MUSCAT: How should one prepare one's body for fasting for 30 days of Ramadhan. According to Faisal Abdalla, a coach and an author, Ramadhan, Islamic calendar's ninth month is for prayer, reflection, community and above all else fasting. Muslims would fast the whole day till sunset and then break the fast with Iftar.
Furthermore, he added that it’s also a month that can be used for spiritual reflection, self-improvement and full devotion to worship Allah. Ramadhan can be seen as an opportunity to fulfil religious obligations and improve the body.
Abdalla also explained more about the exercises he did and the lessons he learned through decades of practice. Abdalla started fasting for the first time when he was 11 years old after observing the fasting of his family.
Abdalla did training in the gym during Ramadhan, and as time passed by he cut down high intensity workouts. He said that Ramadhan is bigger than training and that this is life.
"There’s no one size fits all approach, but for people looking to maintain muscle mass, I would limit your cardio-based sessions to once a week," says Abdalla.
Abdalla explained that people can do workouts during their fasting and the best time to do workouts is before Suhoor between 4 am and 5 am. He also suggested calories and fluids before fasting begins.
Abdalla says a more common approach is to train your body after Iftar. "You can either train lightly before Iftar, so you can go straight into eating and refuel your body, or you can break your fast with something very small. Typically, during Ramadhan, this will be dates and some coffee. Once you’ve trained you can get all of the nutrients with full meals," says Abdalla.
In a 2012 study, it was found that Muslim athletes who fast during Ramadhan should use overnight opportunities to consume foods and drinks that can aid in supplying the nutrients needed to maintain performance.
‘Because of the benefits of being able to consume at least some of these nutrients before, during or after a training session, the schedule of exercise should be shifted wherever possible to the beginning or end of the day, or during the evening when some nutritional support can be provided,' says the study.
Abdalla stated about his personal approach, which he would train as he normally would, is to train smarter. One must listen to his/her body and avoid pushing too hard. "The goal isn’t exercise until you pass out."
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