Insufficient physical activity is a major risk factor for developing chronic disease, including mental health problems. The World Health Organisation recognises physical inactivity as a serious and growing public health problem and aims to reduce it by 10% by 2025. Globally, women are less active than men (global average of 31·7% for inactive women vs 23·4% for inactive men)¹.

Pelvic Floor Dysfunction is the number one barrier to exercise for women in Australia², yet stress incontinence can be cured using movement in 80% of cases³. In this session we will discuss how to make exercise more accessible for women with pelvic floor dysfunctions, and also address other barriers to exercise.

Other barriers include:

• Not feeling like they belong in the weights room
• Not understanding why exercise and what types of exercise are important to them
• Feelings of judgement; regarding their size, appearance, and ability
• Competing demands on their time.
• In Malaysia, one of the top barriers is transport to an appropriate facility.