“Women + Active in pregnancy” is the theme of the next initiatives of the pilot program “Women + Active”, promoted by Tempo Livre and by the Guimarães City Council, within the scope of the European project SWUP - Sport for Women in Urban Places, co-financed by the European Union's Erasmus + Sport program and involving partners from France, Italy, Romania, Holland, Spain and Bulgaria.
Last Friday, Casa da Memória hosted a workshop in which Catarina Ribeiro (athlete of high rhythmic gymnastics competition), Alexandra Gonçalves (futsal player) and pediatric doctor Liliana Macedo (Coordinator of the Pediatric Service of Hospital da Luz) addressed the importance of physical and sports activity in adolescence and youth. On Sunday, in the Park of Leisure of Lordelo were promoted activities of gymnastics and health screenings of free participation.
“Mulheres + Ativas” continues on March 29 with the workshop Women + Active in pregnancy (14:30 pm, at Casa da Memória) for which Liliana Ribeiro is expected to participate. On March 31 (Sunday, 10 am), it will be the turn of Parque da Cidade Desportiva, next to the Athletics Track Gémeos Castro, to host gymnastic activities and free health screenings.
The “Women + Active” program started on March 8 (International Women's Day) and runs until April 7 (International Health Day), the day on which the Health Walk will take place, with a concentration at 10 am together to the Gymnastics Academy of Guimarães.
By joining the various initiatives of the pilot program, you can collect participation stamps in the “Mulher + Activa passport” and exchange them for a t-shirt on the day of the Health Walk (April 7).
“Mulheres + Ativas” integrates a cycle of four workshops dealing with the themes “Mulheres + Ativas” and chronic diseases, in senior age, in adolescence and youth and in pregnancy, Gymnastics in the Park (gymnastic activities in leisure parks) and a Walk da Saúde (April 7) in which the advantages of physical exercise will be reinforced, mobilizing all the active forces of the municipality for a great walk that will also mark World Health Day.
The SW-UP project has as main objective to make urban and leisure spaces more friendly for the practice of sports and physical activity by women and seeks to raise awareness, both women and men, about the benefits that regular physical activity adds to health. The SWUP is based on scientific research and is based on conducting surveys, surveys, sharing experiences and good practices, with a view to presenting a final document that gathers recommendations that contribute to promoting physical activity and female participation, sensitizing sedentary women , in particular and the community in general for the health benefits of this regular physical activity.
The SW-UP project's mission is part of European policies to encourage female participation in sport and physical activity, and pays particular attention to the barriers that women face, particularly in urban environments, and with a view to making them more accessible, safe and friendly to sports.
The SW-UP Sport for Women in Urban Places, in addition to Tempo Livre and Guimarães City Hall, it has seven international partners: ALDA - Association for Local Democracy (Strasbourg, France), IRS - Instituto per la Ricerca Sociale (Milan, Italy), Comune di Corbetta (Italy), Polisportiva di Corbetta (Italy) , Municipality of Granollers (Granollers, Spain), Mulier Institutuut Centrum Voor Sociaal-Wetens (Utrecht, Netherlands), Municipiu Ramnicu Sarat (Romania) and Sofia (Bulgaria).
The project “Mulheres + Ativas” has as local partners the newspaper Mais Guimarães and the Hospital da Luz, also counting on the collaboration of a group of local entities that joined the project (Cercigui, APCG, Municipal Forum of People with Disabilities, Casa da Memory, GTEAM, Guimagym, Vitória Sport Clube, Fraterna, Sol do Ave and EIM).
WOMEN + ACTIVES (NEXT ACTIVITIES)
WORKSHOPS (Casa de Memória. Free participation, but limited to space capacity)
- March 29 (14:30 pm): Women + Active in pregnancy
PARK GYMNASTICS (Gym class and free medical screening)
- March 31 (10 am): Parque da Cidade Desportiva
HEALTH WALK (Free participation)
- April 7, concentration at the Gymnastics Academy of Guimarães
DO YOU KNOW THAT ?
• 36% of women, in Guimarães, mention the lack of company as the main reason for not practicing sport or physical activity.
• In Europe, 43% of inactive women claim lack of time, 30% lack of company to practice sports or exercise, 20% justify themselves with disinterest and lack of motivation and for 14% illness, disability and / or pregnancy are pointed to justify a sedentary lifestyle.
• Scientific studies demonstrate that the risks with the practice of moderate aerobic physical activity during pregnancy are very low
• There is no increased likelihood of premature birth or low birth weight
• Moderate physical activity during pregnancy does not interfere with the quality of breast milk
• A pregnant woman should practice up to 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity physical activity
• Muscle and bone strengthening activities are the most recommended: walking, pilates, swimming and body weight training are some of the possibilities.
• In Guimarães there is a program specially designed for pregnant women: Barriguinhas Desportistas is a project that results from the partnership established between Hospital Senhora da Oliveira, University of Minho and Guimarães City Hall that Tempo Livre is dynamizing. It is a free pre-delivery physical activity service, with three weekly classes, accompanied by doctors and physical education techniques, specifically targeted at pregnant women living on Alto Ave.
