AT WOMEN’S HEALTH, WE’VE BEEN CHAMPIONING WOMEN IN FITNESS FOR OVER A DECADE AFFECT OUR FITNESS REGIMENS – HAVE NEVER BEEN SO IN THE SPOTLIGHT. WHETHER THAT’S YOUR BODY DURING MENOPAUSE. CHIEF AMONG THOSE SPEARHEADING CHANGE ARE OUR PHOTOGRAPHY: MATTHEW MONFREDI
COMMON GOAL: TO CHANGE THE WAY YOU SWEAT. AS THE WOMEN’S HEALTH APP LANDS ON
– AND RIGHT NOW FEELS LIKE A MOMENT. OUR PARTICULAR HEALTH NEEDS – AND HOW THEY EXERCISING WITH ENDOMETRIOSIS, RETURNING TO FITNESS POST-BABY OR FUTURE-PROOFING WOMEN’S HEALTH COLLECTIVE EXPERTS. WHILE THEIR APPROACHES DIFFER, THEY SHARE A IPHONE AND ANDROID, LET’S MEET THE WOMEN SET TO TRANSFORM YOUR WORKOUTS (ON PREVIOUS SPREAD) IZY WEARS: TOP AND LEGGINGS, BOTH ALO YOGA. TRAINERS, FITFLOP. SOPHIE WEARS: TOP AND LEGGINGS, BOTH PANGAIA. TRAINERS, ALLBIRDS. SALMA WEARS: SPORTS BRA, H&M. SHORTS, P.E NATION. TRAINERS, UNDER ARMOUR. MICHELLE WEARS: BODYSUIT, FREE PEOPLE. TRAINERS, ADIDAS AT SCHUH. INDIA WEARS: TOP AND SHORTS, BOTH KIHT COLLECTIVE. TRAINERS, ADIDAS. SANCHIA WEARS: SPORTS BRA, LEGGINGS AND TRAINERS, ALL LULULEMON. AMANDA WEARS: TOP AND SKIRT, BOTH ALO YOGA. SOCKS, UNDER ARMOUR. TRAINERS, FILA. ROSIE WEARS: SPORTS BRA, GIRLFRIEND COLLECTIVE. LEGGINGS, PRIMARK. TRAINERS, FITFLOP. (ON THIS PAGE) INDIA WEARS: TOP AND SHORTS, BOTH KIHT COLLECTIVE. TRANSLATOR: BERNADETTE TRAVERS
I’ve always been sporty.
At school, I played defence in the football team and loved taking part in races on sports day. Stepping into the adult world, there were too many distractions, so exercise took a back seat in my life. In the end, I came back to it after experiencing heartbreak. I knew I needed to channel my energy somewhere, so I signed up to the gym.
I fell in love with exercise,
but my journey went the same way as many other women’s. I focused too much on cardio – overtraining and undereating. At one point, I was doing two classes a day and refusing to eat out with friends, as I was worried it would ruin my progress. Before long, the people close to me stopped inviting me to plans; they knew I’d always choose the gym over them.
The repercussions were
significant; I lost my period for six years – my body’s extreme response to an equally extreme routine. I realised things had gone too far when a man approached me in the gym to ask what I was training for. I realised the answer was… nothing. I had no reason to be pushing my body so hard. I was spending my life in the gym and missing out on time with the people I loved.
Since then, I’ve scaled
back on HIIT, started lifting heavy and prioritised my health; for me, that
