Working Out While Over Dressed

There are usually two veins of thought when it comes to workout wear: so skimpalicious that the workout is not so much about what you're doing, but how you look (or are being looked at) doing it, or the standard covered up bits without too much excess fabric which can lead to overheating.

But what if you don't have the choice so much because of your religion?

That's what health-conscious Muslim women face when they want to work out (which as the piece in The New York Times reports, they are allowed to do in Islam), but are encumbered in their fitness efforts by the hijab, the loose, draping garments they wear to cover up their bodies. The NYT points out that women are allowed to show their hair, arms and legs up to their knees in front of other women.

It's an interesting look at something that most of us haven't had to really consider.

The bottom line is that Muslim women are no different than other women who want to care of themselves, even if, as Mubarakha Ibrahim, a personal trainer says in the article, "There is no little black dress to fit into..."

Read Abby Ellin's piece here.

Photo by naquib@flickr.