142 | Chapter 15 “Work means a lot of walking, really. So yesterday I wanted to exercise, but after a day of work I think: never mind, I have had enough exercise for today. And [name of man] always takes our car, so I do everything by bike, with two children. That compensates as well of course.” (Jodie) Furthermore, many of the participants encountered physical problems or discomfort and mental pressure or distress to a greater or lesser extent during the transition to adulthood, as a result of one or more major life events. The most common experience was being tired, mostly after becoming a parent and a professional. And some mothers perceived additional physical discomfort resulting from pregnancy, such as pelvic instability and heightened fatigue. This generally hindered sport participation: “Because work is physically intensive, a lot walking. So often I was really tired after work. And then I barely feel like doing sports.” (Lieke) “I also work quite a lot in the evenings to get it all done. I often just really don’t have the energy to practise sport anymore.” (Eva) “If you have children, I experienced it to be an enormous burden that you wake up early and are disturbed at night with crying children, so I missed my good night’s rest. During the first years as a parent, I was chronically tired.” (Koos) “But the birth of [name daughter] left me with pelvic instability, so I just can’t practise sport anymore.” (Lotte) However, in a few cases practising sport was actually suggested as a way to deal with fatigue. Or in the words of one of the participants: “You were tired of working, but instead of spending the evening sitting, this boy went for a run. You can get energy from running.” (Zoran) The most commonly experienced mental issue, mainly after becoming a professional and sometimes after becoming a student, was stress. However, this did not hamper sport participation in general, as it was perceived as a good opportunity to deal with the stress:
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