This falls in line exactly with what my female clients say when they come to me,” says Campbell. “Even those that really want to be active and see exercise and sport as their ‘me time’ often say that they just don’t have the time for it.”
A variety of societal and cultural issues are behind this. “One factor is that many women feel very responsible for what’s going on in the home, often to a greater extent than men do. They feel guilty about going out and doing things for themselves if it might take them away from family and household responsibilities,” says Campbell. “It can be difficult to arrange childcare and make plans around competing priorities. And then sometimes when they do manage to carve out the time, they find they feel exhausted.
“In sessions, we spend a lot of time talking about prioritising themselves and putting dates and times in the diary. It’s important to share those plans with their families and encourage partners to see how important this is for their health and wellbeing.