| Elderly | Women | Children | Disabled | Depression | Sport and Exercise |
| Asthma | Heart disease | Diabetes | Epilepsy | Infection | for ALL |
EXERCISE FOR WOMEN
...exercises for girls should not be merely of a soft and graceful kind, but should demand a fair amount of strength and endurance: "Feminine charm and Feminine character will not suffer thereby"
- Eustace Miles, Training of the body (1903)
Women too stand to gain from regular moderate exercise. It helps them to keep their weight down, maintain good cardiovascular health, maintain good bone mineral density and improve mental health. But it is important to realise that there are some physiological differences that confer them both advantages and disadvantages in sport, when directly compared to men. They have the advantage in sports like swimming (increased body fat gives greater buoyancy) and gymnastics (greater flexibility), while being at a disadvantage in endurance events (lower Hb, lower total lung capacity) and power events (lower testosterone).
There are certain conditions that are unique to the female athlete. These usually relate to the athletes at an elite level and by no means a reason not to partake in regular exercise. Though exercise has a beneficial effect on dysmenorrhoea (painful periods), Oligomenorrhoea and Amenorrhoea are well recognised problems in the elite athletes. Also body weight can become an issue with certain sports (gymnastics, dancers) that eating disorders like Anorexia nervosa are seen. Though exercise is good for bone strength, when the athlete suffers from oligomenorrhoea or amenorrhoea it is related to decrease in bone density and may be the reason for developing stress fractures in the elite athletes. If an athlete is having the above mentioned problems with menstruation, it may be prudent to cut back on their intensity of training and seek the help of a gynaecologist. Again, women can participate in mild to moderate exercise during pregnancy and there is no evidence to indicate otherwise. However, it is extremely important to consult with your Obstetrician before embarking on any form of exercise. Cycling and swimming are usually recommended as they are non-weight bearing.