The Islamic Bulletin Volume X X II No. 27 Page 12 WOMEN IN ISLAM Shed Crazy From Your Life By: Running Muslimah It’s a harrowing experience faced by women everywhere: entering a department store fitting room. As our eyes catalog every wrinkle, dimple and pimple, the well rehearsed spiel begins: If only I did more crunches…If only I didn’t eat that chocolate croissant…If only I walked more…If only I didn’t have such a stressful job…If only I had time to work out…You know what I’m talking about. There’s a pretty good chance it’s a variation of “Eat Less, Move More.” Across this planet there are scores of Muslim women trying on pants, shirts, skirts, jilbabs, hijabs, abayas, shalwar kameez, and dresses, to name a few articles of clothing. It is very likely you have been one of these women. Perhaps you have looked in the mirror with a sort of dejected horror as the pants don’t fit (the infamous Muffin Top comes to mind), the shirts look misshapen, the skirts hang a good two inches off the ground due to your enormous thighs (you are convinced they look like beached whales when you sit, and nothing anyone says will convince you otherwise), the hijabs highlight your double chin quite nicely, (no amount of tugging under the chin will cover it, as scarf is determined to slip back to original location) the abayas and jilbabs which once upon a time slid on effortlessly now catch at alarming points on your hips, and no amount of embroidery on the shalwar kameez will disguise the rolls of fat on your belly. Perhaps most of this is an exaggeration, but one thing is for sure: Few are the women, Muslim or otherwise, who relish a trip to the fitting room. Why is this? For Muslim women in the United States, the culture of thinness/fitness/ideal body type resembles the inside of a schizophrenic patient’s brain. Stick-thin models gaze alluringly at us from the glossy covers of magazines, right next to the packages of Ferrero Rocher and Snickers Bars. Shiny, happy THIN people on the telly bite delicately into a Dove chocolate bar, crunch potato chips, nosh on McDonald’s French Fries whilst sucking down carbonated beverages through plastic straws, all with a smile on their faces. The sad reality is that someone somewhere is forlornly eating her way through a package of Dove chocolate bars, or wiping grease stains and crumbs off her fingers as she reaches the bottom of the Doritos bag, or feeling bloated and overstuffed because she just got off from work and gave in to the fast-food drive thru. We are bombarded by artificiality everyday: pretend women with pretend bodies on billboards, advertisements, television, movies; fake food with fake natural ingredients and fake coloring; empty promises as every diet and exercise machine claims to give us the body we want, the body we deserve to have, the body we CAN have with just 5 payments of $19.95. Limited time offer, don’t delay. We live in a culture of Satisfaction Now. The amount of choices in any super center chain, for example, is staggering. Hundreds of makeup choices, dozens of toothpastes, breakfast cereals, shampoos, anything you want is available in every color, shape and size. It’s a war zone out there. And many of us find ourselves ill-equipped to fight. What can we do? I started writing this as an article for Muslim women about shedding weight, but I now dub it, “Shedding Crazy From Your Life.” Weight is simply one symptom of a larger problem. Some things I’ve learned: 1. Turn television/internet/Facebook OFF. This right here, ladies, is probably one of the main reasons we’re packing on a few pounds too many. Watching America’s Next Top Model will not make you skinny by osmosis. Regarding the internet, I admit my weakness is Facebook. I log on to check my email and find myself drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Before I know it, half an hour has gone by and all I’ve done is read a few useless emails and found out one of my girlfriends scored as “Hot Hijabi” on the “What Kind of Hijabi are You?” quiz. We need to lock away that laptop and start living! Which leads me to… 2. Walk. This is the most beneficial exercise we can do, period. While cross-country skiing may burn a billion more calories per hour than walking, chances are pretty good that in your lifetime, you’re going to walk more than you ski. Especially if you live in Florida. If you aren’t currently engaged in exercise and think walking is too easy, try walking for just half an hour. Believe me, it’s tough, especially if you’re just starting out. Instead of watching television or eating out of boredom, put on some sneakers and hit the pavement. The great thing about walking is you don’t need any special equipment for it. If you don’t feel safe walking in your neighborhood you can go to a mall or a gym. Many parks and middle/high schools have quarter-mile tracks. Get moving, girl, and not only will you feel better, you’ll look better too! 3. If you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it. If you can’t pronounce the ingredients, there’s a pretty good chance you don’t want that stuff in your body. If the ingredient list takes up half the packaging, that is also not good. Food that comes out of the earth is always the best. Try experimenting with cooking your own meals and buying your own produce. The best feeling in the world is knowing exactly what you’re eating, made to your own specifications, and just how beneficial it is to your body. Onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant, squash, carrots, pomegranate, peaches, apples, bananas, lentils, blueberries, strawberries…the list is unending. So many delicious and healthy options that Allah (SWT) made for us! Look up recipes you want to try online or in a cookbook, and ask friends and family for their favorite recipes. Pretty soon anything artificial will taste just that: artificial. (Another note: stay far, far away from genetically modified/ engineered produce. They’ve been given the equivalent of plant steroids. Anytime you see a super huge tomato or banana, the chances are pretty good it’s been genetically altered.) 4. Purge. I don’t mean the “bent over the toilet, sticking a finger down your throat” purge. I mean the, “Do I really need another purple hijab?” type purge. Our environments are a reflection of ourselves. When we maintain a clean, organized, and clutter-free living space, it helps us feel organized and clutter-free inwardly as well. It’s a positive feedback loop. Donate any clothes, books, or bric-a-brac you aren’t using to a local shelter or among your family and friends. Recycle old scrap paper. Dust off that ceiling fan. The best thing is you’ll find all your missing hijab pins.
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