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Madiya pleased with strides made in health for UAE women

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(photo:Regi Varghese/Gulf News -
Shaikha Madiya Bint Hasher Al Maktoum with her horse Jad Al Khar in Dubai. )

By Alaric Gomes, Staff Reporter

Dubai: The captain of the UAE women's endurance team is pleased with the drastic changes taking place in the world of women's fitness since the past few years.

"It's really amazing to see so many health and fitness clubs and programmes exclusively dedicated for women in the UAE," stated Shaikha Madiya Bint Hasher Al Maktoum in an exclusive interview with Gulf News.

"A few years back there were maybe a few health clubs or absolutely nothing for women here. But this is no longer the case as so many new clubs and facilities have come up exclusively with the modern-day woman in mind," Shaikha Madiya stated.

As the captain of the UAE women's endurance squad, Shaikha Madiya has lent her support for Mefit06 - the Middle East Health and Fitness Summit scheduled to be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from November 27-29.

"I believe in staying healthy, and the best way to do so is to participate in sports," Shaikha Madiya said. The Middle East Health and Fitness Summit will be held alongside Sportex 2006.

"I used to be overweight. But I saw the importance of keeping healthy and got involved with certain fitness programmes which have helped me reduce weight and stay focused on my endurance riding," Shaikha Madiya stated.

Mefit06 has invited prominent fitness personalities including Malcolm Geluk, Kerry Hill, Steve Renata, Rob Richards and Susan Tolj.

"The conception for fitness especially among women has changed quite a bit in the past two of three years. This is for the best, and I feel it will get much better in the near future," Shaikha Madiya observed.

"There are so many themed fitness programmes keeping women in mind," she added.

Being in a physically demanding sport like endurance riding, the UAE skipper knows she has to keep to a high level of fitness. This starts very early in the day with rising time fixed for 4am every day.

"I have a couple of personal favourite fitness programmes like the RPM and body compact. These help me and complement my sports activities," she stated.

"As a sportswoman, my challenge would be to convince women to keep healthy. I am speaking from personal experience. If one is healthy, then one is also happy.

"Healthy living is so crucial to our general state of happiness," Shaikha Madiya said.

"I will attend the Mefit06 exhibition and endorse it," she added.
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