LADIES LIFTING empowers women to get active

Female, nonbinary participants worked with student instructors to gain confidence in the gym

The gym was quieter than usual as it was emptied out for six female instructors to help empower female and nonbinary participants to gain confidence and exercise skills.

Thirty participants found escape from a typically maledominated space when the Koury Athletic Center closed at 8 p.m. instead of 11 p.m. Feb. 21. Students cheered on their classmates as they tried out new skills, played music and collaborated with instructors and peers.

Ladies Lifting, hosted by Campus Recreation and Wellness, involved students worked closely with instructors and personal trainers to educate themselves on their gym form, proper regressions and safe use of equipment.

The annual event is part of Love Your Body Week, which aims to create a safe space for all people to learn about their bodies and how they can respect and love them.

SPARKS Peer Educators helped facilitate Love Your Body Week alongside Campus Recreation and Wellness.

Throughout the event, participants could attend four of six different stations led by group exercise instructors and personal trainers who attend Elon University.

Sophomore and group exercise instructor Katie Kapp led the yoga station at Ladies Lifting. She stressed the importance of exercise, referencing a quote she once heard saying, “Your body does not speak English.” Kapp said the quote inspired her to teach other women about exercising. that she strives to empower women to create and enter spaces such as Ladies Lifting, where they can learn in a community of women who face similar challenges and can properly support each other.

“You can tell it, ‘I love you, I love you, I love you’ however much you want, but by physically taking care of your body and giving it that boost of endorphins, it really shows yourself that you do care about yourself and you are taking care of yourself,” Kapp said.

For sophomore Allison Durand, the female-dominated and beginner-friendly setting of Ladies Lifting helped her focus on exercises and on taking care of herself.

“At times, we as women focus on what we fall short on,” Dabbs said. “I think if we can turn that around and focus on what we thrive on and what we really bring to the table, we’re instilling a sense of positive reinforcement and confidence we all need on a regular basis.”

While a group setting was beneficial to those who participated, Ladies Lifting also gave some students the confidence to move into individual workouts.

Freshman Annabel Miller had a teacher at her high school help her toward success in the gym. Entering college, she said she felt intimidated without an instructor. Miller said Ladies Lifting helped her feel more secure and become more independent in a gym setting.

“I feel that it’s more of a safe space right now,” Miller said. “I feel more comforted and I’m able to ask more questions without being embarrassed or shy.”

“I am often consumed by what I’m seeing in the mirror rather than what body part I’m actually working out, which is something I’m working on,” Durand said. “It especially did not matter tonight because you could tell that we were all there for the same reasons. Everyone in the gym did not know something and that’s why we all showed up tonight.”

The group setting of Ladies Lifting proved itself to be a supportive learning space for beginners in the gym. Shaina Dabbs, sports management professor and director of Women In Sports — a club encouraging the education and mentorship of women in sports management — elaborated on the effect of offering women dominated learning spaces.

Dabbs said

Whether working out independently or in a group, confidence is beneficial in the gym setting for many reasons. Professor of exercise science Erika Bonadio said working out can be beneficial for mental health.

“It can give us energy and can be just as useful as a cup of coffee,” Bonadio said.

The Lancet Global Health journal found that globally, women participate in physical activity less than men and at lower intensities. Out of all the countries studied, 159 of 168 showed that insufficient physical activity was more prevalent among women.

These findings are yet another motive Bonadio uses to encourage women to exercise and be active. She said women are more prone to certain diseases later in life, such as osteoporosis, and exercise can help prevent future diseases and possible current health issues.

Bonadio stressed the importance of providing underrepresented groups with opportunities and safe spaces to participate in physical activity for the benefit of the participants.

Campus Recreation and Wellness for fitness and aquatics, said that anyone can exercise in any space comfortable to them.

“Exercise can be any bodily movement that increases your heart rate. That can be as simple as walking around campus,” Johnson said. “It does not have to be in the gym. Embrace what you like doing.”

For Durand, Ladies Lifting changed her perspective on working out. She credits the event for boosting her mood in the gym.

“That was the happiest workout I’ve ever had,” Durand said. “I rarely ever leave the gym in a genuinely good mood and I’m leaving in a really good mood tonight, which is something I’m going to carry with me.”

Personal trainers have varying floor hours in the Koury gym where students can ask questions without an appointment. To find out about floor hours for a designated week, you may ask Koury Athletic Center Staff. Students can sign up for group exercises free of charge, as well as make a one-on-one appointment with a personal trainer for an indepth and individualized workout.

“If women aren’t comfortable lifting weights, or taking a yoga class, then they’re giving up a prime opportunity to build that bone mass that will be so important throughout the rest of their lives,” Bonadio said. “I really feel like it is our responsibility — as exercise scientists or gym managers — to create safe spaces for women because we are at greater risk for thinning bones and things like that.”

Beginning a fitness journey, however, is not something limited to the gym. Burley Johnson, coordinator of