Tips on how to exercise and keep healthy during Ramadan

The holy month is a time for self-restraint and reflection, but even if you are fasting, there is no reason to neglect your physical health while nourishing the soul, as fitness fans and experts explain.

Newlyweds Mahra Al Samnan and her husband, Cristian Garcia, met at Code Crossfit while working out at the gym. The couple plan to stay fit during the Ramadan holiday by working out. Delores Johnson / Show more

We speak to fitness fans and experts about how to stave off lethargy and maintain a balance between body, mind and spirit at this special time of year - a time you can use to get healthier than ever.
Many Muslims end up abandoning their fitness regime and gaining weight during Ramadan, as heavy evening meals and lethargy can make the sofa more appealing than the treadmill.
But the focus on self-restraint and reflection, combined with some ingenuity and a little flexibility, means Ramadan can also be an opportunity to maintain fitness or even increase it - which is proven year after year by some of the country's fittest fasters.
Emirati Mahra Al Salman, 29, who until last year had never bothered to exercise during Ramadan, found this to be the case.
She started doing CrossFit shortly before Ramadan began last year, and lost four kilograms during the holy month by keeping up a five-times-a-week fitness regime at Code M CrossFit gym in Al Reehan, Abu Dhabi.
"Working out over Ramadan was actually much easier than I'd expected," says Al Salman, who works in education.
"Even the timing was perfect. I'd do my six hours at work and go home to have iftar. Two hours later, I'd hit the gym and then go to pray. I was surprised to find I had time to fit it all in."
This year, Al Salman will be ­keeping up her CrossFit regime during Ramadan alongside her husband, Cristian Garcia, 35, an American police trainer, who is experiencing his first Ramadan fasting. The couple met at the gym and got married earlier this month.
"It will be tough to get into the mindset to work out over Ramadan," Garcia admits, "but I'm always rigid with myself anyway."
"When you train yourself mentally and physically, you can overcome any barriers."
Emirati Mohammed Al Tamimi, 32, co-founded the CrossFit gym where Garcia and Al Salman work out, and juggles a gruelling fitness regime with his job as a pilot with Etihad. Like Al Salman, he finds Ramadan has helped him to reach his fitness goals.
"It forces me to go on a strict diet more than at any other time. I lose weight as fat and gain leaner muscles because I have to control my hunger. And if I take supplements with food after iftar, I get better and faster results."
Al Tamimi fights the urge to flake out just before iftar, and instead does a full hour of cardio training.
"I don't do bodybuilding then because for that you need food for energy. I do cycling and running."
But Al Tamimi has had to learn to resist his urge to reach for the water at that time.
"I was once working out with lots of foreigners who were drinking water afterwards. For a second, I was so thirsty I forgot I was fasting, and took a sip. I was like: 'Oh no!'"
As a pilot, Al Tamimi requests shorter flights during Ramadan and makes sure he drinks plenty of water the day before flying. "But if I get tired and feel there's a safety risk, I can break my fast," he adds,
Andrei Thompson is director of Ultra Sports in Dubai and also coaches football. The 34-year-old from Manchester, England, who converted to Islam when he was 18, says Ramadan can be a challenging time for Muslims in the fitness profession.
"These days, I think Ramadan is a fantastic time of year," he says.
"But there was a time when I wouldn't get excited about Ramadan and I wouldn't train because I was too lethargic. Once I saw the negative effect it had on me in terms of muscle loss, I decided I couldn't allow that to happen.
"For the past four years I've been training for two hours before iftar. I have to remember that, whereas I will get to eat during iftar, some people in the world don't know when they'll receive their next meal."
Zahra Lari, 20, also has a job requiring physical prowess - the Emirati figure skater has her sights set on competing at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Like Al Tamimi and Thompson, she also trains during fasting hours.
"But less and lighter, maybe for one-and-a-half hours on ice," she says. "It's more steps and footwork than jumps or endurance. I then work on stretching and flexibility off-ice."
After breaking her fast, Lari returns to the rink at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi to work on more difficult training on and off the ice, for two hours each.
"That's when I have more energy, so my workouts are more productive," she says. "Everyone has to find what works best for them and their body."
Although she may feel tired, Lari says her love of skating usually gets her through the toughest practice sessions.
"I know if I become lazy it will push me backwards and take me a long time to recover that lost time," she says.
"But if I feel too tired, I simply stop early and go home. I know my body and I have to listen to it."
Emirati bodybuilder Saoud Al Khazraji, 31, waits until about 10pm before going to the gym.
"My body breaks down muscle tissue and uses it as a protein source if I try to work out when I'm fasting," says the Abu Dhabi policeman.
Fasting is tougher for those whose jobs require them to be in the sun during fasting hours - ­especially surrounded by water.
Berson Buen, 29, from Mindanao in the Philippines, guides kayaking tours around Abu Dhabi's Eastern Mangroves for Noukhada Adventure Company.
"As a kayaker, my body is already adapted to the hot weather but during Ramadan, the thirst is always there," he says.
"I'm the only Muslim working at Noukhada and I liaise with the office regarding my routine. Last Ramadan, I worked either 7am until 12pm or 3pm until 7pm, whereas normally I'd do both shifts.
"When working mornings, I found that by midday I was so dehydrated. I asked the imam for advice and he told me: 'When you are suffering from dehydration or heatstroke, it's OK to drink some water.' I felt I had no choice."
The doctor's notes
Dr Zeeshan Khan, an internal-medicine specialist at Medeor 24x7 Hospital, Dubai, suggests these Ramadan dos and don'ts
. Do short, high intensity cardio: Sprinting for 10 minutes provides maximum benefit in terms of fat burning and lean-muscle preservation. The best time to do cardio for maximum fat loss is before suhoor. The best time to weight train is after taraweeh prayers.
. Conserve energy: Avoid staying up late and attending or hosting too many iftar parties, as this increases stress on the body and will make observing the fast harder. Make sure you receive a good night's rest for your body to rejuvenate for the next day.
. Nourish yourself: Break your fast with dates and a glass of water or labneh. Next have a warm soup, which replenishes fluid in the body and helps to settle the digestive system. A balanced meal after this should contain complex carbohydrates, protein, fruit and vegetables.
. Stay hydrated: Stay away from dehydrating drinks such as coffee and instead be sure to drink at least eight glasses of water between iftar and suhoor. During the day, it is easy to feel disoriented and confused if you have not had enough water - break your fast with a glass of water. You can always make up for it after Ramadan.
Tips from the experts
So what do fasting fitness fanatics eat to maintain peak physical performance?
Bodybuilder Saoud Al Khazraji takes notes each week over ­Ramadan to monitor his body's progress.
"I try new types of food and keep weighing and measuring myself to see if it's working for me or not," he says. He has learnt that going low on carbs does not get desired results.
"If I don't get enough carbs I burn muscle tissue. So as soon as I break my fast, I fuel up my carb tank with simple carbs, so I can absorb them quickly.
"Then I take my proteins and fats, usually a big chunk of fish. For the next three hours, I eat as much as I can, then I try to slow down until I have my last meal at around 4.30am."
Kayaker Berson Buen says he cooks soups and watery food at 3am, which fuels him up for a day of fasting.
Emirati Mahra Al Salman says that last Ramadan, she managed to lose weight without being on a particular diet. "I had lots of peanut butter to give me energy, and healthy cornflakes for suhoor.
"I found if I ate carbs before I slept, it stayed in my stomach and staved off my hunger."
Gym founder Mohammed Al Tamimi breaks his fast the traditional Arabic way, with dates and water.
"After the prayer I will have meat with a protein salad and a bit of carbs.
"Then I'll try to eat four or five snack-sized meals spaced out every two hours. It's hard to find the time but I try to squeeze it in."
All the benefits of keeping fit during Ramadan will be eroded if the wrong foods are chosen at iftar.
"Go easy on the oil," recommends Dr Zeeshan Khan, an internal-medicine specialist at Medeor 24x7 Hospital in Dubai.
"Deep-fried pakoras and samosas are a staple of iftar tables, but can disturb the metabolism and can cause dizziness, headaches and fatigue."
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