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"I think that culture and religion have an impact on whether or not women exercise in public." |
"Where have you been all this time?" asked the familiar face behind the counter as I walked into the gym to renew my membership after a year-long hiatus. I had a million excuses for not renewing my membership before this and they were all good. At least in my mind they were.
You see, I actually love going to the gym, for the aerobics classes that is, not so much for the actual gym though, which I cannot stand. My problem was not that I am lazy, but that a series of unfortunate events occurred last year, unfortunate for my waistline that is.
I gained weight and became totally unfit, and I was fed up. Whenever I discussed this with any of my friends, they all said they had the desire to start working out but they would either have a million excuses as I did or start for a short period and then stop for one reason or another.
So why don't Arab women feel this need to exercise, what is holding them back? Is it their religious or cultural beliefs? Or maybe it is a lack of motivation?
A Cultural Thing
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Saudi women and men walking along a well known walking path in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
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Hanaa Gazzaz, an assistant professor at the Department of Chemistry at King Abd Al-Aziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, believes that although there has been an increased awareness of its importance in recent years, the reason behind the observable lack of exercise by women in her country stems from cultural reasons as well as a lack of gyms.
Although she herself knows the importance of exercise, she admitted, "I can't commit myself to a daily exercise. I've tried many times to exercise at least 2-3 times a week, but it only lasts for a few weeks and then I stop."
"I also like to go for walks, but it's not easy in our hot and humid climate, and it's not easy to find someone to walk with you."
Mona Badawi, a 25-year-old Egyptian woman who works as anaircraft maintenance engineer, has a similar opinion. "We don't have that culture to be healthy," she declared.
I must say this statement surprised me somewhat, even though I have lived in Egypt for almost 15 years now, so I asked her to elucidate.
She explained that women in Egypt only go to the gym when they need to lose weight. They do not have time for regular exercise and even if they do, many of them do not have the money for it.
Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, an American of Palestinian descent, explained the role of cultural traditions on making women less inclined to working out.
"I think that culture and religion have an impact on whether or not women exercise in public. But I don't think they impose any barriers or could provide any excuses for not exercising in private," said the spokesperson and past president of the Muslim Women's League (MWL), a Los Angeles-based organization.
"One factor that would explain why Arab women don't exercise as much may be that athletics and sports in general are not emphasized in society, especially for women. Therefore, they may be more inclined to see exercise and sports as male-oriented activities."
Social Barriers
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The sidewalks are not suitable for walking because they are not wide enough and cars are often parked on them.
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Badawi explained that walking as a form of exercise is not a good idea in Egypt as the streets are crowded and the weather is too hot most of the year. The sidewalks are not suitable for walking because they are not wide enough and cars are often parked on them. She went on to say that if a woman wears sportswear outside, people stare and may even make offensive comments.
I must explain here that while this is true for most neighborhoods in Cairo, there are some upscale neighborhoods where it is possible to go for a walk without these problems. This points to the likelihood of a social component adding to this problem.
Furthermore, one of the few places where women can walk and exercise without being bothered are the sports clubs. However, membership for these clubs are extremely costly and only the very well off can afford to join them.
When asked how big a role the economic status of women plays in their tendency to incorporate exercise into their daily life, Al-Marayati (who is also a gynecologist and a former presidential appointee and director of women's health at a large community health center in California) said," We struggle with this issue here in the US. Many of my patients are women from a lower socioeconomic status."
"While they may not have the financial means to join a gym or hire a professional trainer, they will walk when advised to in order to improve their health."
Al-Marayati also thinks that if physicians and other healthcare workers would just take the time to counsel women of all backgrounds about the importance of exercise, they would begin to see a positive response.
"But if women live in a country where they are stared at or looked down upon for exercising outdoors (even if it is just brisk walking), then women of reduced means are more likely not to exercise at all."
Urban Versus Rural
It is an obvious fact that the perception on exercise among urban Arab women differs from that of rural Arab women. Although Arab women living in rural areas do not have any structured or deliberate exercise programs, this in no way implies that they are sedentary. Quite the opposite, they are probably the hardest-working Arab women you will find from a physical aspect. Some work in the fields, others do all sorts of manual labor in and around the home.
The fact that they work all day leaves them little or no time for any structured exercise program, let alone awareness on its importance as regards to strengthening and toning of muscles as well as its positive influence on posture, osteoporosis, and on health in general.
Unfortunately, there is an almost complete lack of awareness among these women on the importance of such exercising as indicated by Umm Ahmed, a middle-aged woman who comes from Sharkiyyah governorate, one of the many rural regions of Egypt.
"Women living in the countryside work all day long. They walk a lot between their homes and the field. They get enough exercise doing these activities and don't need to do any more," she said.
Need for Awareness
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"Another thing that we see more of here in the US is suggestions to incorporate exercise into your daily life."
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On a positive note, Umm Salim, a housewife from Syria (who declined to give her real name), said she does in fact incorporate exercise into her life as do many women in her country.
According to her, many women in Syria are now more aware of the need for exercise, and those who cannot afford to join a gym or a sports club go walking. However, she thinks there is still a need for increased awareness to get more women motivated.
So what can be done to encourage and motivate more Arab women around the world to start working out? Al-Marayati believes that public-service announcements may be an answer, especially if the message comes from a respected figure.
"Another thing that we see more of here in the US is suggestions to incorporate exercise into your daily life."
She said that woman's magazines in the US often have recommendations such as, "use the stairs instead of elevators, park farther away from the entrance to the mall so that you have to walk more, involve your children in your exercise routine, etc."
"For religious individuals, emphasizing how exercise is one additional way that we care for the body that Almighty Allah has given us will help as well. So, raising this topic on TV and radio talk shows would be of help, too, as experts explain the numerous health benefits of exercising."
She went on to say that, "female-only gyms are a good idea, as well as places women can go to swim. This is an area of particular concern, since so many Muslim and Arab women never learn how to swim because they will not swim in public."
And the recent emergence of specialty shops selling Islamic sportswear and swimwear should also help. A number of small companies have been popping up around the world lately with the purpose of selling such attire. If sold on a wider scale, this could solve part of the problem as many Muslim women do not play sports in public because they cannot find any suitable attire that offers modesty as well comfort.
With obesity on the rise and a plethora of health problems afflicting Arab women, something needs to be done immediately to raise awareness and help motivate women to get moving.
"I don't want to have problems with my heart, knees, or back years from now," said Badawi from Egypt. We as Arab women should all take heed of her fear of a problem-plagued future caused by this lack of exercise in our lives.
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