Health club operators around the world are building programmes for women at every life stage, responding to demand for expertise, support and community that’s tailored to their needs

It’s fantastic to see so many operators supporting women through all their life stages, by responding to growing market demand for female-focused services.

From period-attuned workouts to female powerlifting and everything in between, operators are stepping up to deliver programmes that have been curated with expertise to enable women to get and stay healthier, fitter and happier.

The trend has been accelerating and with ageing populations around the world and more women grappling with the challenges of things such as menopause and loneliness, health clubs are ideally positioned to deliver.

Pioneering in this space is Baz Moffat, co-author of The Female Body Bible and her company The Well HQ who are advising on multiple initiatives for women.

Also contributing to change in recent years has been Jessica Ennis-Hill whose Jennis app led the way in using cycle-mapping to help women train in line with their menstrual cycle and broadcaster Gabby Logan with her podcast, The Mid.Point, which examines ways for women to thrive during and after menopause.

Stories in this issue of HCM give a snapshot of how widely female wellness services are coming to market. On page 18 we highlight a new programme from Equinox which is tailored to women’s health at every life stage. Data is gathered from wearables and supplemented by lab tests to guide exercise prescription.

Gymbox has been collaborating with period underwear designer www.wuka.co.uk and The Well HQ to create the Bloody Good Workout, which encourages female members to sync their training with their menstrual cycle (page 34), while David Lloyd is launching a new international female health initiative commissioned by Michelle Dand and also designed by The Well HQ (page 30).

Health leads within David Lloyd have been trained to deliver a seminar series covering topics such as menopause, pelvic floor health and injury resilience. The sessions provide expert guidance and include community elements to create a supportive network, enabling members to learn together.

Key to many initiatives is a focus on community, with support groups as part of the mix and with this in mind, MoreYoga is collaborating with The Lonely Girls Club (page 35) to deliver yoga workshops with sharing circles.

With so much need for support and empowerment and demand for effective antidotes to loneliness, we expect to see these kinds of social, female community initiatives becoming a regular feature of the health club landscape.