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Fitness instructors encourage women to weightlift

Katie Waple
BBC News
The Caversham gym inspiring women to keep active

Two fitness instructors say they're honoured to have been recognised for the special haven they've created for women wanting to get fitter and stronger.

Natalie Higley and Nicky Stevens, from Caversham, previously worked in beauty and finance, have set up the Strong Women's Club, after they bonded over a kettlebell class back in 2018.

The club has won in the "Fitness and Sport" category in the Small Business Awards.

Ms Higley and Ms Stevens said the business came about because "it was something they were missing when they started weightlifting".

After hearing about how inaccessible weightlifting was for women and how unconfident women felt in the weights section of the gym they decided to do something about it.

Natalie Higley smiling at the camera has short dark brown hair and is wearing a grey hoodie with silver writing which reads "Strong Women's Club".
Natalie Higley says they create a fun safe space for women to do weightlifting

Ms Higley said Strong Women's Club is a "community of women that are pushing the boundaries at a certain age."

"These women have got to a stage where they aren't going to punish their bodies by eating less and moving more.

"They are going to celebrate what they can do and focus on nourishing their bodies

"We facilitate that by offering a really fun and safe space."

She said when we started "we kept saying there must be somewhere that women can feel supported, feel safe and have a really good laugh."

"Our classes are just really brilliant and the time flies," she added.

Nicky Stevens smiling at the camera has dark brown hair and is wearing a black hoodie with white writing which reads "Strong Women's Club".
Nicky Stevens said they offer kindness and support at the gym

Ms Steven said: "We want to change the way women experience the gym."

She explained that as women get older, they should be "embracing a bit of weight lifting".

She said: "Research shows we need to be lifting, for our bone health, for maintaining our muscle mass and even gaining more muscle mass, for our longevity, especially for women it is really important."

She added: "Sometimes as an older woman you feel like you don't know where to start and there is so much information out there that it is overwhelming.

"The information out there isn't always great information which is why we are here to offer support, we'll hold your hand in the progress so you gain confidence."

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