Aug 10, 2021

#WUKA21CHALLENGE

Have you ever felt embarrassed about being on your period during PE class? Or before an exercise class at the gym? Or worried you might start your period when you’re in the downward dog position or leak onto your leggings? The feeling is all too familiar.

According to research from Women In Sport, who we are supporting in our #WUKA21Challenge campaign, there are over 700,000 more inactive women than men in England.*
Nearly 60% of girls aren’t meeting recommended exercise guidelines either,** and only 14% of girls aged 5-16 years old achieve recommended levels of physical activity, dropping to 10% of girls aged 13-16!***

The shocking stat of how many women had or were skipping out on exercising brought us back to that humiliation and paranoia we felt when we were on our period and felt uneasy to work out. And that’s when it dawned on us. The issue of mixing periods and sports is still a taboo topic.

We believe having your period shouldn’t stop you from any activities, especially in the summer. By providing educational support about period products like sustainable period underwear, WUKA is busting the myth that period products are sweaty, smelly and uncomfortable. With the challenge, we’re eradicating this stigma by empowering women with the truth about periods and period products. By switching sweaty and chafing pads for cool, soft and breathable period pants, women are encouraged to get out and be active and not worry about their period or the products they would have once used.

It’s time we break that stigma. It’s time we own our bodies, our cycles, our choice of exercise and change that stat. Periods have, for too long, been seen as a barrier for participating in activities or exercise, and it’s time we put an end to that. Suddenly, we were brought back to the day we braved PE class on our period, and that paranoia of leaking onto our clothes, of the sound of the chafing pad or that uncomfortable feeling of the tampon that is due to be changed. Or the cramps that caused us to wince in pain as we continued exercising like we weren’t on our period.

So the WUKA team had a little huddle and thought: let’s change that. Together.

With the #WUKA21Challenge, we’re encouraging women from all walks of life to stay active this summer by performing 21 seconds or 21 reps of any physical activity and tagging 5 friends on social media to join in too.

Find out how to get involved here on our campaign page.