Aging and resisting aging: Fitness training as a means to do so

Abstract

‘Keep fit’ gyms have gradually evolved into fitness centers which offer new, diversified, and fashionable activities which are, above all, adapted for all ages. ​​The clients have also evolved, with ‘older’ women being attracted. Healthy life expectancy has, in fact, grown considerably over the last 20 years. The concern to age well​​, the desire to preserve one’s image (and one’s body) for oneself and for others​​, the need to appear ‘forever young,’​​ the weight of youthism in the media, just to cite a few factors among others, have engendered a democratization of ​​the ages at which people practice fitness activities in order to respond to their concerns about their bodies and how they present themselves to society. Fitness training has thus become, also in a few years, a ‘tool’ to fight against or prevent aging for women who wish to conform with the prescribed social norms.

Les pratiques corporelles participent à des assignations et prescriptions aux normes d’appartenance à un sexe. De plus aujourd’hui, le corps est un objet de consommation qui façonne notre quotidien. La presse féminine en jouant sur les stéréotypes du masculin/féminin influence les mécanismes de construction de soi. Le marché du bien-être en plein essor est un moyen de modéliser les corporéités d’atteindre ces stéréotypes. Ainsi nous tentons de comprendre comment la pratique du fitness gère, entretient et influence quelque chose qui appartient au féminin. Les salles de remise en forme proposent des activités variées s’adaptant à tous les âges et répondant à une demande accrue. Le souci du « bien vieillir », le désir de préservation de son image (et de son corps) pour soi et aux yeux des autres, la nécessité du paraître « toujours jeune », le poids du jeunisme dans les médias ont engendré une ouverture des âges de la pratique du fitness. « Outil » de lutte contre le vieillissement ou de prévention de celui-ci pour des femmes qui souhaitent répondre aux normes sociales prescrites et/ou préserver leur santé, le fitness est un moyen d’accéder et de participer à une « quête de jeunesse ».​​

Keywords:

• fitness
• women
• old age
• body
• well-being
• identity

Mots clés:

• pratique du fitness
• femmes
• vieillissement
• corps
• bien-être
• identité

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.​​

Notes

1. These words and expressions are written in inverted commas as they are taken from the front pages of magazines or from the headlines of articles.

2. A national program for nutrition and health: http://www.mangerbouger.fr/ (consulted on 21 February 2014).

3. We cite among others the Au féminin.com website, which offers advice on slimming, proposes exercises and programs, and encourages fitness training. http://www.aufeminin.com/sports-femme/exercice-maigrir-som252.html (accessed 21 February 2014).

4. As an example, ‘Walk to slim,’ which appeared in the magazineElle on 11 March 2009: http://www.elle.fr/Minceur/Dossiers-minceur/Combien-de-minutes-faut-il-marcher-pour-mincir-856826 (consulted on 21 February 2014).

5. The main ones used.

6. Offering almost identical services, although the year of their foundation and geographic locations were different: an old one in the city center and a modern one in the periphery.

7. Having made contact with the managers of the two gyms to inform them of our approach, we were able to put up posters in the women’s changing rooms, the gyms where the classes took place, and in the main entrance.

8. The term ‘health’ (‘hygiéniste’ in the original) is used in the same sense as in the world of physical education. See, on this subject, Collinet (2000) and, on a more macro social level, Vigarello (1993).​​