Abbeville, La. - With the start of the New Year, hitting the gym and improving your fitness goals is a top priority for many people.
For some women, going to the gyms can be intimidating. After years of being a stay-at-home mother, Stephanie Anderson decided to open Perfectly You Fitness, an all-female gym catering to the needs of women located in downtown Abbeville.
“It’s a very intimate setting here at Perfectly You Fitness. They (the women) don’t feel intimidated on what to do at the gym because we have qualified trainers to coach them on form, and to suggest modifications for different fitness levels,” Perfectly You Fitness Founder and Trainer Stephanie Anderson said.
In the past years, hashtags like #womenonlygyms have garnered attention online. According to Healthnews, more than 35,000 people actively searched for “women only gyms” and the hashtag #womenonlygyms on social platforms like TikTok had more than 18 million views.
The benefits of female-only gyms goes beyond friendship; it’s a way to encourage more women to be more active. Stephanie says having a gym like this in Abbeville opens doors for mothers and women to meet new friends and try out workouts tailored to women.
“We have a lot of negative self-taught in our heads and I do not encourage that thinking. I’m always telling them how beautiful they are and how wonderful they are,” she said.
For gym-goer Cynthia Cottrell, having a comfortable workout space makes her feel confident. “I started coming here (Perfectly You Fitness) and Stephanie gave me supplements for my high cholesterol. I actually went from high (cholesterol) to my blood pressure being good and my cholesterol being at a normal level where I don’t need medication and my diabetes levels are way down. So, it’s important that we take care of ourselves as women,” Cynthia said.
Stephanie says while taking the first steps can be intimidating, anyone can join in on the fun.
Perfectly You Fitness is open during select hours from Monday through Thursday and on Saturday. They are located at 111 E Vermilion St, Abbeville, LA, 70510.
