Shazia Hossen Talks to Amaliah About Her Journey to ‘Becoming Strong’
by Amaliah Team in Culture & Lifestyle on 12th February, 2018
Source: Instagram @_shazfit
Self-described personal trainer, female empowerment advocate, and founder of Strong Habibiti Athletics, Shazia Hossen garnered world-wide attention last year when she shot to fame as Nike’s first UK Hijab Ambassador for their acclaimed Nike Pro Hijab line. With a list of feats as impressive as the ones Shazia’s secured and with many more to come, we wanted to find out what she’s gained most from her journey to ‘becoming strong.’
Shazia on the start of her fitness journey….
Shazia’s personal instagram is decorated with snapshots of a fun and dedicated relationship to life in fitness so far. Having dabbled in fitness as a teen, her enthusiasm for the craft really began towards the end of her G.C.S.E’s, where she joined a local junior gym and took up exercise as a hobby and lifestyle change,“it played a huge role in maintaining my mental, as well as physical wellbeing…. being or becoming skinny was never an objective for me- it was to become STRONG!”. Not long into her fitness journey, Shazia made the decision to start wearing the hijab in the Ramadan of 2015, attending the gym regularly only to realise that there was a lack of appropriate training gear for her, “apart from long sleeved base layer tops and full length leggings, I found it quite difficult to find anything. At the time, I had recently quit my job and wasn’t yet a qualified Personal Trainer, so with the only funds I had, I used them to start up my business”.
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Shazia launched herself into the world of modest-fashion and sportswear a while before her gig with Nike, and her brand, Strong Habibiti (SH) Athletics is only one part of a long list of contributions she hopes to make for women in sports.
“One of my greatest dreams would be to open a women’s only gym with ALL the equipment and facilities any other world renowned gym would have, so that women of all cultures, religions and dress codes could train together with no barriers and no excuses”
It’s clear Shazia is out to change the game when it comes to the role of women in the fitness space, and while she believes that her biggest achievement is yet to be accomplished, she recognises that her role as Nike’s first UK Hijab Ambassador was something that she wasn’t expecting in her own line up! “To be handpicked to represent such an influential brand was definitely not on my to-do list! They loved what they saw on my Instagram and asked to meet me for a chat.” After re-telling her experience with training as a hijab wearing woman, she was asked by Nike to help represent the Pro Hijab line in the UK, “my response was a high pitched squeal! Opportunities like these are that which I believed came only to those with millions of followers and a ‘verified tick’. As a covered woman in the industry it is easy to feel unseen. It is vital that we stay consistently true to ourselves, stay true to our grind and seek validation only from within, not from numbers on social media stats or comments under a post.”
“I’m a woman, a woman of colour, a woman of colour in hijab. On top of all that I’m in the gym throwing weights around and starting up businesses, criticism will surely come!”
Representation in the industry
It turns out that a genuine and loving relationship with your craft is enough to garner the attention of a world-leading brand giant and help be a part of a cause aiming to aid the representation of women. It’s a movement close to Shazia’s heart, and has been an integral part of her fitness journey so far, “I actively sought women of colour in the fitness industry/fitness enthusiasts on the ‘Gram. When I contemplated wearing the hijab, I would hardly see hijab wearing Muslim women in the gym or in the fitness industry, whether it be a personal trainer/coach or athlete. Therefore hijab and training wasn’t something I thought I could do. About one year prior to when I first hit the gym covered, I made a decision to start searching and following sisters who trained in hijab for inspiration, because I knew they were out there even though they weren’t visible in the mainstream media. When we say representation matters it really is no joke! These are the women who continue to inspire me every day.”
A post shared by Shaz || Hossen (@_shazfit) on
On dealing with the haters!
A simple and healthy, “block and delete approach! It isn’t something I allow to have a huge effect on me; I’ve long since accepted that it comes with the territory. I’m a woman, a woman of colour, a woman of colour in hijab. On top of all that I’m in the gym throwing weights around and starting up businesses, criticism will surely come! However it does disappoint me when such negativity comes from other Muslim women, because I feel we should empathise with one another the most.”
A post shared by Shaz || Hossen (@_shazfit) on
Juggling roles as Shazia does, discussions on identity and their impact haven’t escaped her. Recognising the toll it can take, Shazia has used her platform to be vocal about her belief in a holistic approach to wellbeing and identity, which she believes faith and fitness have helped her cultivate, “In Islam we are encouraged to look after ourselves, in the spiritual and physical sense. A lot of the time when we struggle with our emotions, not considering the damage we are doing to ourselves in the long run. Our physical bodies have been entrusted with us until return back to Him, and they are capable of countless amazing things which we take for granted. It would be such a shame to leave this world without ever fulfilling even a fraction of the wonders of Allah’s unique design. Culturally, women’s health and fitness is limited to working out and dieting a couple weeks before a family function or someone’s wedding. This is a narrative I aim to change within the community Insha’Allah”.
“Simply getting started is the first big step to seeing results”
She emphasises the importance of making the journey enjoyable, “comparison is the thief of joy- do not allow yourself to feel hopeless by comparing your starting point to someone who has been doing it for years”. As vocal and as out -there as Shazia is, she empathises with those struggling to escape nerves and shyness at the gym and she warns against being intimidated, “don’t worry too much about people looking at you in the gym. Most people will be too into their own training to watch you trying to work out how the resistance machine works!”. For those of us who struggle to find the time to fit some exercise in, Shazia recommends working out at home, “there are plenty of home workouts you can do and search for on YouTube, so no excuses!”. Lastly and most importantly, “get you some SH Athletics Activewear!”.
Join a whole community of followers keeping up with Shazia’s journey through her website and instagram @_shazfit
Amaliah Team
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