- Title: Climbing expeditions in Sulaimaniya help women get fit
- Date: 16th May 2016
- Summary: SULAIMANIYA, IRAQ (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF WOMEN CLIMBING UP MOUNTAIN FEET OF WOMEN CLIMBING UP MOUNTAIN VARIOUS OF WOMEN CLIMBING UP MOUNTAIN (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HIKER, NIYAN MAHMOUD, SAYING: "I have been ill for a long time and I visited many doctors, but most recently I had the idea of joining a sports club and climb mountains. I have been with them for two months now and I am now in good health and good shape. I lost seven kilograms of weight without going on a diet and I feel very good now." WOMEN CLIMBING UP MOUNTAINS GROUP LEADER ADDRESSING OTHERS ON TOP OF MOUNTAIN/ WOMEN LISTENING GROUP OF WOMEN LISTENING TO INSTRUCTIONS GROUP OF FEMALE MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS ON TOP OF MOUNTAIN GROUP OF WOMEN TAKING SELFIE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HIKER, ZAINAB AHMED FATTAH, SAYING: "I suffer from thyroid disorders and my weight was 90 kilograms, but after starting mountain climbing, my weight was reduced to 70 kilograms and I forget all about my illness and I stopped going to doctors. I am in good health now, thank God. Nature is the best cure for treating diseases and God has bestowed us with beautiful nature and we should benefit from it." WOMEN WALKING ON TOP OF MOUNTAIN (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) LEADER OF GROUP, HAZA HASSAN MOHAMMEED, SAYING: "I used to weigh 117kg and I managed to lose 57 kg. I also suffered from diabetes and hypertension before practising mountain climbing. As you know, there are a lot of beautiful and very high mountains in the northern region of Kurdistan and I was advised by my teacher to climb mountains to lose weight and fight chronic diseases. Thank God, we formed our group two years ago. In those two years I lost my extra weight and no longer have the chronic diseases." VARIOUS OF WOMEN WALKING ON TOP OF MOUNTAIN (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF GROUP, HAZA HASSAN MOHAMMEED, SAYING: "Very few women came to us to practice the sport as a hobby. All of the them come because of diseases or extra weight. Obesity is a big problem for Iraqi women." WOMEN WALKING ON TOP OF MOUNTAIN
- Embargoed: 31st May 2016 11:06
- Keywords: Mountaineering climbing Sulaimaniya fitness
- Location: SULAIMANIYA, IRAQ
- City: SULAIMANIYA, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Topics: Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA0014I21SGL
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A mountaineering expert has started up a club for Iraqi women in the Iraqi Kurdish city of Sulaimaniya in an attempt to help them get fit.
Iranian-Kurdish Farah Murad Salimi Kazwan says she wants women to take advantage of beautiful scenic views of the region to tackle their weight problems, thus reducing the risks of diseases such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension.
Kazwan originally started a sports club in 2009 to introduce local women to aerobics. Two years ago, she decided to tap into her mountaineering skills to introduce the sport in a country not known for it.
One long-standing sufferer of arthritis, Niyan Mahmoud said she joined the club after voicing her frustrations to her doctor who suggested she give it a shot.
"I have been ill for a long time and I visited many doctors, but most recently I had the idea of joining a sport club and climb mountains. I have been with them for two months now and I am now in good health and proper shape. I lost seven kilograms of weight without diet and I feel very good now," said 45-year-old Mahmoud.
Sulaimaniya city in Iraq's northern region of Kurdistan is surrounded by mountains on all sides including the Azmer, Goyija and Qaiwan ranges in the northeast, the Baranan Mountain in the south and the Tasluja Hills in the west.
Fifty-year-old Zaynab Mohammed Fattah said apart from the physical health benefits, the sport has helped her appreciate the natural beauty of her city.
"I suffer from thyroid disorders and my weight was 90 kilograms, but after starting mountain climbing, my weight was reduced to 70 kilograms and I forget all about my illness and I stopped going to doctors. I am in good health now, thank God. Nature is the best cure for treating diseases and God has bestowed us with beautiful nature and we should benefit from it,'' said Fattah who has so far climbed between 20-30 mountains.
Leader of the group, Haza Hassan Mohammed, joined the organisation in 2014 after struggling with her weight.
"I used to weigh 117kg and I managed to lose 57 kg. I also suffered from diabetes and hypertension before practising mountain climbing. As you know, there are a lot of beautiful and very high mountains in the northern region of Kurdistan and I was advised by my teacher to climb mountains to lose weight and fight chronic diseases. Thank God, we formed our group two years ago. In those two years I lost my extra weight and no longer have the chronic diseases," said Mohammed, urging all women to take up outdoor exercise for a healthy lifestyle.
According to Mohammed, at first the club only had five members, all of them weighing over 100kg each. Today the club has roughly 2000 members, offering aerobics classes too as part of hiking preparation.
"Very few women came to us to practice the sport as a hobby. All of the them come because of diseases or extra weight. Obesity is a big problem for Iraqi women," she said.
The club offers three aerobics classes a week in addition to massage sessions and a variety of other physical exercises in return to a monthly fee of 55,000 Iraqi dinars (50 US dollars).
Each climber has to carry a small backpack with water, fruit snacks and first aid kits.
For safety, all team leaders have to be properly trained in first aid to be fully prepared should accidents arise.
Iraqi Kurdistan has enjoyed virtual independence under Western protection since the end of the first Gulf War in 1991, attracting foreign investors as a relatively stable area compared to the rest of Iraq.
The organisation hopes that the magnificent views of the Kurdish region together with the excitement of taking up a new sport will encourage local and international women to pay them a visit. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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