Redefine health: Sheffield's 'first' women-only gym in Halfway seeking to end 'hamster wheel of misery'

Liz Bamforth and Rebekah Jepson teamed up to launch Redefine gym in Halfway as they felt too many women experience what Liz calls the ‘hamster wheel of diet culture and misery’, and they wanted to prove it doesn’t have to be that way.

The gym combines exercise sessions and nutrition advice to help members achieve their goals and boost their confidence, while creating a friendly, relaxed environment where even women who have never been comfortable walking into a gym before feel they belong at last. There are also social events and trips, like the upcoming retreat in Wales, where members will take on Mount Snowdon together.

Liz worked in sales for more than 20 years and had never set foot in a gym until her 40s but soon got the fitness bug and became a successful trainer, while Rebekah has a background in public health, with a wealth of experience in nutrition, and is also an accomplished powerlifter. Between them, they feel they have the tools to help other women help themselves.

Liz said: “We wanted to help bust the myths around fitness and nutrition which meant many women were constantly on a hamster wheel of diet culture and misery, not understanding how to train, how to eat well and what to do to feel comfortable and confident in their own skin.”

The myths within the fitness industry gym founders are seeking to dispel

She said there were so many myths within the fitness industry which were causing ‘misery’ for women, like not eating carbohydrates and not lifting weights because it will make you ‘bulky’. Weight training, she explained, has numerous benefits, especially for women going into menopause, which include reducing back pain and cutting the risk of developing conditions including arthritis, heart disease, diabetes and bowel cancer.

The gym, on Station Road, opened at the beginning of the year and has around 100 members. Liz said she and Rebekah were keen to keep prices down as they ‘don’t want any women to feel like they’re left behind’, and they were limiting the number of members to help them retain the personal touch, though places are still available. It is open from 5.30am to 9.30pm on weekdays, from 6am-6pm on Saturdays and from 8am-6pm on Sundays.

Liz told The Star members ranged from 16 to 69 and included ‘every shape, size and level of fitness’. There had been women who had walked in and burst into tears, she explained, as they thought they would ‘never feel like they belong’ at a gym. For those who had been put off due to insecurities about their physique, a lack of familiarity with the equipment or various other factors, she said, this was somewhere they could feel assured they would never be judged.

“We want to remove as many barriers as we possibly can for women to train,” said Liz, adding: “If they feel like they’ve tried everything from a nutrition and training point of view and haven’t got anywhere, we would ask them to give it one last go and come and join us. We know what women need to reach their goals and feel confident in the skin they’re in.”

For more information, visit: https://www.redefine.health.