Firstly thanks and credits to ramadan.co.uk for the featured image on my blog. The month of fasting comes with its ups and downs for the fitness squad.
Ramadan.co.uk had a great trivia to share on their page – I had to bring this to you all!
The retired Nigerian-American basketball player Hakeem Olajuwon was always at his peak performance during the NBA championships, even while fasting during Ramadan. When quizzed about how staying away from food and water for long hours affected his game, he told the Los Angeles Times in 1996 that he never felt better. “I feel lighter, faster, much more mentally focused,” he said. More recently, the Liverpool football player Kolo Touré said that the self-control and discipline of Ramadan only makes him stronger, as his mental determination kicks in.
Many people have written to me asking about how to go about staying energetic during Fasting for Ramadaan without compromising on their energy and fitness levels. For this very purpose, I couldn’t think anyone but the star diet and nutrition coach – Zareen Siddique to share her valuable inputs on this topic.
Here we go!
Ramadan makes it difficult to have a normal sleep cycle. A typical day starts at 3.30 in the morning in India with a short meal called sahari, Iftaar at 6.30 or 7 in the evening. Between the start and finish of the fast, there are regular prayers, with the first one at 5 a.m. The day concludes with a prayer ending at 10.30 p.m. most amateur runners take a break from running during this month, if they are fasting .
1. The main concern is no water during the fast from sunrise to sunset. For those keen on pursuing their runs during the four weeks of fasting, it is important that they time their runs an hour before Iftaar or an hour post Iftaar.
2. Pre Iftaar run means you run on empty, and can effectively burn fat stores. Post Iftaar,the digestive system is sluggish after a meal , but you have the benefit of sipping on water or your energy drink .
3. In both cases :
- Keep runs short 5 to 7 km
- Run at a slow pace
- If needed do a walk run routine
- Keep workouts and runs to a maximum of thirty minutes during fasting.
4. Protein powder and protein drinks should be avoided , so as not to stress the metabolism .
5. Infused water with herbs like mint, lime, coriander, cumin is a good bet. Sugary drinks and sherbets should be avoided after opening fast .
6. The night meal should have a serving of protein preferable chicken / paneer with one serving of carb ( pasta/rice/mixed grain roti)
7. Make sure you sip water and not gulp water. Sip atleast 7 glasses of water from 7 pm to 5 a m
A proportionate diet could look something like this:
Sehri Breakfast : One boiled egg, Three tbsp oats / cornflakes in almond milk , three dates
7 pm Chia seed flax seed in carrot beetroot juice, one bowl black chana , one bowl paneer capsicum stir fry , dry figs 3 to 5
8 pm pomegranate juice one cup , walnuts n almonds three four pieces each
9 Pm one piece paneer 80 gm/ chicken half breast piece grilled grilled with rice one serving, and salad one bowl , few bites of fruit salad custard
and later in the day – Light Walk and green tea
Hoping the nutrition plan above will keep you all in great spirits and good physical strength!
For WellthyFit by Zareen Siddique
Zareen is a Core fitness trainer, Post natal fitness trainer, Diet coach and Weight management expert. If you would like to get on a diet plan with her, do write to her on [email protected] Her clean diet programme has bettered the life of many people in the realm of fitness.
1 comment
Thanks for good advice regarding running and ramzan