Yemenis opt for morning park workouts to help cope with stress of war

People stretch out as they perform fitness exercises at a public park in Sanaa, Yemen October 28, 2021. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

SANAA (Reuters) - After dawn prayers Hatim Ali Hadi dons his tracksuit and heads to a park in the Yemeni capital Sanaa for group exercise sessions which help take people's minds off the problems caused by the war going on around them.

"These exercises, this running and weight loss brought back my life and health," said the retired engineer, who has shed 40kg in weight and stopped chewing the addictive green stimulant qat.