17th March 2023
How a boxercise class has given a mum and son time to bond
For one Chichester mum, exercising with her son has enabled her to carry on attending the classes throughout the winter.
Helen Rothwell and her 14-year-old son Alex attend a boxercise class each week in the village hall in Southbourne, near Chichester.
However, Helen admits it is more than just spending quality time with her son that has benefitted her.
“I would not do the class in winter. I do not even really leave my house when it is dark. I would just hibernate,” explains Helen. “But by taking him I have to go.”
Helen started going along to boxercise at Lioness Fitness last year and found she really enjoyed it – so much so that she attended a summer bootcamp with the teacher.
“I started to do that and just really enjoyed it,” says Helen. “When the summer term ended I asked Mairi Cecil who took the classes whether she would come to my house and do a family session.
“Me and my husband, and my son and daughter were put through our paces.”
Her son Alex enjoyed the workout so much that he agreed to carry on going to the weekly boxercise class in their local village hall.
Helen says: “My son is not really into team sports and prefers stuff like this.
“It is nice to be able to do something with him as we do not have a lot in common.”
For more information about Lioness Fitness, visit https://www.facebook.com/lionessfitnesschi
Read why one mum decided to start her own parent and baby exercise class in Sussex.
This Girl Can With You campaign
The This Girl Can campaign has evolved and this year it is looking at how we can reduce the enjoyment gap between men and women.
Research shows 2.4 million women enjoy exercising LESS than men – and one of the key reasons revolves around safety.
Like Helen, there are many women who do not exercise because they do not feel safe and comfortable, especially when the evenings are dark and you have to factor travelling to and from the venue.
So what can we do about this?
Is this something activity providers can consider when organising classes? Could there be a buddy system or a shared lift scheme? How can male alias help?
