Creating space for meaningful physical activity at home: women’s stories of social interaction, micro-adventure, and the joy of feeling strong

ABSTRACT

During COVID-19 stay-at-home orders and social distancing, the home, garden and local spaces became focal points for physical activity (PA). These restrictions may have influenced the meaningfulness of PA. This paper draws on feminist perspectives on space and the body alongside the concept of meaningful PA to examine women’s PA at home towards the end of pandemic restrictions. In this visual ethnographic project, 11 women who were physically active at home each engaged in photo diaries and two online interviews for a retrospective and in-the-moment exploration of their PA at home during and after social distancing. Analysis considered the changing and subjective nature of meaningfulness in these contexts. Three composite vignettes are presented, titled ‘Everything is on your own terms’, ‘Expanding the four walls’, and ‘A micro-adventure all by myself’. These written and visual stories illuminate meaningful PA at a time shaped by reactions to stay-at-home orders and changing (gendered) relations to the home as a leisure, domestic, and work space. At-home PA was variously a compromise and a personally relevant choice. Participants found meaning in adapting PA to create the right challenge for them and expressed joy in developing physical strength. Digital and home PA spaces helped women to challenge normative PA practices while fostering different forms of social interaction. Constructions of meaningful PA are dynamic and socially situated in resistance to lockdown and loss of access of nature. The personal relevance of PA is affected by personal values and histories, and broader discourses of space and the body.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19 restrictions
• exercise
• stay at home
• meaningfulness
• space
• vignette
• women

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The full data set cannot be shared due to the qualitative nature of the project and to comply with ethical approval. The composite vignettes and photographs are shared on an institutional repository.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Joanne Hill

Joanne Hillis a senior lecturer in physical education and sport sociology at the University of Bedfordshire, UK, where she is also Co-Deputy Director for the Institute of Sport and Physical Activity Research. She researches the impact of the social construction of the body, gender and ethnicity on physical activity and sport engagement; and critical pedagogies/social justice in physical education and higher education, using participatory and creative methods.

Olivia Flemons

Olivia Flemons is a doctoral researcher at the University of Bedfordshire, UK. She has a background in sport and exercise psychology, specifically young women’s physical activity engagement. With an interest in how different physical activity environments shape active behaviours, she is currently researching the influence of outdoor spaces and active communities on meaningful physical activity experiences and physical literacy.