The pro-tips: How to fast and stay fit
As Ramadan passes and you're at a point where you feel run down from fasting, perhaps your mind and body are craving a new approach towards a more wholesome wellness regime.
The Business Standard spoke to fitness experts, who preach what they practice, to come up with the top tips and tricks to further enhance the fasting experience.
The working out dilemma
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Some people are accustomed to working out early on during the day. But going to sleep after Sehri and Fazr might make that a bit tough. So, others prefer working out post-iftar.
Nazia Hassan, a certified fitness trainer and a sponsored athlete specialised in weight lifting and strength training, has shared her insights on the issue.
"Exercise is essential. It should be a daily habit. The key is to find what works for you, even a 20-30 minute workout can help you go a long way when done consistently," she said.
"Personally when I'm fasting, I try to focus more on my overall wellness than just the training part. I usually train after I break my fast so that my body is replenished and not dehydrated. I focus on strength training exercises, calisthenics, and functional movements to keep myself energised," she said.
She further said while fasting, we should always workout at reduced capacities. The goal should be to sustain and not aim for massive results.
Goal: Sustaining it, making it routine, not aiming for massive results
Let's talk meals
While deep-fried food is a staple of our traditional iftar spread, we must fuel ourselves with nutritious items too.
Eat food that is packed with fibre and protein, said Priya Jahan, a certified fitness instructor and a firm believer of how healthy food covers about 80% of our fitness regime while the rest is nurtured by workouts.
Priya eats very light meals for Sehri. She also recommends consuming oatmeal, chia pudding, lean protein, fruits and vegetables for iftar, dinner and sehri. In her experience, such food profoundly helps with metabolism throughout the day as our body gets sufficient time to focus on gut cleansing.
"Avoid calorie-dense food. It makes you sick and bloated. Instead, food high in fibre or a protein-packed meal does wonders to help curb cravings for sugar and carbs. Dehydration is very common. So, consume up to three litres of water during non-fasting hours," she advised.
Goal: Focus on gut cleansing
Exploring the art of meditation
Anika Rabbani, also known as Yoganika, a reputed yoga teacher and health coach, said including basil seeds (tokma) in your diet which has intense ayurvedik benefits, avoiding foods which send your liver into a frenzy and breaking your fast gradually, are fundamental during Ramdan.
Ramadan should not be used as a time to be more sedentary, Anika said, adding "Rather, high discipline is called for."
This month is about austerity, turning inwards and becoming more humble and considerate of perhaps, those who live in hunger. So, meditation can allow us to be more compassionate. Fasting can be seen as a challenge to test the body to reset and detoxify, she said.
Anika herself follows a regime of 2.5 hours of workout, at least six days a week, with a routine usually comprising the Ashtanga Vinyasa.She recommends exercising about one hour before iftar to allow your body to go into ketosis.
In order to build or maintain the habit of regular yoga practice, Anika said, "We must be patient and listen to our body as it is speaking to us. We have to watch out for the mind as well as it can be lazier than body… So, muster the courage and start slow – even 10 minutes a day – but every day at the same time."
In a similar perspective, Shazia Omar, a certified yoga instructor teaching Ashtanga yoga and pilates, said, "Yoga helps us activate the parasympathetic nervous system so that we're releasing stress. We don't necessarily need to do a hard-core cardio workout to do so."
Ramadan is an important time for meditation – in terms of spirituality and self-reflection – which is a highly valued aspect of yoga, she said.
"Another aspect is 'Pratyahara', which is withdrawal from the senses. Ramadan is a great time for that because the sense of taste is one of our biggest joys and we are choosing to abstain from that. So, through further abstention, we can give ourselves a detox; a digital detox, or if you have any form of addiction, it would be a great time to explore what it would be like to let go of those attachments.This month may not be the best time for breaking a sweat or expending a lot of energy," she added.
Shazia usually trains in the mornings but this month, she shifted that to around 4:30pm, shortly before iftar, so that people can avoid being dehydrated. She also said people can also aim for a yoga class a couple of hours after having a light iftar.
Goal: Start small and build the discipline
Ramadan is just one month out of the twelve. So really, it's okay to cut ourselves some slack, go a tad easier, and find the time to go for a shorter workout.
For beginners, remember, its one step at a time.
