BAGHDAD — As Iraq awakens from a years-long nightmare of sectarian violence, many Baghdad residents are thrilled by signs of their newfound stability: manicured parks, fully stocked markets and the absence of militias.
Not so thrilling: their own reflections in the mirror.
After retreating into their homes to escape violence and living off a steady diet of satellite television, cigarettes and hearty, high-calorie food, many have emerged from their homes out of shape. Some are heading to the gym.
"Before, we worried only about being killed by a militia or bombing," said one man at a Baghdad gym. "Now, you will not die by an [improvised explosive device], you will die of heart attack."
The Iraqi government hopes to promote fitness by subsidizing sports centers, according to officials at the Ministry of Health, which does not keep statistics on gym use by Iraqis.
The renewed interest in fitness has also spawned a new class of entrepreneur -- gym owners who offer personal trainers and guarantees that customers will lose weight and shape up for anywhere between $20 and $150 a month.
At perhaps a dozen or so packed fitness centers, owners are importing sophisticated cardio and weight machines from the United States, along with truckloads of fat burners, weightlifting supplements and detoxifying teas.
"People just want to be in better shape," said Fahed Abed, a Baghdad University student browsing the shelves of a supplement shop, one of several that have sprung up in the last year.
Even under Saddam Hussein, Iraq had supported a small culture of weightlifters and bodybuilders, many of whom worked in security details. Often they grunted out sets in dingy rooms that offered little more than a weight bench and a mixed collection of free weights.
When coalition forces led by the United States toppled Hussein's regime in 2003, long- established gyms prepared for a renaissance.
Gym owner Sabah Talib immediately changed the name of his Elegant Bodies gym in the Karada district of Baghdad to Arnold Classic Gym, in honor of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a former champion bodybuilder. Talib said he had long wanted to make the change, but that officials under Hussein prohibited him from naming the gym after a foreigner.
Talib also filled his gym with photos of the former Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia, began a correspondence with Schwarzenegger and held a bodybuilding contest on the street in front of his business.
