Meet Fly Girl Collective, a group of women hell-bent on promoting diversity in fitness and improving mental health.
When it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, three things are essential: socialising, exercising and keeping your own mental health in check.
Which is why Fly Girl Collective – a cool group of women who are actively promoting diversity in fitness – launched a movement to keep all three things balanced.
After running a 10k marathon with two friends in London in 2015, founder Matilda decided to create a collective to mark the fitness achievements of BAME women while encouraging others to get involved.
“I launched it on International Women’s Day because it was really important for me for women to have a space where they could work out together, develop their personal wellbeing, confidence and self-esteem,” founder Matilda Egere-Cooper told Stylist.co.uk.
The group also want the women to work together, and feel part of an encouraging team which is why Egere-Cooper will be speaking at Stylist Live this year on Friday 9 November.
“A fly girl is a woman who’s comfortable in her own skin and she’s kind of developed that confidence because she understands the importance of pursuing health and fitness,” explained Egere-Cooper. “Simply because it impacts every area of her life – from her work to her relationships and personal wellbeing.”
According to the NHS, British black women are more likely to experience common mental health disorders such as depression, panic attacks, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorders than white women. Which is why FGC want women to come together to find their ‘tribe’.
“I think it’s really important for women to sort of find their tribe. There’s a saying, ‘your tribe is your vibe’. It’s kind of giving women an opportunity to relate to other women and have an outlet – especially because fitness can be a lonely journey,” explained Egere-Cooper.
“Whether you’re trying to improve your health or lose weight, if you’re doing that collectively you’ll discover that you are able to achieve your goals because there is always someone there supporting you.”
Check out our video above for more, and make sure to pop along to Stylist Live on Friday 9 November.
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