Behaviour change and health messages with Dr. Emma Ross

We speak with Dr Emma Ross, co-founder of the Well HQ and former Head of Physiology at the English Institute of Sport.

Emma has not only led research into the data gap that exists within high performance sport to better inform practice and performance of some of Britain’s leading female athletes, she has authored Train Like a Woman (Out March 2021) and launched the Well HQ to break down the barriers for women and girls when it comes to understanding women’s bodies and what this means for physical fitness and overall wellbeing.

We talk about why the gap exists, the impact it has on girls dropping out of sport and the importance of shifting the messaging not just to girls themselves but to the teachers, sports coaches and of course parents around them.

You can follow Emma here https://twitter.com/ezross?s=20  

You can find out more about the Well HQ here https://www.thewell-hq.com/

Train Like a Woman is Emma’s new book and is out soon! https://www.thewell-hq.com/work-with-us/books/

Hear Emma Ross talk with Maisie Hill about the power of periods on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/fTXbtQrxnLXBMjgZbq83Zf/can-you-harness-the-power-of-your-period

Research Emma mentions about lack of knowledge women have about their own bodies https://www.rcog.org.uk/better-for-women

This is the book Emma and I both read and found fascinating – How the Pill Changes Everything by Dr Sarah Hill https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/oct/19/dr-sarah-e-hill-how-pill-influences-womens-brains

Sport England Active Lives Data I mentioned https://www.sportengland.org/news/childrens-activity-levels-down-many-embrace-new-opportunities

Women in Sport girls data I mention https://www.womeninsport.org/research-and-advice/our-publications/reframing-sport-for-teenage-girls-building-strong-foundations-for-their-futures/

Drop in girls self-esteem/worth research I mentioned https://epi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EPI-PT_Young-people%E2%80%99s-wellbeing_Jan2021.pdf

Girls Active Campaign from Youth Sport Trust https://www.youthsporttrust.org/girls-active

Books by Maisie Hill which Emma recommends https://www.maisiehill.com/

The Female Pod which Emma recommends https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/female-athlete-podcast/id1501684789