Jos Muslim women embrace physical exercise to keep fit
“We wear big long head cover (hijab) on top of tracksuits and canvas and come out as early as 6am for exercise. We cover our body - from head to toe - properly to ensure that our dress code is in agreement with our religion and culture,” says Sadiya Ibrahim Muhammad, captain of Peace Fitness Center who noted that they have discovered that physical training exercise is a solution to the pervasiveness of health challenges bedeviling them.
Muslim women, especially married ones in Jos, are not known to public sporting activities particularly among Hausa communities but the prevalence of endemic diseases, according to them, have been a driving factor that forced them to key into physical exercise.
Regular exercise according to medical doctors helps prevent many health problems but the culture of going out to improve health condition through exercise is uncommon among Muslim (married) women generally.
Daily Trust gathered that lack of awareness of the significance of exercise, coupled with cultural or religious belief are part of the reasons why Muslim women dissociate themselves from physical exercise.
The new trend, which is gradually gaining acceptance in the state, presents the women during training hours in their traditional hijab which symbolises their dress codes in some sport scenes, with others jugging along major roadsides just to maintain fitness.
The prevalent cases of health challenges such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, heart and liver related diseases among others, have made people to realize that physical exercise has a big role to play in the general wellbeing of the body.
Before now, it was very rare to see Muslim married women in Jos, kitted in canvas and sports wears along roadsides jugging or deliberately forming a drill team, aimed at maintaining their health conditions.
But half a kilometer from Bauchi Road Dutse Uku Junction to Jilek football pitch, a group of Muslim women are seen enjoying their morning training.
Our correspondent who visited the training ground as early as 6am on Wednesday witnessed how the women arrived the training ground one after the other, being very passionate and keeping to time.
Speaking to our correspondent on their reason for embracing physical exercise, Sadiya explained that “Muslim women have been left behind in terms of exercise and it’s high time we embrace it because some of us are diabetic or hypertensive patients, while others suffer from ailments that require frequent exercise. You see this woman (pointing a friend), she had a serious heart disease confirmed by a medical doctor, but through her active participation in the training, she’s getting stronger.”
Sadiya noted that most Muslim women don’t partake in this kind of training because they are ashamed of moving around wearing tracksuits and canvass, adding that “I enjoy it more than anything because I feel healthy and comfortable anytime I go for the training.”
She said knowing the importance of the training, she always invite more women to enroll. “When we started, we were three but today, we are more than fifty because more women are beginning to see the impact of the training. Prior to the commencement of the training, I was huge and heavy but through constant training, I have reduced weight and equally lowered my sugar level. I don’t want to miss a day without doing the exercise.”
Mrs. Sadiya further said to ensure commitment, respect and discipline among them, the team put in place rules and regulations which include wearing of long hijab that covers the entire body, adding “without hijab no woman will be allowed to participate.”
She also said everyone is expected to adhere to the stipulated time which is from 6am to 7am every Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday. This according to Sadiya has brought sanity, discipline, and commitment to the team.
Muhammad Kabir, who trains the women, explained why the centre was initiated for the women. He said “life has changed. There are lots of infectious and communicable diseases nowadays and it’s also worthy to note that incessant drugs usage for treatment of those diseases have effects on the health conditions of people; but regular exercise happens to be the only platform for continuous relief from most of these illnesses, that’s why we are here today. We are here to treat our major and minor health cases by exercising, maintaining some degrees of fitness and remaining active.”