Exercising should be continued during the holy month of Ramadan, as it is one of the healthy habits that are recommended to be followed for its many benefits that positively affect the human health.
However, the right time and kind of exercise should be chosen.
Why should you work out in Ramadan ?
If exercising is important to the body’s well being and health throughout the year, it is even more important in Ramadan than in any other month, due to many reasons including:
1. It helps people who follow an exercise program to easily resume it after Ramadan and does not give a chance to idleness to seep into their bodies.
2. During fast time, the muscular system gets energy by using the glucose in liver. If the physical exertion and required energy increase; and the amount of glucose in liver is inadequate to provide muscles with energy, the muscular system will use another source, which is the adipose tissue dissolution and fatty acid oxidation. If the fatty acids decrease, the muscular system will oxidize the fats in liver. Thus, fast and exercising are a good chance to burn the stored fats.
3. It improves the digestive system efficiency and protects from indigestion problems.
4. The weight lost during fast will definitely be gained after Iftar, especially if the fasting person overeats throughout Ramadan without exercising.
5. If the body suffers from deprivation and lacks energy resources, weight will be lost, but from the non-fatty tissues, which adversely affects health. However, in Ramadan, exercising and deprivation of food lead to weight loss from the adipose tissues, affecting health positively.
6. Not eating or drinking for long hours up to 15 hours, as well as staying up for long hours at night, cause body fatigue and stress. Therefore, exercising is a key factor in fasting to increase the body’s efficiency, fitness and health; add vitality to it; protect it from diseases; and eliminate idleness and laziness.
What time of the day should I exercise?
Preferable Times for Exercising in Ramadan and the benefits of each:
1. Two or three hours before Iftar to compensate the body for the missing fluids and minerals as soon as possible to avoid the health symptoms that may be caused for it as a result of exercising
2. Approximately two and half to three hours after Iftar, as during this period, food is efficiently digested to recover energy and recharge it to the vital organs of the body
The period of time allocated to an exercising class during fast does not exceed 60 minutes for a maximum of 5 days a week.
The physical activities that are preferred to be practiced in Ramadan are of low or medium intensity kind and do not require considerable exertion and high resistance that may exhaust the body.
Fitness First Team