Guidance Specifics 1
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Female Bodies, Women & Girls - Led by The Well HQ

Understanding the Changing Nature of Women’s Bodies Across Life Stages

  • Women’s bodies experience profound and distinct changes through various life stages, each one brings new physical, hormonal, and psychological changes. 
  • Our Guidance focused on three key stages: puberty, pregnancy, perimenopause.
Task 1: Check your knowledge of how puberty changes girls’ bodies and how kit can support them. Match the answers to fit the correct statements
  • During puberty, breasts grow and may become tender, making support crucial not just for comfort but also for minimizing discomfort, distraction, and any self-consciousness in sport settings. 
  • A good sports bra should provide adequate support to minimize excessive movement, which can impact posture and affect performance, especially in high-impact activities like running or jumping. 
  • During puberty, changes in body shape including the development of curves at the hips, a softening around the stomach, and the growth of breasts is common.
  • Many unisex kits do not accommodate these body changes at all so choosing kit designed for girls’ bodies can enhance their confidence. Prioritise kit designed for hip and chest development.
  • During puberty, changes in body shape including the development of curves at the hips, a softening around the stomach, and the growth of breasts is common.
  • Many unisex kits do not accommodate these body changes at all so choosing kit designed for girls’ bodies can enhance their confidence. Prioritise kit designed for hip and chest development.
  • With the change in size that often comes during puberty, leggings and shorts need to accommodate these changes while allowing a full range of motion.
  • Stretch fabrics, adjustable waistbands, and high-waisted designs can enhance comfort and help girls feel secure as they move. Choice is the key to all girls feeling comfortable.
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Supporting Women During Pre and Post Natal

Supporting Women During Pre and Post Natal

  • Pre and postnatal women face unique challenges and often receive less consideration and support than needed.
  • Pregnancy and postpartum recovery are physically demanding, however that doesn’t mean the end of athletic ambition, sporting goals or coaching careers.
  • Many women want to stay active and involved during this time but may feel unsupported or unsure how to do so safely, both due to a lack of specialised guidance.  
Task 2: Check your knowledge of how pregnancy changes women’s bodies and how kit can support them. Match the answers to fit the correct statements
  • During pregnancy, the chest area can become more sensitive, and the need for support increases.
  • Choose sports bras that offer firm, adjustable support to accommodate the changes in breast size and shape.  
  • E.g., adjustable straps, multiple hooks, and stretchy, soft materials.
  • During pregnancy, leggings and pants with a soft, high waistband or adjustable drawstrings are ideal to accommodate a growing belly.  
  • Post-natally, many people prefer the support of high-waisted designs, especially those that provide light compression.
  • Pregnancy can make skin more sensitive due to hormonal changes, which may lead to itchiness, dryness, or an increased likelihood of irritation from seams and synthetic fabrics.
  • Look for seamless, soft, and hypoallergenic materials to reduce the risk of irritation. Moisture-wicking clothing is also beneficial to avoid friction on sensitive areas.
  • Leggings or underwear with built-in absorbent layers to avoid bladder leaking can be useful. But we strongly recommend improvoing pelvic floor function across a women’s life span.  
  • We need to be able to have open conversations about the pelvic floor so girls and women know how to locate it, how to engage it and when to speak up if they are having any issues
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Supporting Women During (Peri)Menopause

Supporting Women During Pre and Post Natal

  • Pre and postnatal women face unique challenges and often receive less consideration and support than needed.
  • Pregnancy and postpartum recovery are physically demanding, however that doesn’t mean the end of athletic ambition, sporting goals or coaching careers.
  • Many women want to stay active and involved during this time but may feel unsupported or unsure how to do so safely, both due to a lack of specialised guidance.  
Task 3: Check your knowledge of how peri-menopause changes women’s bodies and how kit can support them. Match the answers to fit the correct statements
  • Breasts can change size and shape all through life but in midlife it’s pretty much inevitable.  
    Why? One of oestrogen’s many jobs is to keep skin and ligaments supple and strong. Into perimenopause, oestrogen levels fall causing skin to lose its firmness and ability to bounce back.
  • So, to ensure breasts are comfortable and optimally supported in sport, the advice is to get measured, pick a design which suits breast size and the type of physical activity, then choose and wear a well-fitting bra always.  
  • There’s a heightened risk of injury in midlife, especially when it comes to knees, ankles and hips, so footwear becomes integral to keeping women injury free.  
  • There are lots of great, well designed, high tech trainer options, but seeking advice to know what shoe would best suit the type of physical activity and the biomechanics of one’s individual movement patterns can play an important part in keeping women healthy.  
  • Pregnancy can make skin more sensitive due to hormonal changes, which may lead to itchiness, dryness, or an increased likelihood of irritation from seams and synthetic fabrics.  
  • Look for seamless, soft, and hypoallergenic materials to reduce the risk of irritation. Moisture-wicking clothing is also beneficial to avoid friction on sensitive areas.
  • Midlife can be a great and liberating life-stage, it also can bring changes in size and shape, to added stress, insomnia, unpredictable periods, leaking blood and / or urine … the list goes on.
  • A woman’s confidence, certainly her body-confidence, may take a big hit so move away from figure-hugging kit and opt for quality fabrics if possible.  
  • Women can feel like they’re running on the hot-setting, so try to find natural fabrics, breathable and wicking technology can really make a difference.  
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Sports Bras - Led by Boobydoo

Why do good sports bras matter for those that need them?

  • A sports bra is a technical piece of sports kit that is designed to protect your breasts from excessive movement during exercise.  
  • Knowing how a sports bra should fit and the signs it’s time to replace is crucial for increasing performance and reducing the risk of injury.  
  • All breasts are different, all bodies are different and not one size or product fits all.  
Task 4: Click True or False to check your understanding of these statements.
Over 70% of exercising women report breast discomfort whilst exercising.
52 % of women who wear a sports bra when exercising agree that proper support helps to improve their exercise experience.
Studies show that when unsupported, a G cup can move up to 14 cm, while even an A cup can move by 4cm.
Around half of all girls avoid playing sports because of their breasts.
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Kit Sustainability – Led by Grassboots
  • Sports kit has a significant environmental footprint.  
  • Schools and clubs can help reduce environmental impact through thoughtful choice and circular practices, such as reusing, recycling and reducing.  
  • Circular practices, often called the ‘circular economy’, is a sustainable system based on the reuse and regeneration of materials and products to continue use in an environmentally friendly way.
Task 5: Click True or False to check your understanding of these statements.
In the UK, 300,000 tonnes of textiles (clothes and fabric) end up in landfill every year.
The fashion industry contributes approximately 4% of global CO2 emissions, with sports apparel forming a significant segment of this footprint.
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Grassboots benefits community and the environment
  • Grassboots believe the reuse of sportswear and equipment is a game-changer, not just for the environment but also for the people and communities it touches.
  • By quickly and easily providing clubs and schools with their own online marketplace, is creating an eco-system of preloved buying opportunities and creating a culture of reuse in sport. Grassboots.
Task 6: Check your knowledge about how Grassboots supports your community. Match the answers to fit the correct statements
  • By reusing and redistributing sports kits, we reduce financial constraints and ensure everyone, regardless of their circumstance, can participate in the game. This inclusion is a cornerstone of fostering equality in sport
  • The production of sportswear and equipment comes with significant environmental costs, including resource use and emissions. Reusing these items extends their lifecycle, reduces waste, and minimises the need for new production.
  • When kit and equipment are affordable and accessible, families and individuals are more likely to stay involved in sports long term. This continuity not only benefits the individual’s physical and mental well-being but also strengthens community bonds through shared experiences in sport
  • Grassboots is proud to play a vital role in helping generate fundraising opportunities for schools and sports clubs, whether that money is used to purchase new equipment, provide additional income, or to support other charitable causes
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Gender Diversity & Expression – Led by Gendered Intelligence
  • Creating inclusive kit regulations for people of all gender identities and expressions is essential to foster a sports environment that embraces diversity, equality, and respect.
Task 7: Check your understanding by clicking each principle of sports kit that helps to ensure the inclusion of all
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