Credit: Bonds
Jess Fox is no stranger to pushing through the hard things. Most recently, the six-time canoeing Olympic medallist took to social media to share a video of her toughest training days.
In the video, the 30-year-old, known online for her sunny disposition, cries in her car before an altitude training session. Fox tells WHO that these “painful” sessions increase her lactic acid build-up during exercise.
“I’ve been in this chunky physical training block and there have been several moments where I’ve thought, ‘Just come up with an excuse,’ or, ‘You don’t have to do this,’” she explains.
“It’s so physically challenging that it becomes a mental challenge to push through the pain.
“That video was a good example of showing the more vulnerable moments, because there are days when I’m dragging my feet to training and really pushing myself hard.”
So what gets an Olympic flag-bearer through those vulnerable moments? Fox has realistic expectations for herself and accepts that she won’t be inspired 100 per cent of the time.
“When I feel like giving up, I think about the commitment I’ve made – it’s a promise to myself,” she says.
This liability is enough to get Fox over even the biggest obstacles, one of those obstacles being her menstrual cycle. While many female athletes choose to alter their cycle with contraceptives, Fox tells WHO that she leans on syncing her cycle to her training regime.
“I’ve always been open with my coaches because I know that my period affects me physically, mentally and emotionally,” she explains.
“We identified with my strength coach and physio that I’m more likely to injure myself the week before and the week of my period, so we modified my exercise regime in the gym.”
While Fox is comfortable competing on her period – the French-born athlete says she wouldn’t want to ignore something that has such a big impact on her performance – she knows that periods are one of the biggest barriers for girls in sport.
According to Women in Sport’s research, 78 per cent of girls say they avoid sport when they have their period.
“For some, it’s debilitating, but for others, it’s a matter of self-consciousness or they don’t have the right products they could be using or that it’s not talked about,” Fox says.
That’s why when Bonds approached her to be the face of their Bloody Comfy Period Undies campaign, aimed to encourage frank conversations about periods, after some deliberation, Fox agreed.
“When we first had this conversation, it wasn’t an immediate yes. Originally, I said, ‘Let me think about it,’ but then I questioned why I was apprehensive and if it was about body image or stigma around talking about periods,” she notes.
“As soon as I started asking myself those questions, it solidified why I should do it, because if I’m feeling like this, then there are so many others who are, too, and we all should be talking about it.”
Fox’s mission is simple: encourage girls who are active or play sports to feel more empowered and not let their period, or talking about it, get in the way.
“While it’s also a challenge to step out of my comfort zone, Bonds is a brand that I’ve grown up with, and period underwear is something I need and use,” she says.
“I’ve been really honoured to be a part of this campaign – it was a fun shoot to be a part of, and funnily enough, the morning of the shoot, I woke up and got my period.”
Bonds’ Bloody Comfy Period Undies campaign aims to encourage frank conversations about periods. To learn more, click here.
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