Women only gyms: here’s why women are shunning mainstream spaces

Hannah Cockroft, 29, clocked up two gold medals during her wheelchair races at the Tokyo Paralympics, making her a seven-time Paralympic champion. Er, wow! Off the track, she's all about championing disabled representation.On disabled people being labelled as "superhuman", Hannah says, "We're not. We're just people trying to make our own way in life and do what we can do. A superhero doesn't have to put in any work in, but I work my ass off and train hard every single day and put my whole life into it. We should all be confident and none of us can change what we are born as."

Sitting down with Oprah to chat about her epic new album, it was inevitable that the subject of her 100lbs weight loss would come up. And Adele answered the buzz about her "new body" like a queen, saying, "My body has been objectified my entire career. Am I too big or am I too small, am I hot or not or whatever – I never looked up to anyone because of their body. I was body positive then and I'm body positive now. It's not my job to validate how people feel about their bodies."

Earlier this year, Demi released their YouTube series Dancing With The Devil, where they addressed the body issues they've had since childhood. They've also spoken about how they don't count calories or over-exercise and, by treating their body with kindness and respect, they have a new-found love for it. "I feel full," they've said. "Not of food. But of divine wisdom and cosmic guidance, peace, serenity, joy and love."

Finding the time to go to the toilet is hard enough when you've got little ones, but mum-of-two Binky says, "For me, fitness is built into my lifestyle." Key to that is staying strong mentally and physically. She's all about that rush of endorphins, so opts for a sweaty HIIT class or can be seen in her back garden punching out her frustrations with heavyweight boxers.

The presenter knows how hard it can be to motivate yourself to exercise, saying, "I dread going to the gym, but then when I get there, I find myself enjoying my workout, and afterwards, I'm so glad that I've done it. I think we all feel that way a bit. A lot of us are intimidated by the thought of committing to that routine, because it is hard, but then, if it were easy, everyone would do it and we'd all have six-packs." For her, skipping is a fun and easy way to stay fit.

Let's be honest, we all want to be a little more Jen-An, and the secret to that is that she just loves to do everything. Her workouts vary from an aggressive boxing sesh, working up a sweat during spin class and then getting zen with a bit of yoga. She says, " Yoga makes my legs get leaner, my arms get stronger and most importantly, I noticed an inner strength." Namaste, Jen.

To be a champ, you have to train like a champ and Serena certainly takes it seriously. When she's not out on the court practising her skills (sometimes with four-year-old daughter Alexis), she's in the gym sweating it out to an incredibly intense weighted cardio workout, which she's shared on her TikTok. We're exhausted just looking at it.

While she was the youngest cast member of the recent series of Love Island, you wouldn't have thought it by 22-year-old Liberty Poole's wise words about body confidence and the importance of loving yourself. When we sat down with her, we fell in love with her and her Brummie charm even more...Liberty says, "Everyone just needs to own their figure and it's so important to represent real bodies. I love my food, and I'm never going to give up Maccy D's, and I'm never going to hide that. Sometimes, we're put through things where people try to make you feel bad – you just need to show your strengths and fight back despite what people say about you."

New mum Kate was a dedicated fitness fan before she had her son Cree in December 2020. She's been super-candid about how pregnancy has changed her body and says, "I love to work out, but for me these days, it is much more about the mind and how it makes me feel, rather than how I look. Be proud of yourselves, mums, we are amazing."

She may have hung up her spikes, but there are still a lot of things that we can learn from one of the UK's all-time greatest athletes, including how a positive attitude towards exercise can help us feel more motivated. "I always wanted to be the best," says Jess. "Now, it's completely different... I exercise because it makes me feel great and gives me time to switch off mentally, but tune in physically."

Our Girl Mich recently admitted she's no longer punishing herself for not working out regularly. Now, she loves a quick 45-minute HIIT session, and has even picked up a new love for cycling. She says, "I didn't even know what cleats were. I really got into it, and I really, really enjoyed it." See you on the road.

She lost out on the Strictly trophy, but Tilly danced her way into our hearts after she hit back at LBC's Steve Allen's fat-shaming comments. She showed us that self-confidence is an important part of feeling fit, making it clear she would not tolerate such comments or be made to feel bad about her (wonderful) self.

She's a people person, so it's no surprise the former First Lady has encouraged kids to get moving with her "Let's Move!" campaign. She's also hosted fitness bootcamps at the White House and organised neighbourhood walks with her BFFs. On top of that, she champions self-care as, she says, "We have to own our health. It's one of these things that no one can take from you." When we grow up, we want to be just like her.

Her book, Fitter.Calmer.Stronger, isn't just about how she got those amazing abs, it's also about how to make small changes to your lifestyle for the best version of you. Ellie says, "Staying fit meant the rest of the time, my mental health was good... I feel at my most powerful when I know I can take a lot of things on, mentally and physically."

This pop diva works with celeb trainer Marcus Ely, lifting weights, skipping and spinning to stay looking Good As Hell. She also posts joyous videos of her workouts on Insta to inspire other people to have fun with fitness and she's currently working hard to nail the splits. Sign us up for a cardio sesh with her, immediately.

It seems that Mel C's Sporty Spice moniker is well founded as the 47 year old (!) loves to be active. She's not afraid to try the latest superfood for a health boost, either. Mel says, "I love Organic Burst maca root on my cereal for extra energy, and I use the baobab in my smoothies for its potent antioxidants." Takes extensive notes.

Being an incredible athlete, Dina is hardcore when it comes to her fitness routine, going on runs five days a week as well as heading to the gym three times to focus on conditioning and building power. She admits that you've really got to work hard if you want to stay fit, saying, "When nobody's watching, when it's raining, when it's snowing, when it's windy and wet, that's when you've got to put in the work."

Being an Olympian is an achievement in itself, but Katarina Johnson-Thompson, 28, is a heptathlete taking on an impressive seven track and field events. While her Toyoko gold medal goal might not have been achieved due to injury, she's not about to let this stop her and has already begun plans for her Paris 2024 Olympic takeover."The games come around every four years, and a gold medal has been my goal for as long as I can remember. I've done some rehab, so now I'm ready to get back to training again. I have to push myself every single day in order to hit my goal and every single session counts," she says.

J-Lo's body is total goals, but that six-pack doesn't come for free – she works hard for it. Celeb trainer David Kirsch has shared some of the gruelling workouts she does in the gym, and it's clear that her killer body comes from years of commitment. As she once told heat, "As long as it's healthy, I embrace who I am. I feel sexy, I feel youthful, I feel pretty!"

The Strictly sweetheart wowed us with how well she picked up those ballroom and Latin moves. But we're not surprised she was able to keep up with pro partner Kai Widdington, as she's been into her fitness for years. She loves home HIIT workouts, yoga, boxing and counts vacuuming the stairs as cardio!

Vicky Pattison, 34, has been on the whole roller coaster of dramatic weight loss and fitness DVDs to arrive at a place where she knows the benefits of moving her body. Now, she loves herself just as much as she adores a cheese sandwich...She says, "I used to hate my body and punish it for not looking like everyone else's. I'd weaponise exercise, and it was so toxic. Now, we're much more honest about our body shapes, uneven skin, cellulite and all the things that are totally normal, but we were made to believe were unattractive. I understand that I'm not going to be a size 6. And I understand that I love cheese. Hating yourself every day is just exhausting."

As a professional dancer, keeping fit is a must for Oti - who makes sure her workouts are as fun as possible. For her, variety is key to her motivation, and she admits, "I love to create my own routines and schedule. I create my own schedule and give myself exercises that I feel like doing that day and will enjoy." As Oti shows us, working out shouldn't be a chore - having fun is what will keep you on track.

Presenter and author Katie loves a HIIT workout because it's super-convenient, it can be done at home and doesn't require any equipment. She says, "It also suits my personality – I love the explosiveness of it. I love burpees, mountain climbers, drips, TRX and star jumps." Her enthusiasm for burpees almost makes us love them, too. Almost...

Not only is the presenter and author a yoga queen, she's great at reminding us that fitness and wellbeing are linked. In her book Happy, she talks about why she decided to open up about her own mental health struggles, writing, "I never talked publicly about my own brush with depression before, as I feared it would make it bigger than it was, or that others would think I was being over-dramatic or attention-seeking. But now I think it's time for me to share my experiences, as being honest with myself, and others, can only be a good thing and in turn might help others, too."

This mum of three can often be found over on Instagram peddling away on her Peloton and working up a good old sweat. But when she's not on her bike or running around after the kids, you'll find her laying around on a mat working her muscles with some Pilates. She's such a huge fan of the discipline that she ran live classes for her followers during lockdown and even practised right through her pregnancy with baby Blake. Go on, gal.

We don't mind admitting we've got a bit of a girl crush on the Hits Radio presenter. Watching her share her workouts in her epic home gym with her daughter Mia and dogs Ollie and Norm running between her legs is inspiring enough to get us moving on the laziest of days. She's a fan of weights and cardio and follows a training plan from CrossFit athlete Elliot Simmonds. She recently completed a 100k trek across the Scottish Highlands in aid of breast cancer charity CoppaFeel, and this spring, she'll drop her second book, The Ultimate Body Plan For New Mums, which includes workouts, recipes and advice for postnatal women looking to be kind to themselves. She's relatable, honest and we reckon she could give her super-fit, soon-to-be hubby Gorka Marquez a run for his money in the gym, too. Girl power, indeed.

Where the '80s had Mad Lizzy (Google her), we have Davina McCall, 54 – queen of Fitness and our biggest body love cheerleader. This year has also seen her on a one-woman crusade to educate us about the realities of the menopause and midlife women, which is why she continues to still rank so high on our list...Davina says, "I feel like it is my mission to reframe how society sees us. We are far from reaching the autumn of our lives. We are right bang in the middle of a second spring. Think spring lambs, but a lot wiser and a lot funnier. Although spring lambs are quite funny."

She's still a teenager, but Emma served up a huge life lesson at this year's Wimbledon after leaving the court to keep a check on her mental health. She silenced any haters by casually winning the US Open just a few weeks later. At such a young age, she has not only nailed hard work and dedication to her sport (check out the Insta vids of her doing deadlifts), she's also started a huge conversation in the sporting world about how important looking after your mental wellbeing is, as well as your physical health, in order to be a champion. "Playing sports and having to be fearless, it's given me inner strength," she says.

Our 2021 winner has had another epic year. Not only has she shown what a strong woman she is inside and out on I'm A Celeb, she's also dropped her first fitness programme with the RWL platform after gaining her Level 2 fitness qualification. Frankie also published her second book on mental health in summer 2021, Grow: Motherhood, Mental Health & Me, which was an honest account of the journey through becoming a parent. Whether it's being real on social media about how she just can't be arsed to do a workout, to championing other women and encouraging them to be brave enough to overcome their struggles, we ♥ Frankie hard.

"What? Me? I feel so privileged!" screams Liv screams when we give her the news. But we could not be more thrilled to be crowning Olivia Bowen as this year's Fit List Winner. Not only has she shared her painful journey with psoriasis on social media and filmed those moments where she's struggling to squeeze into her favourite jeans, but she's also a great advocate for appreciating her body, whether that's looking smoking hot in a set of lingerie (although we know you're in a trackie 99 per cent of the time, Liv) or smiling her face off riding her adorable horse Dolly. For Olivia, who's 27, fitness doesn't necessarily look like a sweaty workout in the gym. She loves running, horse riding and dancing around her living room. Anything, as long as it's fun.