By Shabana Awan

In 2014, life placed me at a crossroad. I was juggling a full-time job, raising a young family, and anxiously awaiting a decision on our UK work visa. Amid the uncertainty, something else became painfully clear — I was unfit, constantly fatigued, and unable to keep up with my children. Just jogging for two minutes left me breathless. 

My health took a toll. The daily chores and taking care of the family was too demanding for my aching body. I was irritated all the time. My relationship with my family was getting affected. I had to take steps to turn things around. Something had to change.

It was while waiting for the visa process to be finalised that I decided to get health back on track. I saw this as an opportunity from Allah to benefit from what was in my hands and leave the rest with Him.

Caring for our bodies is an amanah (trust), and exercise helps us worship better, live longer, and fulfil our roles with joy and energy.

I started running, sharing my progress online to inspire older Muslim women given that we were least likely compared to other faith groups to take up physical activity. According to Sports England less than 1 in 5 Muslim women exercise at least once a week. Now that’s alarming, but not surprising!

Having always been passionate about fitness, I had not considered pursuing it as a profession. I had an established career in logistics; doing something completely different seemed too daring. And how does one switch from one career to another? Was this even possible when raising a young family? But even with those circling doubts, I felt a compulsion to do this. Mostly driven by the need to inspire women with knowledge backed by science and own personal success story.

Before doing this, I looked into whether being a female Muslim fitness trainer was permissible in Islam. I was taken aback by what I learned. Our deen doesn’t just allow health and fitness: it encourages it. Caring for our bodies is an amanah (trust), and exercise helps us worship better, live longer, and fulfil our roles with joy and energy. That was all the conviction I needed. 

I certified as a Personal Trainer and Nutrition Advisor; and formed my online fitness company helping women reach their fitness goals.

Needed to create awareness that we women can keep going, in fact it gets better with age:  yes, at 50+; yes, going through the menopause and yes, to prove that strength has no expiration date. 

Fast Forward 10 Years

Being in my 50s, I refused to accept that ageing means fading away. Too often, this stage of life is shrouded in silence, stigma, and shame. This needed to change. We needed to create awareness that we women can keep going, in fact it gets better with age.

And so, I’ve decided to run 10k in 10 different countries for menopause. I’ve called this running feat, Miles for Menopause. The idea came to me when I started struggling with my own menopause journey.

Since I love running and travelling, I found no better way to express the possibilities of outrunning menopause, in fact running right through it with power and purpose.  You may be wondering why I’m doing this? I want to change the narrative:

Because menopause isn’t the end - it’s a new beginning. 

Because I want to show women that midlife is not a crisis — it’s a comeback. 

Because somewhere along the line, we were told to slow down and act our age — but I’m running in the opposite direction. 

This journey is about more than fitness. It’s about freedom, self-discovery, and unapologetic female empowerment. I want to break the mould and show women that it’s never too late to dream big, move your body, and reignite your passion for life. 

So far, I’ve run in: Spain, The Netherlands and next up is Belgium. I'm choosing countries close to the UK, so that I can make short trips and continue building momentum. You can follow my journey — past and future runs — on Instagram and TikTok: @fiftyplusfitmuslimah. 

You can also support the mission.

 

I’ve launched a GoFundMe to support this project. Your donations help cover: 

• Travel and accommodation 
• Race entry fees 
• Equipment to document and share my story 
• Collaborations with menopause and wellness organisations to support other women 
• Part of the support received will go in to charity supporting Orphans

You can find the donation link by clicking here. 

Follow me on instagram - @fiftyplusfitmuslimah and hashtag #MilesForMenopause #FiftyPlusFitMuslimah