'Hijab is not an excuse for not working out'

Maryam is a qualified ophthalmologist who worked as an eye surgeon at a military hospital in Azerbaijan.

Fitness trainer and nutrition coach Maryam Shirinova started wearing hijab since the age of 21 when she embraced Islam. It didn't stop her from working out and becoming a certified fitness trainer and nutrition coach. She is now an inspiration for many hijabis to stay active and fit.
A mother of five, Maryam is a qualified ophthalmologist who worked as an eye surgeon at a military hospital in Azerbaijan, until she married and moved to Canada and then Dubai.
"It was after my third child that I decided to get into fitness. After having a personal trainer for two years, I decided to instead follow Australian fitness influencer Emily Skye. I also started studying fitness and delved deep into it to a level that I started taking online courses and managed to qualify a fitness trainer exam in Dubai."
"It was during one of my assessment exams where I had to train a girl on the treadmill, that something inside me said this is what I want to do. I fell in love with fitness more after I met my idol Skye here in Dubai. She was a guest for the Dubai Fitness Challenge last year. I still use her techniques and exercises she teaches on her mobile application.'
Maryam said she has met many hijabi women who wanted to get into fitness but are shy due to their sense of staying covered or just because they did not want people to judge them. "When I started training women, I saw how their faces lit up after doing fitness activities. Neither my dress nor my religion restrict my ability to be physically active and in my role as a fitness trainer I propagate the same."
saman@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• Dubai Fitness Challenge
• Dubai