Women’s fitness advice has long relied on research on men

Advice given to women about fitness and nutrition has historically been based on research conducted on men, mbl.is reports. Dr Christopher Curtis, a lecturer in the sports department at Reykjavík University, is working with others to improve public understanding of healthy approaches to exercise and nutrition, particularly nutrition, which is his area of expertise.

Curtis recently spoke at an event at Reykjavík University where the new Kraftur kvenna lecture series was launched. The series is a joint project involving the university, the Sports Association of Iceland and the Icelandic Youth Association.

The lectures may be particularly relevant to women in competitive sports, but Curtis said the information could also benefit women generally who exercise or want to become more active.

“The aim is to increase awareness of how women’s nutrition and physiology can affect health and the results of physical training by making scientific knowledge accessible to the public,” Curtis told Morgunblaðið.

Educational videos are now available to everyone on Reykjavík University’s website. The project was supported by the Sports Fund of the Icelandic Research Centre.

“Although I appear in the videos, many more people worked on the project, including university staff and final-year students,” Curtis said. He added that he was not fluent in Icelandic and that student Arna Ösp Herdísardóttir translated the material from English, allowing Icelandic subtitles to be included.

Curtis holds a doctorate in sports and exercise science from Leeds Trinity University. According to Reykjavík University, he has worked in academia for about a decade and in sports for the past 15 years, specialising in sports nutrition. He has worked as a consultant for an English Premier League football club, professional boxers and powerlifters. The football club was Crystal Palace in London, he said.

Despite that background, Curtis is also keen to share his knowledge with the general public.

“We want to reach a broader group, because elite athletes are a fairly narrow group. We want to encourage everyone who exercises for their health to consider nutrition and other factors at a time when various misconceptions are circulating,” he said.

He said the videos could help people with several aspects that support physical activity and increase the likelihood of improving their health. The messages are aimed primarily at women because research at Reykjavík University found that half of women in Iceland who exercise are dissatisfied with their physical appearance.

About 55 per cent of respondents could be at risk of developing compulsive behaviour related to an unhealthy diet, Curtis said. This could lead people to approach food in an extreme way even while believing they are adopting a healthy lifestyle. The videos provide information on these issues, he said.