In recent years, there has been increasing talk regarding physical activity and fitness during the month of Ramadan, in light of the tendency of many to be lethargic and sleep for long hours this month. What sports are recommended to be practiced in this month? Is it necessary to avoid some physical activities during fasting? And what is the best time to do sports activity: before or following breakfast?
According to fitness trainer Ammar Al-Zoubi, the month of Ramadan is one of the best months for losing weight and adjusting the routine of individuals’ lives. As fasting creates a specific routine following suhoor: work, for example, then shopping, then going to the gym, then breaking the fast, then praying, and so on for a whole month.
Since people make changes to their entire life system during this month, changes related to physical fitness are no exception. Al-Zoubi advises making some adjustments to food and the quality of exercise, in order to reduce the problems associated with fasting, such as fatigue, exhaustion, and decreased performance.
But it is the intensity of the exercises that determines the most appropriate timing for ordinary people (athletes have other accounts). Low-intensity exercises (light cardio), such as walking and jogging, can be practiced by the fasting person shortly before breaking the fast, given that during fasting the body will have used its various energy sources. As for high-intensity exercises, it is preferable to practice them from two to three hours following breaking the fast.
In terms of eating, it is preferable that the breakfast meal be rich in protein, such as meat, chicken and fish, and healthy carbohydrates such as whole grains, in addition to minerals to compensate for what the body lost during the day. It is advised to reduce salty foods, stay away from unnatural sugars found in sweets in general, and focus more on fruit sugar (fructose), because it provides the body with a better quality of energy and reduces fatigue following breakfast, as in regular sugar. Keeping in mind that breakfast is light, so that it does not negatively affect exercise.
As for those who do not exercise following breakfast, it is preferable to add a meal following exercise, because the body has lost large amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, which it is preferable to replace with good sources, especially for people who are thinking of losing weight or increasing their muscle mass.
Weight loss
During exercise, the body uses the many energy sources it has. After consuming a large amount of glucose during fasting, it tends to burn fat. Therefore, some people resort to high-intensity exercise before breakfast in order to lose weight. Ammar Al-Zoubi stresses that this type of exercise can only be practiced by athletes (under the supervision of their coaches), but ordinary people do not advise them to do so, because the body does not have enough energy to give the same quality of exercise, and it may also negatively affect their health.
As for the desire to get rid of excess weight, weight loss depends on a very simple equation, “inputs and outputs of the body”. We entered 1500, so the body will burn the rest of the stored fat.
Therefore, people who want to lose weight can exercise following breakfast, because the energy that the body obtained following eating food will burn part or all of it, depending on the exercise and its duration, and therefore if the energy resulting from breakfast is consumed, the body will start burning its fat stores.
Tips for exercising in Ramadan
- Maintain a healthy diet rich in vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates, and proteins to avoid stress and hypoglycemia during exercise.
- Drink plenty of water during the iftar period, to avoid dehydration of the body, because dehydration will cause salt retention, and salts are important in regulating the work of nerves, muscles and sugar in the body, and thus their retention will cause difficulty in losing weight for people who wish to do so.
- Stop exercising as soon as you feel tired, dizzy and lose balance, usually due to low blood sugar.