It is a comforting presence for me on a symbolic level. I lost my mum 14 years ago this month to cancer. There have been days I have found it tough to focus on things, especially in these weird times. But there is something about seeing a robin that brings a sense of calm and happiness. I cannot help but smile and stop to look for them. Part of it is to do with being outside in nature. But the other is having that feeling that my mum sends me a little hello when I need it. This was quite poignant on the day of her anniversary when one flew across my path and then settled down by the side of the running track. It was if she knew I needed some reassurance that everything will be ok.

It got me thinking about something a young person said to me a couple months ago. She referred to me as a guardian angel because of the timing of when The Running Charity came to her aid. For the record, I sometimes find it hard to take compliments about my work and that was one that did not quite sit comfortably with me. When I took up the role of Women’s Programmes Coach two years ago, I knew it would be challenging. I love running and exercise. That is always going to be the easy bit because it is what I have known for a very long time. The hard part is trying to help the young people navigate a system set up to work against them because of their circumstances. A lot of it has been a real eye opener and only further serves to prove how important our work is at the moment, even more so during the covid pandemic. To them we are that reassuring presence in a scary and unpredictable world. We know we are not able to fix everything for them. That is something I have to remember because I always want to help as much as possible. But if we can just make them feel heard and seen it gives them the hope that things will change for the better in future.

There are some topics that come up that the young women do not feel comfortable talking to my male colleagues about. It can be a woman specific issue or something relating to their history. That is why it has been so important that myself, and my predecessor Rachael, have been able to provide a safe space for the young women to talk about these issues. Having a Women’s Programme Coach means we can work with more referral partners in the long term. Conversations with the young women can be frank and sometimes heart breaking the more we work with them. We only get a rough idea of their background at the point of referral. It is not until they feel comfortable enough to open about something that might have been worrying for a long time that we really get a clearer picture of what they have experienced. For the purposes of this blog, I have picked some topics that have come up quite often during sessions. Between myself and partner organisations, we try to educate the young women, help them make more informed decisions and provide an additional support they might need.

Domestic violence – Domestic violence is not a topic that immediately comes up in conversation upon first meeting a young woman. We know about it from a list of their support needs. But it is something that I allow them to bring up in their own time if they so wish. There is a risk that it can bring up issues of reliving something they have tried to block out from their memory. It may be that they have not had the opportunity to process what happened at all. They may not have had the appropriate support in the past to deal with the emotions associated with it. Sometimes it can be sad hearing that the perpetrator  might not be a former partner but actually a close family member. It can be heavy listening but sometimes it goes to show that the right environment can encourage them to open up. From there we can take the necessary steps for them to seek professional help.

Women’s Health – I have supported girls and women in sports for most of my coaching career. But it is only since I got into running and started working for The Running Charity that there has been a bigger emphasis on understanding the effect of women’s health on everyday life and exercise. Not every young woman has a regular menstrual cycle. They might have polycystic ovaries, fibroids, endometriosis, and in some rare cases, signs of premature menopause in their teens and 20s. Often due to Mother Nature making an untimely visit, I have had young women cancelling sessions last minute. I try to change their way of thinking that you cannot exercise during this time. If anything, it can be quite helpful with alleviating unpleasant symptoms. When it comes the sessions, I do not always focus on running. There are other ways to stay active that are not overly strenuous. Something as simple as walking can help. It is also important to remind them that hormones play a part in why they can feel like they can knock out an amazing run one day but barely have any energy for a couple of miles on another day. Hormones can also affect a young woman’s emotional wellbeing. So we always try to steer away from really tough topics of conversation at this time. Another aspect of women’s health that has come up in the last year is pregnancy. This is a relatively new territory within my role, even though the women we support are of child-bearing age. Recently, I sat down with one young woman to help her compile questions to ask her GP regarding her health stats and exercise because she has no family in the UK to help her out. Being an expectant mum is hard enough without the added complications of worries about housing status, money, etc. We want to make sure they stay as calm as possible so as not to cause the baby distress and have a trouble-free birth.

Weight and Body Image – I cannot tell you how disheartening it is when I hear the phrases “I want a flatter stomach” or “I want to lose a lot of weight”. At some point I hear about dress sizes a young person used to be or how many kilograms they want to drop. Women and girls have to contend with so many unhealthy images/messages and expectations from the media and so-called influencers that they need to look a certain way to be happy. When we dig deeper into the reasons why a young woman wants to lose weight it is often a result of something that was said to them, whether by an ex-partner, a family member or even a complete stranger. Body image and self-esteem are so closely linked to each other. It is so easy for one negative comment to affect that and cause so much damage on a mental and emotional level. We make sure to instil healthier habits through conversations and tailored exercise plans, but we also know that the journey will be easier for some compared to others. Factors such as genetics, cultural and socio-economic background, diet, medical conditions, eating disorders and side effects of any medications will play a part. It is also important to use the right language around young people and try educate the young people of the correct and safest way to exercise.

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