السَّلامُ عليْكُم
[As-Salammu Alaikum]
I'm Mubarakah (pronounced moo-BA-ra-kah), a holistic health coach for Muslim women over 40 and the founder of The Fit Muslimah.
When I was a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, I made her chuckle when I said the one thing I've learned in this work: no matter where a woman chooses to worship, we all want to know the same thing, how to get rid of cellulite.
But for the Muslim woman, here is what I know to be true. Improving our health was never about fitting into a little black dress or a summer bikini. Fitness is not a look. It is a state of being healthy and strong. It is the focus to be present with our family and present in our salah. We cover ourselves modestly because we choose to obey Allah, not because we are ashamed of our bodies.
How I got here
At 39, I was a fitness professional with an interdisciplinary degree in exercise science, public health, and psychology, and I was 40 pounds overweight. Four teenagers, a husband, a degree still to finish, a business to build, and a scale that would not stop climbing. So I did what my training told me to do. I trained harder, six days a week, and passed the Army fitness test before my 40th birthday. I did not lose a single pound.
I had already buried both of my parents. My father at 55 from a stroke, my mother from the slow damage of unmanaged diabetes. I understood, clinically and personally, exactly where I was headed, and I refused to go there.
So I went back to my own exercise science textbooks and studied what actually changes in a woman's body after 40: the hormonal shifts, the role of insulin, the metabolic rewiring no one had trained me to account for. I stopped chasing symptoms and started treating the cause. I lost 38 pounds. At 47, I became a national powerlifting champion.
What I believe
After 40, one hormone changes everything: insulin. It drives belly fat, cravings, energy crashes, and the shifts of perimenopause. Bring it under control and the rest of the body follows. This is the work I teach now: insulin-centered nutrition and strength, adapted to the sunnah and built for a Muslim woman's real life.
I believe physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing are intertwined. The weakness of one weakens them all, and the strengthening of one strengthens them all. Your body is an amanah, a trust from Allah. When you care for it, you do not just add years to your life. You worship with strength, and you become the example your daughters follow.
I'm 50 and perimenopausal. I am not teaching you from a distance. I am living this work, with 25 years of coaching and the science behind every decision.
Credentials
Interdisciplinary degree in exercise science, public health, and psychology. 15 certifications in women's health, nutrition, stress reduction, and breathwork. 25 years coaching thousands of women. Featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Recognized at the White House for her work in health and wellness. 2023 national powerlifting champion.
