Ramadan Wellness: Practical Exercise & Nutrition Tips
5 minute read
This Ramadan, which will be observed from March 10 to April 9 (dates may vary), holds profound significance as a celebratory month for Muslims worldwide. This period is dedicated to fasting, prayers, reflections, expressions of gratitude, and community engagement.
Fasting spans from dawn to dusk, with a central focus on spiritual priorities. However, it is equally crucial not to overlook the importance of maintaining physical health. A robust physical well-being not only facilitates smoother fasting but also enhances the quality of prayers and promotes better concentration in the regular activities of daily life.
Nutrition Tips:
#1 Portion control is key!
During Ramadan, where we typically have two meals a day, maintaining our usual food volume can be a challenge, especially with a more extended interval between meals. Our primary advice is to prioritize mindful eating throughout this month. We strongly recommend consuming both morning and evening meals, listening to your body's hunger cues, and savouring each bite at a slow pace to prevent discomfort from eating too quickly.
Ensure an early start for suhoor/sahur/sehri, allowing your body to acclimate, particularly if you're not accustomed to substantial morning meals. You only have 2 meals in a day to fulfill your nutritional needs, so make the most of both of them.
Avoid overindulging, as excessive fullness can adversely impact your prayers. The same rules apply - eat when you are hungry, enjoy your food, and stop before you are completely stuffed.
#2 Continue using My Healthy Plate as a guide.
Ensure your iftar and suhoor meals are well-balanced, providing a variety of nutrients to keep you nourished. Instead of solely relying on your own knowledge, explore reputable nutrition guides specifically tailored for Ramadan. These guides offer valuable insights into making informed food choices, assisting you in maintaining a healthy eating plate.
Additionally, incorporate diet tips that focus on balanced meals and portion control to optimize your nutrition during this time. If you are interested, discover our blog titled “What Diet Works for You?”, for valuable insights on maintaining long-term dietary habits tailored to your lifestyle.
Iftar often features popular choices like deep-fried samosas, pakoras, and ayam masak merah, where even the chicken can be deep-fried. Without mindful nutrition, it's easy to indulge in foods high in fat, sodium, and sugar, including sugary carbonated drinks.
While it may be challenging to incorporate a substantial amount of fibre during suhoor and iftar, we strongly recommend diversifying your food intake across all essential food groups. Include a mix of vegetables, two servings of fruit, proteins, and carbohydrates, while reducing the consumption of deep-fried items by opting for healthier cooking methods such as grilling, baking, pan-frying, or air frying. Here is a recipe for air-fried samosa. Same taste for fewer calories and saturated fat.
#3 Suhoor and Iftar Recommendations.
Suhoor Suggestions:
Dates
Fruits like bananas, apples, and pears or anything that fits budget and taste preferences.
Treat your suhoor like you typically would your breakfast. Some easy light meals are eggs (any way you prefer, but add at least 4 egg whites to meet your protein requirements), oats with protein powder and fruit, high protein, high fibre sandwiches. Opt for wholegrains as they will keep you fuller for longer. If you can consume rice, meat, and vegetables then please, who are we to stop you? That would be perfect!
Iftar Recommendations:
Dates are great and also customary. They are a rich source of dietary fibre, with an abundance of vitamins and minerals, and high levels of antioxidant activity.
Hydrating fruits such as watermelon, rockmelon, honeydew, tomato, and cucumber are great. Choose fruits that aid in replenishing hydration and mineral levels.
For those engaging in exercise during Ramadan, iftar time provides an opportune moment to restore electrolyte levels. Have a full meal consisting of whole grains and protein. If vegetables are challenging this month, shift your focus to fruit you enjoy instead.
Soups are a fantastic way to get fluids and minerals into your system, and they tend to be a light meal too if you are not a heavy eater during the fasting month.
Lastly, prioritize rehydrating before going to bed. Make plain water your bestie and drink at least 1.5L of water with even intervals. Read the study below done on Japanese adults to further understand the importance of water in our diet.
Exercise Tips:
#1 Do what you can.
In navigating through an intense Ramadan workout routine, especially with inherently lower energy levels, incorporating practical exercise becomes crucial for maintaining overall well-being. While fasting during Ramadan, it's essential to adjust your fitness routine to accommodate your energy levels and ensure sustainable physical activity.
To optimize your fitness experience during this period, consider moderating the intensity of your workouts to a range of 60-80%, adjusting according to your fitness level. This adjustment helps prevent overexertion and allows for a more manageable workout routine. If you are accustomed to gym workouts, consider reducing your repetition range or lightening the weights you typically use.
A strategic modification involves streamlining your practical exercise program to encompass a more focused approach, cutting down on the number of exercises per session to a range of 5 to 8.
Practical workouts that can be easily integrated into your daily schedule are particularly advantageous during Ramadan. These may include brisk walking, bodyweight exercises, or short HIIT sessions, which provide an efficient way to stay active without overexerting yourself during fasting hours.
By tactically recalibrating your practical training routine to prioritize exercises that align with your energy levels and fasting schedule, you can ensure a balanced and sustainable approach to physical activity throughout the Ramadan fasting period.
#2 Reduce expectations.
Choose to be smart about the goals you set during Ramadan. While we shift our priorities to prayers and fasting, we might have less time for exercise. We might even be exercising less frequently. So instead of expecting to put on muscle mass, shift your goals to muscle maintenance to the best of your ability and even anticipate slight muscle mass.
This is okay because a) we have different goals now temporarily and b) we will be able to gain the muscle back post-Ramadan.
Read the study done below to find out how long it exactly takes to lose muscle mass, before you panic about reversing your hard work in the gym before Ramadan.
#3 Switch to low-intensity and functional movement like mobility work.
Transitioning to mobility training during Ramadan offers a practical and accessible approach to exercise that can be seamlessly incorporated within the confines of your home. Performing mobility exercises in the comfort of your own space allows you to regulate the environment, enabling the use of a fan or air conditioner without elevating thirst levels.
It is advisable to steer clear of activities under the scorching sun, unless professional obligations necessitate sun exposure, in which case we extend our utmost respect to you.
Embracing mobility training not only enhances your overall daily movement but also mitigates the impact on intensity levels, aligning seamlessly with the demands of fasting during Ramadan. Find some more practical tips from the study below to reiterate similar training tips for Ramadan.
We hope you found these tips helpful and easy to implement. We wish you a fantastic Ramadan this year!
- From The FITFAMCO Team
