What this girl thinks of This Girl Can

A new project to encourage more women to participate in sport is a fantastic idea, but is there a touch of sexism about it?

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This Girl Can is a new campaign aimed at getting more women and girls into sport. It’s a fantastic idea. Women are under-represented at all levels of sport, from taking part in it at both amateur and professional level, to media and TV coverage, all the way up to management and governing bodies. In fact, research carried out by Sport England (the organisers of the This Girl Can campaign) shows that 1.75 million fewer women than men regularly take part in sport or exercise, while of the 1.3 million coaches in the UK (across all sectors of sport), only 17% are women.

Much of this is to do with good-old-fashioned sexism and the old boys’ network that operates across much of our society. But there are other factors, many of which I believe start in school.

Women’s bodies are scrutinised in ways that men just do not experience or understand and this happens from a young age, as soon as puberty begins. We are put under huge pressure to conform to an unrealistic and unobtainable ideal, and if we don’t measure up to it we’re not good enough – in our own eyes, in those of our friends and the men and boys we’re told we need to impress. We worry that we’re not fit enough, not thin enough, not skilled enough, and that we don’t look good enough in lycra.

When I’m working out I don’t care about my wobbly thighs or love handles

With all that self-judgement going on it’s no wonder we don’t want to get out there and play sports or hit the gym. There’s also a fear – particularly among teenage girls – that sport isn’t feminine and that exercising too much will make them muscular and unattractive.

This Girl Can seeks to address these fears and lack of self-confidence. There is much to love about the campaign. The fact that it even exists is a huge step in the right direction. Sport England are going all out on it. There’s a website, Twitter account (with attendant #ThisGirlCan hashtag) and TV and billboard advertising. And judging by the tweets I’ve seen using that hashtag it’s working. Woman all over the country are responding favourably. At time of writing, the advert had been viewed 5,279,704 times on YouTube, having been online for just two weeks.

To really judge the effectiveness of the campaign, though, Sport England will have research whether more women are taking part in regular exercise. I hope the organisation does take the time to do this.

Screen shot from the This Girl Can TV ad.

I love the way they’ve used women of all shapes, sizes and ages. I refuse to use the term ‘real women’ – the idea that a woman is less real than another because she’s skinny is as abhorrent as insisting that all women must be thin. Black and disabled women are also represented. The women are shown doing all kinds of activity, from dance classes and netball to boxing and football.

The ad uses some inspiring slogans: “I swim because I love my body. Not because I hate it”, “I may be slow, but I’m lapping everyone on the couch”, or “I kick balls. Deal with it”.

But – you knew that was coming didn’t you? – there are elements I’m not so enamoured of. Slogans like: “Sweating like a pig, feeling like a fox”, “Hot, not bothered”, or “My game face has lipstick on it”.

I don’t know about you, but when I’m training feeling hot or foxy is not a priority, and I certainly don’t get fully made up before getting on the bike. This feels like a retrograde step to me: it’s reducing women to physical appearance again, telling us that what we look like is what’s most important about us. It’s “Hey girls, do some exercise and you’ll be more attractive to boys.”

Like many women I have issues with my body, but when I’m working out I don’t care about my wobbly thighs or love handles. Pushing myself to get up that last stretch of hill or swimming against the tide in the sea, I don’t care about feeling beautiful, because I feel strong, healthy, powerful. It’s about the only time I’m truly proud of my body, of what it can do.

Screen shot from the This Girl Can TV ad.

Taking part in exercise brings with it all kinds of benefits, both mental and physical. It can improve self-confidence. Joining clubs, teams or groups widens your circle of friends. It makes you stronger, fitter, healthier and can mean you’ll live longer (importantly it also increases the quality of those extra years). You’ll probably will lose weight; or size, at any rate, as changes in muscle: fat ratio could mean an increase in weight despite getting smaller.

All of these things in combination will almost certainly make you feel and look more attractive. But this is secondary to all those other fantastic benefits, and it’s those benefits that the campaign should be centring on. Can you imagine a similar campaign aimed at men and boys telling them they look foxy?

But maybe I’m over-reacting. The campaign appears to have gone down very well in general, and maybe I should just be glad it exists. What do you think?

Living with depression

Mental health isn’t easy to write about, but it is important, so here’s my take on depression

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When I first started this blog I decided it would only be about cycling; any other topics would be covered in my Idoru Knits blog. However, I’ve changed my mind and I’m going to extend the blog to general fitness and health, including mental health. It’s not easy to talk about mental health, but I believe it is important. So today I’m going to discuss my depression.

A lot of people suffer depression: about 350 million worldwide, according the World Health Organisation. Many of those people will have a mild episode which will be treated – either with talking therapies or antidepressants – and recover, never to suffer the illness again.

There are still days like this, but
they're far fewer than they used to be.

My depression isn’t like that, though. It’s just always there. I’m no longer on antidepressants. I came off them after four years and a course of cognitive behavioural therapy. Coming off them was a big step for me, one that meant a lot. But it didn’t mean that the depression had gone away. Part of dealing with this illness – for me, at least – was accepting that wasn’t ever going to go away.

On a day-to-day basis this doesn’t affect my life massively. There are certain things that I know will bring me down – not eating properly, not getting enough sleep, too much stress – but these are generally things that I would avoid anyway in pursuit of a (mostly) healthy lifestyle. I have to give myself extra time to recharge after a busy period at work and I can’t deal with crowds anymore.

I keep a mental eye on my mood. It’s normal for everyone to feel down sometimes, but I need to be aware of this in case it’s a sign that things are getting bad again. This isn’t just a pointless, navel-gazing exercise – it could save my life. I realise that sounds ridiculously melodramatic, but it is true. I’ve had three separate episodes of feeling suicidal and it’s only the love and support of friends and family (and antidepressants) that have kept me from acting on this.

Sometimes, however, I have bad days. These are days when even getting off the sofa is too much effort. They’re far fewer than they used to be and not as severe. Time was when I couldn’t even get out of bed, never mind make it to the sofa.

There was no way I was going to be able to carry out those plans. Leaving the house or doing actual physical exercise were beyond me

Sunday (17 January) was one such day. I had things planned. I was going to go on a bike ride. First to Wanstead Flats to see a Slavonian Grebe – a rare bird in London that’s been using the Heronry Pond on the flats as its home for the past week or so – then to Stoke Newington for lunch and a trawl of the charity shops.

There was no way I was going to be able to carry out those plans. Even knitting or reading was beyond me, never mind leaving the house or doing actual physical exercise. I hate it when this happens, when this illness stops me doing things I enjoy, things I’ve been looking forward to. But of course feeling like that is counter-productive. It makes me worse, giving the depression a stronger hold on me.

Part of living with depression for me is knowing when to give myself a break. Knowing that it’s OK to lie on the sofa listening to Radio 2 all day, and to not beat myself up when that happens. For me there’s no such thing as beating this illness or even of controlling it. It’s about dealing with it and not letting it beat me.

My 2015 cycling goals

Some notes on what I want to achieve on the bike this year

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Since I first started cycling nearly two years ago I’ve developed a real love for it. I don’t just cycle to get to work, I don’t just cycle for fitness – although these things are factors. I cycle because it makes me happy, because I enjoy it.

This year I want to capitalise on that enjoyment and go further and faster. I absolutely loved taking part in the London to Cambridge last year, so in 2015 I want to do more sportives. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to ride 60 miles in one go, but far from being destroyed by the end of it I felt energised and wanted to go even further. So I’ve registered for the London 100. I find out next month if I’ve been successful.

Me on completing the London to Cambridge.

There are loads of other sportives all over the country, with distances ranging from about 45 miles up to 100. Some are charity rides, others are organised by various cycling organisations. I really like the idea of choosing somewhere like the New Forest and making a weekend of it: heading down the day before, exploring the area and staying a couple of nights in a hotel. I could do a few throughout the year, heading off to different parts of the country.

The UK’s first Gran Fondo is taking place in Cambridge and I’d love to take part. The Tour of Cambridgeshire starts and ends in Peterborough and is a 82-mile ride through the Cambridgeshire countryside. Taking place on 7 June it would be excellent training for the London 100 on 2 August.

Obviously this means I’ll have to invest in a new bike

My final two goals are self-organised. First I want to do some longer solo rides (or rides with friends if anyone wants to come with me!). The idea is to choose somewhere at least 30 miles away, book a room in a B&B, pack an overnight bag and head off. I’ll cycle home the next day. Current favourite candidates are Southend, Ware and Wivenhoe.

I also want to cycle the whole of the Hadrian’s Cycleway. This 174-mile Sustrans route crosses England, from Ravenglass on the Cumbrian coast to South Shields in Co Durham. It’s usually cycled west to east. It goes through some stunning countryside, passing Roman forts, museums, quaint villages and picturesque market towns. It sounds gorgeous, as well as being a real challenge.

According to the Sustrans website, most people can complete it in three days, but I think I’d like to give myself four or five; for one thing I want time to stop and enjoy the scenery as I go. Obviously this means I’ll have to invest in a new bike. Florence can’t have pannier racks fitted, and I’ll need these (probably both front and back) in order to carry everything I’ll need for four-day road trip.

 So there we have it. My goals for 2015 – I'll keep you updated on how I do throughout the year.

Be seen at night

Lights and reflectors are a legal requirement if riding at night. They also help keep you safe. Here’s why

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I find it really quite shocking how many people I see cycling without lights after the sun has gone down. I know this is happening earlier and earlier at this time of year, which is somewhat depressing, but not having lights is both incredibly dangerous and illegal.

The law is pretty clear on this. Between sunset and sunrise cyclists must have a white front light, a red rear light, a red rear reflector and 4 amber pedal reflectors to cycle on public roads and paths. CTC, the national cycling charity, has further information and explanations.

Everything I’ve read on road safety (and I’ve read a lot) underlines that this is the legal minimum. If you really want to be sure you’ll be seen, you should invest some combination of reflective clothing, wheel reflectors, extra sets of lights or helmet-mounted lights. For one thing, those front and rear lights won’t help you be seen from the side. It’s no good being nicely lit up front and back if a car ploughs into you side-on when you’re crossing a road or hits you when pulling out of a side road – government statistics show that cyclists are particularly vulnerable at junctions.

For accidents that occur at night, the main reasons given included the cyclist wearing dark clothes or not displaying the lights

The most common reason motorists give for hitting cyclists is that they didn’t see the cyclist. This is described as the ‘looked but failed to see’ problem, and it’s likely to affect cyclists – and motorcyclists for that matter – more than other road users because we’re smaller, making us harder to see. There’s likely to be a psychological element, too: there are more cars on the road, so drivers expect to see them; because they’re not looking for cyclists they don’t see us. Motorists’ mental search image is car shaped, not bike shaped.

It’s notoriously difficult to get accurate statistics on road accidents as studies have shown that an appreciable proportion are not reported; the same research shows that reporting rates for cyclists tend to be lower than for other road users. But some information is available. Far more cyclists are killed or seriously injured (KSI) during the summer months than in winter; most KSIs occur in the light (78%). This is likely to be because far more people cycle when it’s warm, sunny and bight. However, severity is greater during the hours of darkness and a collision is more likely to result in death – 11% of fatalities take place in the dark on unlit roads. For those accidents that occurred at night, the main reasons given included the cyclist wearing dark clothes or not displaying the lights (the third reason was alcohol, but that’s a whole different blog post).

I have three sets of lights on my bike. Two static and one flashing. 

There’s no doubt that having lights on your bike makes you more visible, and that makes you safer. A motorist might not see a bike, but it’s hard to ignore bright lights shining directly at them. If you want to stay safe on your bike at night, and reduce your risk of being hit by car, you need to have lights and reflective clothing. But don’t just take my word for it. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) states on its website: “Cyclists riding in the dark without adequate lights and reflectors are at greater risk of being involved in a road accident.”

Sam Jones, CTC campaigns and communications co-ordinator, said: “At CTC we always encourage safe and responsible cycling, and would advise cyclists to use lights and reflectors as required by law.”

I’ve only addressed being seen here, but if you ride at night on badly or unlit roads, you also need to be able to see. Broken glass, rubbish, debris and potholes can all damage your bike or even cause you to take a nasty spill.

It’s simple, really. Lights are a necessary part of your cycling kit. Stay safe, be seen.

It's not just about lights, though. I also use reflective ankle bands, a reflective vest and have reflective highlights on
 all my night-time riding clothes. 

Review: Yoga for Cyclists by Lexie Williamson

VERDICT: a useful, easy-to-read book that should help any cyclist remain fit and flexible; this practical training manual is a great addition to your cycling bookshelf

I’ve put in quite a few miles on the bike by now, and a few weeks ago I started to develop a bit of a niggle in my upper thighs. Not the horrible, sharp pain of a damaged muscle, more the dull ache of an over-used one. To fix this, I turned to yoga, and this book.

As a British Wheel of Yoga and Yoga Sports Science qualified instructor, author Lexie Williamson knows her stuff, and she’s also talked to several experts in the world of sports training. Yoga is fast becoming a powerful weapon in the trainer’s arsenal, improving flexibility, core strength, balance, breathing efficiency and mental focus. Lexie explains how the unnatural slouched posture and repetitive nature of riding takes its toll on the body – hence my aching leg muscles.

Yoga is fast becoming a powerful weapon in the trainer’s arsenal, improving flexibility, core strength, balance, breathing efficiency and mental focus

The book is split into sections covering such topics as why yoga is so good for cyclists, breathing and the all-important stretches. This last is split into legs, arms and wrists, back, core and so on. The research to back up Lexie’s claims is presented in an accessible and highly readable manner, and I really appreciated this empirical approach. For example, I’ve always thought of yogic breathing as one of the more esoteric elements of yoga, but here it’s explained that a more efficient breathing technique delivers more oxygen to the muscles, meaning an athlete can perform more strongly – simple really.

This book suffers from the same problem as all yoga guides: it’s much easier to correctly adopt a proper pose if shown first. The instructions are clearly written and easy to follow, but the written word plus one image can never adequately replace an instructor. This is presumably why Lexie also advises her readers to join a class.

All the stretches have been adapted for cyclists and I’ve been performing several of them after being on the bike. I can report that they really do help; I can no longer feel that niggling muscle. I’ve also joined a weekly yoga class on Lexie’s advice. There’s also an excellent chapter on flow poses – a series of postures that lead into one another – which I’m very much looking forward to incorporating into my training.

Tech spec
Yoga for Cyclists by Lexie Williamson • Published by Bloomsbury • 194 pages • RRP: £16.99 • ISBN: 978-1-4081-9047-0 • This product was a present

Sitting pretty

Comfort in the saddle is one of the most important things about cycling. Here are my tips for ensuring your sensitive bits stay sore free

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I was asked recently about keeping a comfortable seat when on the bike. If you spend any time at all cycling you really don’t any chafing, rubbing or bumping against your most delicate areas. Cycling is meant to be enjoyable, and bruised and battered ladybits are certainly not my idea of fun.

There are four very simple things you can do to prevent pain down there. Here’s my advice.

Saddle
Pretty much the first thing you should invest in after buying your bike is a new saddle. Your butt and other delicate areas are going to be in contact with the saddle almost constantly, so it’s worth spending as much as you can afford.

It’s best to get a women’s-specific saddle. Why? Because women have wider apart sit bones and wider hips than men. If you use a men’s or unisex saddle then it’s likely to be too narrow and not support your sit bones properly. I also think a central cutaway is a good idea. This allows the saddle to flex more, so it’s less likely to jounce against your bits.

Getting the right saddle really makes a difference.

Try out as many saddles as you need to until you find the right one for you. Most bike shops will be happy to let you have a bit of a ride around so you can test out how the seats feel.

The seat on my main bike is the Selle Italia Women’s Diva Gel Flow. This came highly recommended and I love it. It retails at £79.99, which isn’t cheap but is way less than many out there.

Positioning
Once you’ve found your ideal saddle, you need to make sure it’s in the right place. There are three adjustments you can make for this. First, height. Sit on your bike. You should just be able to touch the ground with your toes. When pedalling your leg should be very slightly bent at the knee when the pedal is in its lowest position. Adjust your seat post until you achieve this.

You can adjust the saddle along the seat
rails to increase comfort.

Once you’ve got the height sorted, you need to look at position and angle. Start with angle. It’s best to first position it flat and go from there. You can then angle the seat up or down depending on which feels best to you. This will depend on your riding style – do you sit up quite straight or tend to hunker down? I have quite an ‘aggressive’ riding style, meaning I lean forward. So my saddle is angled downwards and away from my pubic bone to reduce the risk of bashing against the seat.

You can also move your seat about 4cm forwards or backwards along its rails (the metal tubes under the seat). This will move you closer or further away from your handlebars. The ideal position should mean your body and arms form a right angle. You can check this out in a mirror or ask someone to watch you riding. Again, experiment until you find the most comfortable position for you.

Padding
Cycling shorts and tights come with pads. It’s recommended that you wear padded shorts for any rides longer than about two hours. But I say that even if you’re only doing a half-hour commute, if padded shorts make things more comfy for you then wear them.

I’ve got a mix of padded and non-padded shorts and leggings. The non-padded ones are generally meant for running and quite often have reflective patches so runners can be seen at night.

Padded shorts can take some getting used to, but they do help.

Padded shorts really do make a difference. I wore them on the London to Cambridge and my god am I pleased I did. I even occasionally wear them on my short work commute and can even feel the difference over that five-mile distance.

They do feel a bit weird when you first put them on – a bit like wearing a nappy, probably – but you soon get used to them. And it really doesn’t matter if you’re doing 100-mile sportives, commuting every day or just pottering around on the weekends, if wearing padded short or tights means you’re more likely to get out on your bike, then wear them.

Go commando
Yes, you did read that right. Leave your knickers at home (or if you’re commuting to work in your rucksack). Padded shorts are meant to be worn sans pants anyway – the chamois is specially designed to sit next to your skin to reduce rubbing, so wearing undies will negate all the work that went into perfecting the design.

I decided to experiment with pant-free riding after wearing padded shorts for the first time. Previously – in running shorts – I’d had a bit of chafing where my knickers rubbed against the shorts. Using padded shorts (with no knickers) resulted in no chafing. Hmm, I thought, would this work with normal shorts too? In a word, yes. And I’ve been happily riding undie free ever since.

The chamois provides a layer of padding between
you and the saddle.

If you’re worried about cleanliness and don’t want to wash your kit every day – and let’s face it, who does? – do what I do and invest in some baby wipes. A quick wipe of the crotch area leaves everything fresh and clean for your next ride.

Review: Anker Astro Mini USB Charger

Keeping my iPhone battery charged is necessary if I’m to get home after a long ride out; will this portable charger do the job?

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In its pouch, the charger, plus cables, fit
easily into my backpack.

I couldn’t do half the riding I do without a smartphone and Google Maps. Or I guess I could but it would involve paper maps and lots of stopping to figure out where I am and just wouldn’t be as enjoyable. As it is I just attach my iPhone to my handlebars, key in my destination and follow the directions.

However, having the screen on all the time drains the battery, especially on longer rides to Battersea Park and Richmond. In fact my first trip to Battersea could have ended in disaster when my battery life was down to 10% in a totally unfamiliar part of east London. Luckily I got to Bethnal Green before the phone died and knew my way home from there.

I still don’t know what I would have done. I might as well have been in the middle of nowhere – no cab offices to be seen and not a chance of finding a black cab. I don’t know my home phone number or The Chap’s mobile number, because they’re safely stored in my phone. And therefore would have been totally unaccessible. I guess the best I could have hoped for was finding a corner shop whose proprietor would let me phone a local taxi service.

It was this near-disaster that made me realise that I needed some way of charging my iPhone while out and about. I needed a portable charger. I wanted something that could fully charge an absolutely dead phone, but was small and light that would easily fit in my rucksack or saddlebag; it also had to look good.

After a bit of research, I went for – to give it its full and somewhat unwieldy name – the Anker Astro Mini 3000mAh Ultra-Compact Lipstick-Sized Portable Power Bank Pack External Battery USB Charger. It comes in a variety of colours, and I chose pink. I make no apology for liking pink; anyone who thinks pink is too girly clearly hasn't watched Grease enough times.

Pouch, charger, USB cable and pink iPhone
cable (purchased separately).

The charger is cylinder with USB and micro-USB ports at one end. It comes with a USB-mini-USB cable, but if you want to use it with an iPhone you'll need to buy the relevant iPhone-USB cable. Luckily a pink one is available for iPhone 5S. You can charge the product via the mains if you've got a USB plug, or via a computer. An orange light comes on while charging; this turns green when the battery is full.

I've used this a couple of times now and it does exactly what I want it to. After a longish ride to Battersea Park my iPhone battery was showing more than half gone, so I plugged it into the charger while I had lunch and by the time I was ready to head home the phone was at 100%.

I make no apology for liking pink; anyone who thinks pink is too girly clearly hasn't watched Grease enough times

It's small and light enough to fit in my small rucksack and will easily slip into a saddle or handlebar bag. But describing it as 'lipstick sized' is something of a stretch, unless your lipsticks are flipping massive.

The only drawback I've found so far is that there's no way of knowing how much charge is left in the battery. A small window with a percentage, as found on phones and laptops, would be really useful. As it is, I have to charge it after every use as I don't know if it'll have enough power left to charge my iPhone next time around. There's no way of telling if the battery has totally run out of juice either – until you actually use it, by which time it could be too late.

Pros
• Small and light enough to fit in saddle or handlebar bag
• Fully charges iPhone from empty

Cons
• No way to gauge how much charge remains
• Not 'lipstick sized' as described

Tech spec
Weight: 76g • Size: 9x2x2cm • RRP: £39.99 (currently available from Amazon for £13.99) • Supplied with micro-USB cable and travel pouch • I bought this product myself