There's nothing new about this topic. Every year around the holy month all my health conscious bros start talking about how they'll 'Detox' for a month and 'get fit'.I got news fellas, it doesn't work that way. Just because you quit your alcohol intake and fast during the day doesn't mean you'll be fit.
You see, while Ramadan is a month of fasting and charity, share, care & family - fitness is hardly ever the top priority. Most of us either have really heavy suhoors (early morning pre-Fajr meals) or just a glass of water - then lazy around all day OR over exert your body - then hog like a beast for iftar OR an early dinner ending it all of with a unconscious sleep pattern OR a shisha session that goes on till early morning hours. Sound familiar?
You see, while Ramadan is a month of fasting and charity, share, care & family - fitness is hardly ever the top priority. Most of us either have really heavy suhoors (early morning pre-Fajr meals) or just a glass of water - then lazy around all day OR over exert your body - then hog like a beast for iftar OR an early dinner ending it all of with a unconscious sleep pattern OR a shisha session that goes on till early morning hours. Sound familiar?
The thing is, you can still eat as much, sleep in and hang out late night. All you need to do is plan your regime. We all know the usual routine - morning suhoor, working hours, rest, pray, iftar and so on. PLANNING IS KEY. The next few steps will help you in in maximizing your spiritual self this month by staying sharp, focused and active.
Firstly, remember - when you're fasting your body is dehydrated but its less dehydration compared to an intense workout. So its vital that your workout should happen before or after you begin to fast. This way you can hydrate your body without tiring yourself and risking fatigue. Always remember, when you're not fasting - drink loads of water.
Personally, I think the best time to train is later at night, around 9:30-10pm. By this time you're well hydrated from Iftar, the food you ate is digested and you can focus on a good workout just in time to rest for the night. A 30-min workout would be good at this time. But if you're planning on doing some Cardio, then I suggest a 30-min run prior to Suhoor, early morning around 3:30-4am (yep, true story). If you CAN pull this off then the best thing to do is get up and drink plenty of water with a cup of coffee, green tea, or oolong tea, wait 30 minutes and perform 30 minutes of moderate intensity cardio work like a brisk walk. If you CAN'T, then the next best time to do cardio is approximately 30-45 minutes after a "light" iftar. Keep in mind a good sprint can work really well, that's running crazy fast for 30 seconds and walking for 1 min. This cycle is perfect for a cardio routine in Ramadan.
When it comes to weights, keep it light. Firstly, if you're going to get into weight lifting remember to be very well hydrated. I can't stress this enough especially in Dubai's heat and Ramadan combined. Try and avoid full body weight training, this takes more time and keeps you exhausted longer. Instead, combine your cardio with 4-6 sets of each body part; 1 day chest, next day legs, next day shoulders, next day back - this way you stress your body less, have a great weight session and feel active throughout the day.
So now that you've got a good idea for a Ramadan workout, whats the most important part? your before and after fasting meals. I've done the below in the shortest way possible. Will personally be trying to follow a nutritious diet, eating the right foods instead of the fried usual heavy foods.
Also note that these meals depend and vary on your own body mass index, so adjust it accordingly. Feel free to look up various meal plans online.
Suhoor
- Eat 2-6 egg whites (with one yolk)
- One bowl of plain oatmeal w/cinnamon, raisins and a banana
- 1 teaspoon all-natural peanut butter or olive oil or flax seed oil
- Plenty of water (16-24 oz.)
- Fruits - Orange/Apple/Grapes/Banana/Kiwi/Watermelon - whatever you can get your hands on
- Chicken breast - roasted, grilled, boiled.
- Fish - Salmon works great for me, over-roasted really slow with lemon and herbs.
- One Bowl of brown rice
- 3 Dates and a Nutrition Shake
- Plenty of water
- Arabic Harees (a porridge of sorts, coarsely ground wheat with meat)
- Grilled Fish
- Plenty of Fruits or Salad
Dinner
- Grilled Chicken or Fish
- Salad
- Jacket Potato
There you have it Gentlemen, you can find various other meal plans online, create your own - the idea of this blog article is to get you motivated in the right direction. I'll do a post Ramadan training blog after 30 days and share my personal results too.
There's no excuse, feel free to share this with your alpha ladies too, they may be able to guide you better. #noexcuses
Finally, to finish off, The Holy Month of Ramadan has a lot to do with charity, so while you're taking care of yourself and your body, do the same for others. Donate some food, clothing and some earnings if you can to help others in need. It only makes you more of a Man.
Hope you learnt something here, If you have any questions or feedback, leave a comment and don't forget to follow Apes and Men on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
