Little time to fit in exercise
Mary Ann Saloman used to work out a lot. A decade ago, the medical technician could be found running on a treadmill, riding a stationary bike or lifting weights four or five times a week.
Since then, she’s had twins, her 88-year-old mother moved in and she’s taken on a few activities -- newsletter writer for the PTA, den mother for the Cub Scouts and supervisor of a grocery store co-op. She hasn’t worked out since the summer. “I’m aggravated I don’t have time for myself,” said Saloman, 42, who lives in a St. Louis suburb. “I know I need to cut back on things so I can finally exercise again.”
Saloman’s time crunch illustrates one of the central findings of a new book about women’s cardiovascular health -- when it comes to exercise, women are too busy caring for others to care for themselves. Funded in part by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Environmental, Policy and Cultural Factors Related to Physical Activity in a Diverse Sample of Women” (Haworth Medical Press, 2002) is based on two years of research at seven universities.
“Lack of time is by far the most commonly expressed reason,” said Amy Eyler, the book’s editor and an assistant professor of community health at Saint Louis University School of Public Health. “Their dedication to family presents substantial time and logistical barriers to being physically active.”
Government statistics show that less than 13% of women -- compared with 15% of men -- get the recommended 30 minutes of physical activity five times a week. The low figure for women is particularly troubling in light of the potentially grave consequences, Eyler said.
Although commonly viewed as primarily a male ailment, heart disease is the single biggest killer of American women each year. About 500,000 women die annually from heart disease -- more than all cancer deaths combined. Of those half-million heart disease deaths, it’s estimated that 35% can be blamed on physical inactivity, Eyler said.
“Women know they should exercise,” said Eyler, whose research included African Americans, American Indians, whites and Latinas, age 20 to 50, in both rural and urban settings. “But they see it as a gigantic undertaking. Their days are so full that to ask them to do anything extra seems too overwhelming. And then someone has a heart attack and they have to do it.”
The research validates what many fitness experts had long suspected about women’s inability to get proper amounts of exercise. “This has been hypothesized about, but never really objectively studied,” said Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise in San Diego. “It’s clear that women need to make themselves a priority and in doing so they will ultimately be able to provide better care to the people they want to help.”
The book also outlines why different groups of women may be more likely to exercise than others. Rural women from the South, the largest group of physically inactive women at 44%, complained of a lack of facilities and of the fear of being hit by vehicles as they walked along two-lane roads. Some urban women blamed crime as an obstacle to working out. Said one woman: The facility can be “in the middle of some place where you have to go through 12 gangs, six drug dealers just to get to ‘em ... all before you get to the door. What’s the point of even going?”
Race and ethnic backgrounds also played a role in influencing a woman’s decision to exercise. White women were more likely to work out than other groups, and several reasons were given to explain the gaps. For example, many African American women felt it was culturally more acceptable to be heavier, the study showed. Other African American women cited a lack of, or poor quality, recreational facilities.
American Indians reported that their communities often frowned on women who did “purposeful exercise” rather than chores. Meanwhile, Latinas -- particularly recent immigrants -- cited language barriers and rigid gender roles as roadblocks to exercising. Overall, many women regarded exercising an “unaffordable indulgence,” Eyler said.
To encourage women to become physically active, families should support the activity, specifically by taking on duties that traditionally have fallen to women, Eyler said. “In many families, it’s a big deal if the woman doesn’t cook dinner once or twice a week so she can work out.”
More workplaces should provide on-site exercise facilities and showers and allot time to use them, she added. More fitness centers also need to offer child care, though some, such as the Westside Family YMCA in Los Angeles, already do. The Westside Y has had a child-care program for more than 20 years and has given hundreds of women a chance to work out that they otherwise might not have had, according to Shifra Raz, a senior director at the facility. “We watch children from 6 weeks old to 10 years in our child-care room,” Raz said. “And the parent gets in a nice workout, so it’s good for everybody.”
More than anything, women have to be determined to be healthy, Eyler said. “They need to start slow, build confidence and stick to it.”
