Exercise and diet during Ramadan

Ramadan seems to be a golden opportunity for those who want to shed weight. But the weight factor in Ramadan is tricky business. Ramadan, when it comes to exercise and diet, has two sides of the same coin. On one hand, it promises to be quite an easy time to lose weight; and on the other, ironically, most people end up gaining weight! Oops.

Thus, you need to be very careful if you want to make some progress or even to maintain status quo. Read on…

Working out during Ramadan
First things first: never think that you should avoid exercise during Ramadan. You may think that as you are skimping on food, it will take care of itself. This is not at all true. Instead, you should reduce your exercise duration to more than half for the first couple of days, and then increase it by ten minutes everyday - so that your body doesn't feel any dramatic change.

Don't get all excited at the possibility of waking up for sehri and then going for a jog at dawn. You won't be able to recover the lost fluid and will have to go through the whole day without it; this can prove to be counterproductive.

The best time for exercising is almost an hour before iftar. Empty stomach cardio is one of the most approved ways of losing weight. Exercise such as walking, jogging, etc., on an empty stomach are a proven formula for shedding a few pounds. Of course, there's this caveat of not having the energy for doing cardio when your stomach is empty. However, even medium intensity level is perfectly all right when performing cardio on an empty stomach.

The rationale for starting empty stomach cardio just an hour before iftar is that, first, obviously your stomach is empty at that time, and also, it has the additional benefit of you being able to intake fluids almost right after completing the work-out session.

When it comes to exercise and diet, it is very important to have a specific priority and goal. If you aim to build stronger muscles instead of losing weight, your strategy changes entirely.

Weight training must not be done while you are fasting. Unlike cardio, weight training demands frequent intake of fluids; therefore, it should be done while you are not fasting.

Watch your diet…
We all love eating! After waiting for the whole day, we sort of lose our senses and gulp to the wildest limit. And if you are on empty stomach cardio, the hunger and appetite simply shoots up the ceiling!

An interesting thing about eating during Ramadan is that we eat too much, too frequently first the ever-satisfying iftar, then after Tarawi, it's the traditional dinner, and again after a few hours sehri!

The problem with eating too much too frequently is that our digestive system gets jammed up. This means it takes longer to digest the food, and also slows down the metabolic rate. This is a major reason why people gain weight during this month.

So all you have to keep in mind is what you are consuming. Going back to the very basic, your meal should have low-carb, high-protein content. Now, don't get happy and have all the chickens! Avoid animal protein during iftar, as it is too high in protein and takes a lot of time to digest. Opt for chola. Again, don't get too happy! Unfortunately, the way we cook chola, with oil and spices kills the protein content. The best option is to eat them raw after you have soaked them in water for a few hours.

Leave meat for dinner and sehri. Then, have all the chicken and fish you want. But make sure you don't eat too much rice with it! “Don't have chicken with rice, rather have rice with chicken”, says a gym instructor.

Generally speaking, try to avoid taking vitamins during this month, if possible. Many people take vitamins during Ramadan just as an'extra' precaution. This is not necessary; rather, taking vitamin pills contributes to weight gain.

Another factor why people gain so much weight during Ramadan is because of lack of sleep. Many people skimp on sleep during this month. Surprisingly, not sleeping enough can cause you to gain weight too!

Hence, if you are cautious and determined enough, Ramadan will work wonders for your body. But the issue of weight loss or muscle building is that you simply cannot do it half-heartedly. You either give entire devotion, or you don't go for it. There's nothing in between these two extremes.

Take it as a project, literally. Do what smart project managers do when setting goals- they set SMART objectives. Your goal should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound. Best of luck!

Thanks to Khosru Parvez Rumi (owner and instructor of Combat Gym) for his support and patience.