News :
Saudis Get Fit to Travel
RIYADH, July 5 2005 -- Overweight Saudis
traveling abroad are facing the difficult reality that they have to
shed weight if they hope to wear different clothes other than the traditional
thobe and Abayas during their summer travels. Many of them, opting for
casual wear — jeans and sweatshirts — require a fitter body. Many are
not fit and thobes and abayas conveniently hide this fact.
With the summer season just starting, many Saudis — males
and females — have joined fitness clubs to lose weight, Al-Hayat reported.
Many women have joined fitness clubs in an effort to fix
their weight after a year of inertia. Some have bought sport equipment
and turned rooms inside their homes into small fitness clubs. Being
a seasonal phenomenon, many sports and fitness clubs have increased
their fees to take advantage of the large number of people applying
for the limited number of places.
Sara Al-Saif, a private sector employee, urged the clubs
to cut their fees, especially their one-year subscriptions. She also
called on women to join the club not only for the summertime in order
to reduce their weight for traveling, but to sustain a fitness regimen
that could help them be fitter throughout the year.
Um Naser, a female summertime fitness enthusiast, said
that every summer she likes to try a different fitness club. “Summertime
is the best time to lose weight, especially if I am going to travel
abroad,” she said. “I hope there will be more sport clubs available
for us in every neighborhood.”
Another Saudi, Lama Al-Wasel said that she joins clubs
because she loves to exercise with a group. She installed a treadmill
and bicycle in her home.
A female fitness instructor said that the number of females
joining fitness club tripled about three months before the start of
summer vacation. “They all want to look good and in fine shape before
traveling abroad,” she said. “Though not all of them want to lose weight
just for traveling; some of them are getting fit to get married and
some are under an ultimatum — lose weight or be divorced. The ones who
fear divorce are between the age of 30 and 50.”
Fahd Al-Hamad, 28-year-old Saudi, said that she joined
a health club to lose weight because she was getting ready to travel
abroad. “It is very difficult to wear jeans when my weight is over 90
kilos. So far I have lost 6 kilos and I intend to lose more.”
Abdulrahman Al-Furaih, 38, joined a health club two months
before summertime. “I look very bad when I wear a sweatshirt,” he said.
I joined the club because I wanted to burn off the fat around my stomach.
I joined the club because my wife threatened me that she will not walk
with me in the streets of Lebanon and be embarrassed.”
Ahmad Al-Sarhan, a health club employee here, said that
many people joined the club in the past two months. He said, “Some people
request to lose ten kilos in few days, which is impossible. A body needs
a period of four months at least, with exercise and diet, to see changes.
If they want to lose weight, then they must follow instructions.”
(source : www.arabnews.com)
