Women in Trafford are more active and than those in other parts of the city region, new data has revealed.
More than 65% of women in Trafford exercise for over 150 minutes per week, according to research by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport – the highest figure for any Greater Manchester borough.
Grace Ferreira, 24, from Sale said: “Trafford is quite an affluent area and I think there are more people in the towns that are able to spend more money for gym memberships and equipment to look after their health.
“It is a little bit confusing though because there are other areas in Trafford that are quite deprived, but I’m proud that my council is the most active in Greater Manchester.”
Grace started her health journey back in 2021, just after the pandemic, as she realised she had stayed at home too much and it was impacting her mental health.
She started going on daily walks in the evening, which then progressed to daily jogging by the Bridgewater Canal. From then on, she bought a local gym membership and hasn’t looked back since.
The DCMS study looked at total minutes of exercise, club membership, sports event attendance and opportunity to be physically active, comparing local authorities in England.
Bury is the borough in second place for women exercising for more than 150 minutes a week, with 63.63%.
Kacey Alson, 31, from Tottington, Bury, said: “I think it’s great that we are also a council in Greater Manchester that prioritises health.
“It’s a little interesting because we’re so far out from the city centre and we are surrounded by lots of fields and farms so maybe people are utilising these spaces, whereas people closer to the city don’t have as much space and can’t afford in-centre gym memberships.”
Rochdale and Bolton are at the bottom of the list for Greater Manchester, but are still above average in the country.
Kacey added that she thinks that women are not as active in Rochdale and Bolton because some women don’t have enough time.
She said: “I started jogging and staying fit after becoming a mother as a way to help me get back in shape.
“But I definitely understand that there could be some factors that could stop women from exercising as much, although I don’t think it’s that much of a big deal because as long as they’re spending a few minutes off of the couch or out of bed – that’s all that matters to me.”
Grace said: “I don’t think the amount of minutes people exercise per week matters to me.
“I do hope to see that the figures increase in each area in the near future! Staying active in any way helps reduce so many health complications and I can’t wait to see what’s to come.”
Featured image by Photo by Mangopear creative on Unsplash
