health ministry says the move lets trans people, among others, access more health benefits::Critics say it uses outdated classifications of gender identity and sexual orientationGahela Cari Contreras/Transgender activist“Many years ago, gender identities stopped being considered pathologies. Yet, this assassin government intends to step over our rights. This is trans-phobic law. LGBT organizations will not let it do so. We will not allow this assassin government to step on our rights. We will not allow this assassin government to violate trans-people’s lives.”Around 500 demonstrators peacefully walked the streets of downtown Lima, hoisting banners with slogans that read "No more stigmas" and "My identity is not a disease."The law, which was approved administratively last week by the government of President Dina Boluarte, specifies that those who identify as transgender, along with "cross dressers" and "others with gender identity disorders," are considered to be diagnosed with "illnesses" that are eligible for mental health services via both public and private providers.Critics of the law have argued that its update of the country's PEAS health regulations was unnecessary, since existing rules already allowed for universal access to mental health services.In a statement released shortly after the law was promulgated, the health ministry insisted that it rejects the stigmatization of LGBTQ+ people and that the legal language simply seeks to ensure more complete health coverage.

  • Dialysis is crucial for kidney patients. It also generates a lot of waste.

    Dialysis is one of the most resource-intensive therapies but patients with kidney failure have no other option, except for a kidney transplant. Nephrologists are trying to quantify the waste as they advocate for environmentally sustainable kidney care, noting the lifesaving therapy generates hundreds of litres of wastewater at least three times a week per patient, along withvast amounts of carbon emissions and single-use plastic. WHAT WASTE IS GENERATED BY DIALYSIS? Kidney care waste includes tu

  • Abortion opponents rally in Raleigh: ‘I would like to see it totally abolished.’

    A year after North Carolina tightened abortion restrictions, abortion opponents rally to call for a complete ban.

  • Soap stars raise money for breast cancer charity wearing decorated bras

    EastEnders actors Harriet Thorpe and Natalie Cassidy were among the stars who took part in the walking event.

  • The campaigners who fought for justice, but didn't live to see it

    Su Gorman and Steve Dymond helped to expose an NHS scandal - but they died without seeing justice.

  • Coronation Street's Lisa George's blindness fears

    'Coronation Street's Lisa George fears she is going blind after a shock diagnosis of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy

  • Ohio voters approved reproductive rights. Will the state's near-ban on abortion stand?

    A county judge could rule as early as Monday on Ohio's law banning virtually all abortions, a decision that will take into consideration the decision by voters to enshrine reproductive rights in the state constitution. The 2019 law under consideration by Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Christian Jenkins bans most abortions once cardiac activity can be detected, which can be as early as six weeks into pregnancy, before many women are aware. A group of abortion clinics sought to overturn the law even before voters approved Issue 1, which gives every person in Ohio “the right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions.”

  • You may want to eat more cantaloupe this summer. Here's why.

    With cantaloupe season soon to be descending upon us, here's everything you need to know about the fruit's health benefits

  • Bird flu found in western China as US combats cattle outbreak

    Cases of bird flu have been confirmed among wild fowl in western China, the agriculture ministry said on Saturday, as concerns grow over a U.S. outbreak infecting cattle herds. Two counties in Qinghai province confirmed 275 cases of H5 influenza among dead Pallas's gull and other wild birds, China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said in a notice on its website. The ministry received a report on the cases from the China Animal Disease Control Center, and the national Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory confirmed the finding, the notice said.

  • ‘Magical relief’ to find we were not alone, say women who met via blood inquiry

    Sue Wathen, Joan Edgington and Nicola Leahey were all infected with hepatitis C from contaminated blood products.