Here's the link to my presentation; Women in the Fitness/Health Industry: Hallmarks & History. It this presentation I give background information on several women who have helped shape the fitness and health industries into the ones we know today. Enjoy!

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Women in the
Fitness/Health Industry:
Hallmarks & History
Shannon Maxwell
EXS101, Professor Ostrander

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Background
 When the average person thinks of the world of health and fitness,
familiar names like Robert Atkins and Richard Simmons may come to
mind. However, throughout history there have been many impressive
female trailblazers in the fields of athletics, fitness, and health. In this
presentation I will provide information about (only a few- there are
many more!) women who have shaped the health and fitness industry
here in America.
 Enjoy!

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Elizabeth Blackwell
 Paving the way for female
doctors today, Elizabeth
Blackwell was the first woman
to receive an M.D. degree from
an American medical school.
 Blackwell and colleagues
founded the New York Infirmary
to help women gain experience
as physicians.
 Over 160 years later, women
now make up 32 percent of
physicians in America,
according to U.S. Census data.

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Clara Barton
 After risking her life bringing
supplies to soldiers during the
Civil War, Clara Barton realized
her calling: to help people in need.
 Since it was founded, the
humanitarian organization has
been a lifeline for people when
they need it most, providing
disaster relief, support for military
families, health and safety
training, lifesaving blood
donations, international relief, and
development programs.

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Margaret Abbott
 In the 2012 London Games, U.S. women
earned more medals than U.S. men and
made up 44 percent of participants - but
in 1900, only 22 women competed.
 One of those athletic pioneers was
Margaret Abbott who became the first
American woman to win an Olympic
event.
 Not only did she succeed in a male-
dominated competition, but also in what
is still a male-dominated sport.
 Women make up less than a quarter of
golfers today.

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Jean Nidetch
 At 214 pounds, Jean Nidetch struggled
with her weight her entire life.
 After years of frustration with fad diets,
pills, and treatments, she finally found
slow and steady success with the help of
an obesity clinic, reaching her goal
weight of 142 lbs.
 She gathered six friends and started
group weight loss therapy sessions in her
Queens living room, eventually founding
Weight Watchers in 1963.
 Fifty years later, Weight Watchers helps
millions of men and women around the
world shed pounds and lead healthier
lives every year, by focusing on science,
rather than trends.

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Katherine Switzer
 Challenging the all-male tradition of the
Boston Marathon, Kathrine Switzer became
the first woman to officially enter and run a
marathon in 1967, cloaking her gender by
not using her full first name.
 When a race official realized there was a
woman running, he chased Switzer down.
Switzer's then boyfriend knocked the
official off the course. (photo on the right)
 After crossing the finish line, she was
determined to make a lasting change for
women—and she succeeded: Among other
accomplishments, Switzer’s lobbying was
an integral part in making the women’s
marathon an official event in the Olympic
Games.

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Billie Jean King
 American tennis star Billie Jean King made
leaps and bounds for equality for female
athletes.
 In 1973, King took the lead on the formation
of the Women’s Tennis Association and
threatened to boycott the 1973 U.S. Open if
they didn’t address the pay inequality.
 It was a success—the U.S. Open became the
first major tournament to offer equal prize
money to both men and women.
 Later that year, King beat 1939 Wimbledon
champion Bobby Riggs in a battle of the
sexes.
 She also became a trailblazer for the LGBT
community in the fields of athletics.

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Lisa Lindahl
 Today, it's impossible for most women
to imagine going for a run or popping
into a fitness class without a sports bra.
 It wasn’t until 1977 that Lisa Lindahl
created a more supportive fitness bra.
 The design of the “jockbra”—later
known as the jogbra, and now the sports
bra—has been improved and improved
over the years.
 Proper athletic attire allows anyone and
everyone to participate in sports while
remaining comfortable, which improves
performance as well as self confidence.

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Nancy Brinker
 In 1982, founding what is now
considered the leader of the global
breast cancer movement, the Susan
G. Komen for the Cure, Nancy
Brinker broke the silence about a
disease that wasn’t being talked
about openly.
 She also spearheaded a movement.
Today, Susan G. Komen, which
includes the famous Race for the
Cure, is the world’s largest grassroots
organization of breast cancer
survivors and activists.

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Oprah Winfrey
 A name that may not come to mind
when considering the world of fitness is
Oprah Winfrey, but did you know…
 Oprah has always been open about the
real struggles facing women. After her
first big slim down in 1988, Oprah
inspired millions by talking about her
journey down the scale.
 The “empress of inspiration’s” struggle
with fluctuating weight emboldened
millions of women dealing with weight
gain and loss to not be ashamed of their
journey.

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Alice Waters
 The idea of consuming fresh, seasonal foods
produced sustainably and locally has become
commonplace, but we can thank Alice Waters
for that.
 As a food activist and one of the biggest
supporters of the organic food movement,
Waters helped create a community of local
farmers and ranchers dedicated to sustainable
agriculture.
 In 1996, she spearheaded the creation of The
Edible Schoolyard, a program at a Berkeley,
CA middle school now nationally recognized
for integrating gardening and cooking into
curriculum to promote healthier lifestyles.

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Charlotte Ellerston
 A fearless leader with bold ideas,
Charlotte Ellertson was heavily
involved in making safe forms of
contraception more readily available to
women around the world.
 Ellerston founded Ibis Reproductive
Health in 2002, a nonprofit
organization dedicated to improving
women’s reproductive choices and
providing increased access to safe
abortion, contraceptive access, and
sexual health services.

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Kris Carr
 Carr was diagnosed with a rare and
incurable stage four cancer in 2003.
 Over a decade later—still living with
cancer—Carr is now a wellness
activist, sharing her experiences about
plant-passionate living, health,
happiness, spirituality, and
compassion.
 Her journey has reached thousands
who want to look and feel better, lose
weight, reduce stress, have more
energy, and nourish their spirits.

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Venus Williams
 With seven Grand Slam titles, five Wimbledon
singles championships, four Olympic gold
medals, a clothing line, and an interior design
company, Venus Williams is the epitome of a
boss.
 After years of battling with officials for gender-
equal prize money, she became the first woman
at Wimbledon to earn the exact same as the male
victor in the 2007 championship, arguably
making the most progress in this area since Billie
Jean King in the '70s.
 Williams has dedicated much of her time to the
United Nations Organization for Education,
Science, and Culture (UNESCO), promoting
gender equality for women around the world.

16. z
Elizabeth Cutler & Julie Rice
 The attitude of loving fierce fitness
classes is thanks, in large, to the
program SoulCycle.
 Determined to find a fitness routine
that didn’t feel like work but still left
the gym-goers mentally and physically
energized, Elizabeth Cutler and Julie
Rice opened their first SoulCycle
studio in 2006.
 With 25 studios now open across the
U.S., the brand transformed the reason
we workout.

17. z
Alison Desir
 Désir founded Harlem Run in 2013 to
empower the people of Harlem to get out and
get fit, no matter their abilities.
 The group meets twice a week in Harlem and
regularly has up to 250 attendees
 Désir says: “The impact of Harlem Run is
vast—hundreds of weekly runs hosted twice a
week for four years, thousands of collective
pounds lost, hundreds of friendships and
romantic relationships established, countless
people whose mental health and sense of self
have improved, and one incredibly powerful
community, made up of former strangers.”

18. z
Julie Ann Kelly
 Haymakers for Hope is a nonprofit that
fundraises for cancer research, awareness,
survivorship, and care, all through amateur
boxing events mostly in Boston, L.A., and
New York City.
 A boxer herself, Kelly wanted to find a way
to fight cancer (she was diagnosed with
Hodgkin's lymphoma soon after graduating)
and give back at the same time, so she
cofounded the organization in 2010.
 As of the date of publication of the article
where I learned about Ms. Kelly, the
organization has raised over 7 million
dollars since its inception, and Kelly is now
cancer-free.

19. z
Toni Carey & Ashley Hicks-Rocha
 Carey and Hicks-Rocha founded Black Girls
Run in 2009 to help tackle the growing
obesity rates in the African-American
community and encourage women to start
running.
 Now, the organization’s mission has
broadened to help all women make fitness and
healthy living a priority.
 It has grown to have over 225,000 members
nationwide.
 Local chapters organize group runs as well as
virtual ones, and they’ve expanded into
conferences, "walk before you run" trainings,
and pop-up tours in 22 cities.

20. z
Michelle Obama
 On a mission to change the way kids think
about food and nutrition, Michelle Obama
planted a vegetable garden at the White
House in 2009 to strike up conversation
about health and wellbeing.
 That conversation turned into the Let’s
Move! initiative in 2010. Through Let’s
Move! Obama is dedicated to solving
childhood obesity and making it easier for
kids to pursue their dreams.
 Her program brings healthier foods into
schools, helps kids become more physically
active, and makes sure families have access
to healthy food that’s also affordable.

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Works Cited
 Black, Jonathan. Making the American Body : The Remarkable
Saga of the Men and Women Whose Feats, Feuds, and Passions
Shaped Fitness History. University of Nebraska Press, 2013,
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 Foss, Jami. “18 Women Who've Made Amazing
Contributions to Health and Fitness.” Shape Magazine,
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www.shape.com/lifestyle/mind-and-body/18-women-
history-who-changed-health-and-fitness-game.
 Lappe, Meg. “9 Impressive Women in Fitness Making
an Impact in the Industry.” SELF, SELF, 18 Oct. 2017,
www.self.com/story/women-in-fitness-making-an-
impact.