Can exercise contribute to the goals of feminist therapy?

Exercise can contribute to the feminist therapy goals of empowerment and consciousness raising, and it can help to alleviate depression, manage stress, reduce anxiety, improve body image, raise self-esteem and self-efficacy, and aid recovery from physical or sexual abuse. The purposes of this article are to review the potential contributions of exercise to feminist therapy and to encourage therapists to consider how their clients could benefit from engagement in regular physical exercise. (C) 2002 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.