From gym anxiety to packed schedules, women-only fitness spaces are reshaping how women approach exercise

Between work, school, anxieties of failing and family responsibilities, staying active often falls to the bottom of the priority list for many women. For those who do manage to maintain a fitness routine, co-ed spaces can look far different depending on the sex.

Ottawa fitness coaches are saying that women-only gyms are redefining what it means to stay active by adapting workouts to their lives, not reshaping their lives around workouts.

Trisha Abrca, 23, is a fitness coach at an all-women’s GoodLife Fitness location while completing a master’s degree in counselling psychology at Carleton University. According to Abrca, many women walk into the gym already feeling pressure to “do it right,” even before they touch a machine.

“A lot of women come in apologizing for not knowing what they’re doing,” Abrca said. “They feel guilty for asking questions or taking time to learn.”

Abrca believed that mindset often stems from experiences at co-ed gyms, where women may feel judged or watched. 

As a result, many switch to women-only spaces for comfort and safety.

“They just want to work out without feeling like they’re being looked at,” Abrca said.

Abrca’s own fitness routine includes strength training, cardio and mind-body classes like yoga and pilates, options she frequently recommends to clients juggling busy schedules. 

“It’s not just about building strength,” she said. “It’s about having something that supports your mental health too.”

The gym tends to see its heaviest traffic in the afternoons, particularly after 3 p.m., when women finish work, school or caregiving duties. Abrca said that time crunch is one of the biggest barriers women face when trying to stay consistent.

“Fitness has to fit into their day somehow,” Abrca said. “If it feels overwhelming, they’re not going to stick with it.”

To make the space more supportive, the gym provides free menstrual products, a detail Abrca said makes women feel seen and accommodated.

“It sounds small, but it matters,” she said. 

“It shows that the gym was designed with women in mind.”

Sumana Abdulwahae, a 27-year-old senior fitness coach at GoodLife Fitness for Women, said that sense of consideration is what keeps many women coming back. 

Abdulwahae, who moved to Ottawa to study criminology with a concentration in psychology, has worked at women-only gyms for more than three years.

“There’s less pressure here,” Abdulwahae said. 

“Women are more relaxed and more open.”

Abdulwahae works with clients balancing full-time jobs, motherhood and household responsibilities. Despite that, Abdulwahae said women often show a strong commitment to their health in unexpected ways. 

Some continue training even while travelling, checking in with personal trainers through video calls.

“They make it work however they can,” she said. “It’s about opening a safe enough space for women to want to feel okay enough to do that.”

Both coaches emphasized that community plays a key role in helping women stay consistent. 

“When women feel supported, grounded and not instantly judged. They’re more likely to keep going,” Abdulwahae said.

In Ottawa, where women-only gyms remain limited, Abrca and Abdulwahae see these spaces as essential.

“This isn’t about pushing yourself to extremes,” Abrca said. “It’s about creating something that’s sustainable.”

For women, fitness doesn’t have to mean perfection, but finding space to be prioritized.