Fit Muslimah Summit - Heallth and Fitness Retreat for Muslimah Women

VISION:

A Healthier Ummah One Muslimah at a Time

MISSION:

Fit Muslimah Initiative is a health and fitness initiative to encourage Muslim women to improve their physical health and fitness.

GOALS

Our goal is get Muslim women thinking about their own health and fitness effects their quality of life. The Fit Muslimah Summit is a part of a larger Fit Muslimah initiative that is becoming a revolution that will lead to Muslim women becoming proactive about their health and fitness. It aims to encourage women to support one another, encourage each other, all while we learn and teach ways we all can become a better version of our own selves. “Fitness is not a look, it’s a state of being. Look good is just a side effect.

Our Specific goals are

•

To facilitate live events in which Muslim women can explore a variety of fitness activities and health philosophies.

•

To create a network of Muslim females’ health and fitness professionals and make their services known to the Muslim Community.

•

To encourage Muslim women to engage in physical fitness, one of the most neglected aspects of a Muslim woman’s lifestyle

•

To establish a scholarship fund for Muslim women to pursue health and fitness education.

•

To teach Muslim females that they can participate in physical activities without compromising their religious principles and restrictions

HISTORY

The Fit Muslimah Initiative began as a modest gathering of 30-50 women throughout the Tri-State area coming to a Connecticut hosted monthly “fun fitness” day for Muslim women by renting the local community center. Founder and personal trainer, Mubarakah Ibrahim would teach a class, a Muslimah Nutritionist would give a workshop and the women would swim. There was only one requirement for all of the activities, you had to MOVE! That meant scrabble was banned but Twister was welcomed. The Pocketbook game was replaced with a contest of who could do the most push-ups and the recipes that were shared talked of replacing the white sugar and white flour with their brown counterparts in our favorite meals. For 3 summers “fun fitness days” attracted Muslim women throughout the Tri-State area.

In January of 2006, Mubarakah Ibrahim, Owner of BALANCE fitness Studio for Women in New Haven CT appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show as the “job you’d never expect”. Her appearance as the first African American Muslim Born and raised in the US, working to get women of all faiths to prioritize their health and fitness brought an opportune time to highlight health and fitness in the lives of Muslim women.

With this popularity she seized the opportunity to make an international call to women throughout North America to take steps towards improving their physical, mental and spiritual health by participating in an annual Health and Fitness Summits in Connecticut. Over 300 Muslim women from all over North America participated in the first Fit Muslimah Summit and the event has been a success each year thereafter. With interactive workshops from various health and fitness professions, Swimming and a variety of fitness class the Fit Muslimah Summit is designed to help each woman can find “her own path to wellness”.

In its 4th year the Fit Muslimah Summit expanded to a second Conference health in Atlanta Georgia and plans to expand to 5 total locations in North American in 2011, including Chicago Illinois, Litchfield CT, Atlanta Georgia, California, and Maryland areas. In addition Summit will he held in 3 International locations including Jeddah Saudi Arabia, Devonshire Bermuda and Toronto Canada.