Search Weight Loss Topics:

Home » Fitness » London 2012: Olympics used as fitness motivation for British women

LONDON Soon after a trio of chiseled men in army boots and fatigues hops out of two vans in Hyde Park, women of various ages and sizes gather around. Theyve turned out, along with a smattering of men, for a 9 a.m. workout with British Military Fitness, a company thats achieving on a micro-scale what the British government has pledged to do since being chosen in 2005 to host the 2012 Olympics.

The London Games are the first to have promised to inspire mass participation in sports as part of the legacy it leaves behind. That vow helped tip the scales when the International Olympic Committee awarded the Games to London over such contenders as Paris and Madrid.

Coverage of U.S. qualifying, plus Olympics-related features, photos, graphics and video.

Graphic

As we watch 16-year-olds compete in the gymnastics events, even the 20-somethings among us look back regretfully and wonder if our glory days have passed. Here, we take a look at which sports skew young and which allow for more longevity.

But government officials have found that in a culture consumed by mens soccer, cricket and rugby, encouraging British women to get moving is especially difficult.

Just one in eight British women exercise regularly, compared to one in five men, according to Sport England, a government agency that invests money from Britains national lottery in grassroots initiatives aimed at adults. Among disadvantaged women, its one in 10.

Researchers have documented a myriad reasons why, both practical and cultural, including the perception among many British women that being active simply isnt attractive.

The United States has confronted similar issues but had greater success tackling them with the legislative stick known as Title IX, which since 1972 has mandated equal opportunity for girls and boys, young women and men, in schools receiving federal funds.

With no analogous law in Great Britain, funding and support for womens sports has suffered by comparison, says Sue Tibballs, chief executive of the Womens Sport and Fitness Foundation, the nations leading advocacy group for womens sports.

View post:
London 2012: Olympics used as fitness motivation for British women

Your Full Name
Your Email
Your Phone Number
Select your age (30+ only)	30313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120
Select Your US State	Select Your StateAlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington,DCWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming
Program Choice	Select Your ProgramInjectable HGHInjectable TestoteroneInjectable SermorelinInjectable Weight LossInjectable HCG DietInjectable Vitamins
Confirm over 30 years old	Yes
Confirm that you resident in USA	Yes
This is a Serious Inquiry	Yes
Message:

Home » Fitness » London 2012: Olympics used as fitness motivation for British women