If you have ever felt intimidated about joining a gym because you don’t fit into the “gym bunny” mould, fear not.

A new campaign is encouraging women to forget what they look like in a crop top and focus on having fun exercising.

This Girl Can campaign is a celebration of active women everywhere and proves that whatever your size, ability or previous experience, sport can be a fun and enjoyable part of your life.

Slogans in the ad campaign include “Sweating like a pig, feeling like a fox” and “I kick balls, deal with it”.

Sport England researched into whywomen aren’t exercising and discovered it is the fear of judgment that’s holding us back. In Essex, 30 per cent of women are taking part in one 30-minute session of sport per week, which falls behind the 40 per cent of men who do so.

Reasons for not exercising ranged from a fear of getting sweaty in front of people, believing they’re not fit or good enough, and not having the right equipment.

Active Essex has been addressing these concerns since 2011 through the Active Essex She (Sport Health Education) programme for women and girls.

This week Chelmsford City Council has launched WoMEn Time in Essex.

Activities include swimming, badminton, netball, fitness classes, self defence and parkour to name a few.

The scheme will run at the South Woodham Ferrers Leisure Centre and there will be free taster sessions at Writtle College with discounted prices on courses.

WoMEn Time is the Essex branch of the This Girl Can campaign, which has been funded through a grant from Sport England.

To find out more, visit thisgirlcan.co.uk and womentime.co.uk ý Active Women are femaleonly sessions that run in Southend, Castle Point, Canvey and Basildon.

Weekly activities include hula fitness, Zumba, yoga, boxercise and many more. Visit activelife.uk.com for details.

JEN Mock’s fear of swimming stayed with her from her school days to adulthood.

She used to be so frightened during swimming class at school she would drag her feet along the bottom of the pool.

“My feet would be bleeding sometimes after the class, but I was too scared to lift up my feet,” explains Jen.

Jen was intimidated about learning to swim and exercising, because she did not want to feel exposed and judged.

When her son Ryan, 10, showed signs of being scared of swimming, she knew it was time to put her fears to rest.

By joining an Active Essex She allwomen swimming group last summer, she managed to face her fears head on.

Jen, 35, says: “I was terrified the first time I went to a session, but by the end I felt great. Rosie, our instructor, was in the pool with us and encouraging us. It was nothing like it was at school when teachers would shout and even threaten to push me in.”

Jen, left, signed up to a discounted rate of four swimming sessions for £10.

Within seven weeks, she had learnt how to swim.

“I was crying during the session when I swamby myself. It was such a big achievement for me and something I never thought I would do.”