Have you ever had a day where you really want to get out for a run but there is a nagging feeling that is stopping you? You’ve got too much work to do, too many people who need you, and a mountain of chores. You decide all this can wait and you will run, but that nagging feeling remains throughout, and it taints what should have been a happy experience.
That’s guilt for you – making you feel like you have done wrong by putting your running first. And according to research, it is a cross that women are more likely to bear.
Research shows that women are much more likely than men to experience feelings of guilt when they take time to do something for themselves. While men more often experience guilt for breaking the rules, women are more likely to feel guilty over how they believe their behaviour is perceived by others, or how their actions have impacted on another person. This is partly due to how boys and girls are socialised when they are young, and down to the stereotypical gender roles that remain once they have grown up. Women are still expected to do more childcare, more caring for ageing parents, and more housework. And they are expected to do all this while also trying to do a great job at work, and keep in regular social contact with their friends.
Sport England found these gender roles were exacerbated in 2020-21 thanks to the pandemic. Their research revealed that women found it harder than men to maintain their activity habits when restrictions were in place, particularly those who had to juggle full-time jobs and home school their children. An ONS (Office for National Statistics) survey found that women took on 78 percent more childcare than men during the first lockdown.
So, is it any wonder that running can fall down the priority list? Or that we might feel guilty for going for a run over spending time with a friend, hanging out the washing, or working through a lunch break like a colleague?
Here we reveal the different types of guilt that might be stopping you running, and how you can deal with them.
|| Women should NEVER feel guilty for taking the time to exercise. Being a mum can be stressful, exhausting and all-consuming so we need time and space to unload ||
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