empowerment through the workout by Andrea Williams
GYM OBJECTIFICATION by men and athletic fashion concerns can become tiring for women who work out. Ariel Sher works out at Healthworks Fitness Center, a women-only gym, to avoid these interactions. While she has never been a member of a conventional gym, she recognizes that this aspect of working out is something that could happen to women. “I liked the fact that it was a women’s only gym because it makes me feel more comfortable and it is a safer place to work out,” Sher says. “There also doesn’t feel like any pressure of being approached in a dating-sense when I go to work out.” Sher is not the only member enjoying this innovating gym. On the various Facebook pages that Healthworks Fitness Centers has, many women that are a part of the gym franchise enjoy everything that they have to offer. Many women often highlight the classes and spa that are offered in Healthworks Fitness Centers. In 1977 Healthworks Fitness Centers opened as a women-only fitness center in Boston, Massachusetts. It aimed to change aspects of conventional gyms to make women, including those who are female-identifying, feel more comfortable. Sher hails from Boston and joined Healthworks in October 2018. She said she felt drawn to the gym because she saw her roommate join and was interested to see what Healthworks Fitness Centers had to offer. She said she stayed at the gym because she saw the empowerment that the gym was giving to its members. “I think Healthworks is empowering women to work out together and support one another by doing something that is healthy, active, and strengthening,” Sher says. Jen Sadowski, a representative from Healthworks Fitness Centers, says that empowering women to be strong is important to all of us. “Having a club dedicated entirely to that is why a women-only club is so important,” she says. Sadowski said the gym’s mission sets them apart from other gyms in the area. “[The] clubs are a safe and inviting space for women to achieve their fitness goals without intimidation often associated with weight-rooms filled with men,” she says.
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Healthworks Fitness Centers operates four locations in Boston. Members of this gym can enjoy group classes, personal training, and a nutritionist to help improve their diets. The gym also has a kids’ corner for children to play in while their mothers work out. After their workout, members can enjoy a spa day with many massage options or a shower in the locker rooms. Ali Sy, a sophomore at Emerson College has been going to a traditional gym for a few years now and she runs into some issues even though she enjoys working out. “I find it really difficult to find a gym that really works for me—in terms of practicality … but also in the community within the gym itself,” Sy says. “It’s probably the reason why I’ve jumped around so many different gyms over the years.” She also noted unwanted attention she sometimes receives from men while she is working out. “I have had a few experiences in gyms where if I’m not with a personal trainer, a few men will approach me and flirt with me or would try to ‘teach me’ how to use equipment,” Sy says. “They’re obviously really uncomfortable situations because I feel so put on the spot and really vulnerable in those moments as well as I simply just don’t want to be bothered.” Especially in this era, women’s empowerment is more important than ever—it is key to have a place where women can come together and work out. Sy recognizes the importance of empowering women through an all-women space. “I think giving women the space to work out is important because we deserve a space where we feel entirely safe and comfortable in this everyday activity,” Sy said. “I have a handful of friends who have felt discouraged to work out due to men weight-shaming them or laughing at them as they work out—something that they’ve expressed as situations only men put them in—and I think that’s incredibly unfair because everyone deserves to feel safe and comfortable in any environment they’re in, especially in a place for self-betterment and self-care, like a gym.” While there is nothing wrong with wanting to work out at a traditional gym, being able to connect with other women and empowering each other through a fitness journey is at the heart of what Healthworks Fitness Centers is trying to achieve.