Village Journals
Resonate your identity with Naseeb journals. Express your opinions, share your thoughts, post your writings and connect with like minded people through the power of expression.
Resonate your identity with Naseeb journals. Express your opinions, share your thoughts, post your writings and connect with like minded people through the power of expression.
Ramadan, Eating Right & Excercising
I don't know about all of you but Ramadan is always a trap for me because I can't run while fasting. Last year I built a good plan to get night runs in but this year I have been to busy working and been going to way to many iftars where they always have yummy desserts I want to eat. So usually what happens is as always Ramadan causes me to gain weight even after spending 11 months of running and training. So I'v decided to try to be good for the next two weeks and make an effort to not completely through away all the phycial fitness I worked for..next Iftar I go to no desert for me (sadly:(...)
Here is a good artilcle on eating right and excercising during Ramadan. I hope it helps. I pasted it below and attached the link.
www.gulf-news.com
Watch what you eat
By Rania Habib, Staff Reporter
It?s easy to let yourself go between iftar and suhoor. But it?s important to control your diet and do some workouts.
If you thought food and fitness rules could temporarily go out of the window during Ramadan, think again! In fact, there may be no better time to keep diets and workouts in check.
Ramadan, the ninth month of the lunar calendar, is known to be good for your health and can even detoxify the body if done properly. But Ramadan is also known for sumptuous iftars and delectable sweets.
Hence, there is a tendency towards continuous snacking between iftar and suhoor, and overeating.
Fasting begins at dawn and ends with the setting of the sun, and the way you exercise and what you eat throughout the month can make or break a healthy physique.
Don?t shock your system
?When you fast during Ramadan, you slow down your metabolism,? explains Nathalie Haddad, dietician at The French Medical Centre in Dubai. ?So it?s important not to shock your system with the foods you eat.?
Haddad?s recommended fasting regimen includes breaking the fast with two dates and some juice or yoghurt, followed by some soup. After iftar, she recommends resting before the main meal.
?For the main meal, it?s very important to have carbohydrates such as rice, bread and pasta, along with proteins like vegetables and meat,? adds Haddad. ?Avoid anything that?s high in fat and salt content.?
Since Ramadan runs for a whole month, Haddad explains that it?s important to pace yourself with the foods you make for meals, and avoid having too many kinds of dishes in one iftar.
For the sweet-toothed, Ramadan offers all kinds of tempting desserts, but it is recommended to steer clear of anything too sweet and anything fried.
?Try to opt for baked sweets, such as baked atayef,? says Haddad.
The time between iftar and suhoor usually lends itself to snacks which should be avoided, and instead the time should be used to ensure the body is well hydrated to take you through the next day.
Avoid caffeine-based drinks and sugary drinks.
As for suhoor, Haddad advises against skipping it. ?It is recommended to have suhoor as it avoids you overeating the next day. Suhoor food should be equal to what you have for breakfast on a normal day, so have cereal with milk or bread and labneh, something very light.?
While healthy eating leads to better energy levels throughout Ramadan, it is important to complement a wholesome diet with regular activity.
Many skip workouts during Ramadan, as the idea of working out on an empty stomach sounds unhealthy.
Exercise after iftar
Emad Karim, personal trainer and fitness instructor at the Beach Rotana Hotel in Abu Dhabi, recommends exercising only after iftar.
?The body needs water during a workout,? he explains. ?Exercise only after iftar, preferably three hours after you?ve had a meal, so you can use the calories and energy you got through your food for the workout.?
Haddad, however, also gives a green light to working out before iftar. ?A good time to exercise is right before iftar,? she says.
?It doesn?t have to be anything too strenuous, it can be just a walk or a swim. But if you do exercise before iftar, your workout shouldn?t be longer than half an hour.?
Work out indoors
Since Ramadan this year falls at a time when temperatures are still high, indoor workouts are recommended, and it is important to adapt exercise schedules to fitness levels.
?For people who are very fit to begin with, they can exercise up to five times a week,? says Karim. ?For those not as fit, try to keep your workouts limited to three times a week.?
So there you have it; Ramadan no longer has to be a time of low energy levels and the dreaded waistline expansion.
Combine healthy and hearty meals with good workouts, and you?ve got yourself a month of great foods, bubbling energy and who knows ? maybe even a shrinking waistline.
Here is a good artilcle on eating right and excercising during Ramadan. I hope it helps. I pasted it below and attached the link.
www.gulf-news.com
Watch what you eat
By Rania Habib, Staff Reporter
It?s easy to let yourself go between iftar and suhoor. But it?s important to control your diet and do some workouts.
If you thought food and fitness rules could temporarily go out of the window during Ramadan, think again! In fact, there may be no better time to keep diets and workouts in check.
Ramadan, the ninth month of the lunar calendar, is known to be good for your health and can even detoxify the body if done properly. But Ramadan is also known for sumptuous iftars and delectable sweets.
Hence, there is a tendency towards continuous snacking between iftar and suhoor, and overeating.
Fasting begins at dawn and ends with the setting of the sun, and the way you exercise and what you eat throughout the month can make or break a healthy physique.
Don?t shock your system
?When you fast during Ramadan, you slow down your metabolism,? explains Nathalie Haddad, dietician at The French Medical Centre in Dubai. ?So it?s important not to shock your system with the foods you eat.?
Haddad?s recommended fasting regimen includes breaking the fast with two dates and some juice or yoghurt, followed by some soup. After iftar, she recommends resting before the main meal.
?For the main meal, it?s very important to have carbohydrates such as rice, bread and pasta, along with proteins like vegetables and meat,? adds Haddad. ?Avoid anything that?s high in fat and salt content.?
Since Ramadan runs for a whole month, Haddad explains that it?s important to pace yourself with the foods you make for meals, and avoid having too many kinds of dishes in one iftar.
For the sweet-toothed, Ramadan offers all kinds of tempting desserts, but it is recommended to steer clear of anything too sweet and anything fried.
?Try to opt for baked sweets, such as baked atayef,? says Haddad.
The time between iftar and suhoor usually lends itself to snacks which should be avoided, and instead the time should be used to ensure the body is well hydrated to take you through the next day.
Avoid caffeine-based drinks and sugary drinks.
As for suhoor, Haddad advises against skipping it. ?It is recommended to have suhoor as it avoids you overeating the next day. Suhoor food should be equal to what you have for breakfast on a normal day, so have cereal with milk or bread and labneh, something very light.?
While healthy eating leads to better energy levels throughout Ramadan, it is important to complement a wholesome diet with regular activity.
Many skip workouts during Ramadan, as the idea of working out on an empty stomach sounds unhealthy.
Exercise after iftar
Emad Karim, personal trainer and fitness instructor at the Beach Rotana Hotel in Abu Dhabi, recommends exercising only after iftar.
?The body needs water during a workout,? he explains. ?Exercise only after iftar, preferably three hours after you?ve had a meal, so you can use the calories and energy you got through your food for the workout.?
Haddad, however, also gives a green light to working out before iftar. ?A good time to exercise is right before iftar,? she says.
?It doesn?t have to be anything too strenuous, it can be just a walk or a swim. But if you do exercise before iftar, your workout shouldn?t be longer than half an hour.?
Work out indoors
Since Ramadan this year falls at a time when temperatures are still high, indoor workouts are recommended, and it is important to adapt exercise schedules to fitness levels.
?For people who are very fit to begin with, they can exercise up to five times a week,? says Karim. ?For those not as fit, try to keep your workouts limited to three times a week.?
So there you have it; Ramadan no longer has to be a time of low energy levels and the dreaded waistline expansion.
Combine healthy and hearty meals with good workouts, and you?ve got yourself a month of great foods, bubbling energy and who knows ? maybe even a shrinking waistline.