Muslim Women in physical activity and exercise

My dad has always loved sport and from a young age he has pushed me to engage in as many sporting activities as possible. With my dads support i took any chance i had in joining a sport related team in school and outside of school, however growing older my mum thought it wasn't necessary for me to participate in sport so much as i wouldn't carry it on to a professional level. Because of this i didn't participate in much team sport and started exercising myself at home and at the gym. As well as this, my grandfather is very religious and wasn't keen on the idea that i participated in so much sport, on many occasions he has stopped me from going to the gym as he says that it isn't allowed in Islam due to the dress code and many of the activities such as lifting weights. 

A)Participating in sport is an essential thing for me, it not only ensures benefits to my health but it is also a means of socialising. It enables me to meet new people and try out new things.
B)Being a Muslim girl, for me the participation in sport within mixed gender surroundings is very uncomfortable. To this day, i have a very religious background and growing up my parents taught me that modesty is very important, for example the way i dress and the things i do. When i am participating in sport alongside the opposite gender i have to dress covering my body from head to toe, this often restricts me from being able to do various activities and in many cases people will question me as to why i am dressed in such a way which makes me more uncomfortable.
Also when i am in mixed gender surroundings there are some things i don't feel confident in doing, such as lifting weights. I feel as though i am being judged by some males, and once i had some guys come up to me and question why i was lifting weights, according to them lifting weights is only for males as females 'aren't strong enough' to participate in such activities. For these reasons i find it much more comfortable going to a ladies only gym.   

I believe that exercise is a vital part of life as it has many benefits. Exercise not only helps you feel physically better but it also improves your mental health and your general well-being. Being physically active improves the way your brain functions as the blood flow and oxygen levels to your brain will increase and it also reduces your chance of getting certain cancers and diseases.