Program encourages Somali-American women to get fit

[Star Tribune, January 29, 2016] Almost everyone has obstacles to overcome when trying to get fit, from time constraints to physical limitations.

Ibrahim Mohamed discovered that Somali-American women in Shakopee had more challenges than most: they didn’t know much about exercise and couldn’t find a women-only environment to work out, which many Muslim women prefer.

“They didn’t know how and they didn’t have the resources,” Mohamed said. “They needed accommodation and also they needed motivation.”

Mohamed, president of the Shakopee Diversity Alliance, applied for and received the Neighborhood Health Connections grant from Allina Health and St. Francis Regional Medical Center. He used the $10,300, intended for health-related programming, to create the Somali Women’s Exercise program, or Somali Jimisci. Read more at startribune.com