All praise is for Allah.
Disclaimer: I am not certified to speak or talk about health as an authority, anything there is my own advice based on my practice and the practice of others.
Ramadan is a month of fasting, Fasting during ramadan is special and sacred, the fiqh or rules of ramadan were very briefly mentioned here in part 1. This second part will discuss how ramadan affects us and what we should and shouldn’t do because of it.
- Spirituality
Even though this is titled Ramadan and health, we have to first start with talking about the most important aspect of this all to me. Spiritual Health and sanity. Ramadan is not just a month where we refrain from food and drink(etc). It is also a month in which we avoid bad company, avoid bad habits, where we stop saying bad things, listening to bad things and where we try our very hardest to be better people.
The prophet Muhammad and his companions would try to set aside ramadan as a month to reconnect with Allah. To avoid the busy marketplaces, social gatherings and events, to reflect on the year, reflect on our deeds and make spiritual progress. So before advice about physical activity is given please keep this principle in mind.
2. Time management
Ramadan becomes easier or harder based on how you manage your time, so preparation is key. If you try and live during ramadan as you did outside of it, you will find yourself in difficulty. If however you shape your schedule around ramadan you will find yourself in ease.
There are 17 hours this year of fasting. Which means that we are left with 7 hours where we are allowed to eat and drink.
The practicing muslim is spending at least 1 hour of that in prayer which leaves 6.
During these 6 hours a muslim hoping to be active the next day must consume enough energy in order to support his activity.
The active person needs between 1,600 – 2,000 calories a day which means that if between iftar and suhur, you should consume around: 3 cups of rice, 2 cups of fruit, 10 oz of meat 2 cups of milk and 2 cups of vegetables, after which you should have enough energy to last you the whole day.
3. Self control and discipline
Ramadan is a month of self control and discipline. First and foremost strenuous activity should be avoided during this time of self reflection and repentance. If however one must do these activities one must not forget self control and self discipline. Weight gain as we see in western society is a product of a great lack of self control. A person gains weight by not paying attention to the fact that he is consuming more than he needs. It just so happens that among muslims during ramadan, starvation is not and issue nor is abnormal weight-loss, The most prevalent conditional among muslims after ramadan is obesity due to binge eating.
Because we have been without food for 17 hours we make ourselves think that we are hungrier than we are and eat more than we need. Being a little hungry or thirsty isnt always physical, most of the time its a mental issue that can be overcome by engaging in some other activity.
During highschool I found myself in a physical training group, during which we would go on long runs around the neighboring park, shopping district and the school. These were meant as endurance tests, and I still very clearly remember while all of us are running and panting feeling as if we were going to die listening to our instructor screaming “Water makes you weak!”. We ran miles without water, and after completion we were told to wait until we drank anything because it would makes us sick.
If there is any benefit to physical activity during ramadan, its how it helps us realize how little our bodies actually need to function.
4. Final notes
Generations upon generations of Muslims have come and gone that have functioned in ramadan. Most of them were people who didnt live our pampered lifestyles full of lavish iftars and readily available food. We even have some stories of people during the time of the prophet and after him that tried to fast more than they were allowed. Ramadan is a time of immense strength for muslims so long as they try their best to please Allah. During this month achieving all sorts of things become easy. I know that some of our younger generation are very engrossed in the NBA playoff season so I want to end by mentioned that the famous Muslim NBA player Hakeem who always credited his best games with being during ramadan after fasting. He would say his body felt lighter and that fasting made him stronger. I will end with his ramadan promo video and article about his legacy. Hakeem and Ramadan.
