Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

altmuslim

Home
Muslim
Ramadan 2014 – How to Fast, Exercise and Worship in a Healthy Way

Ramadan 2014 – How to Fast, Exercise and Worship in a Healthy Way

Last updated on: July 7, 2014 at 9:29 pm by Guest Contributor

Ramadan 2014 – How to Fast, Exercise and Worship in a Healthy Way 2014-07-07T21:29:16-04:00 Guest Contributor

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

This article comes on Day Ten of our special Altmuslim/Patheos Muslim Ramadan #30Days30Writers blog project, in which we are showcasing the voices of 30 Muslim leaders, activists, scholars, writers, youth and more (one on each day of Ramadan) as part of our commitment to own our own narratives and show how we are one Ummah*, many voices. To demonstrate how our Ramadan experiences are shared yet unique to each of us.*

Suhoor Smoothie

By Zainab Ismail

This is my sixth Ramadan since I converted to Islam. But here I’m sharing my fourth Ramadan story with you – the behind the scenes of which no one knows. As a fitness/nutrition professional for 20 years, eating healthy, exercising and staying fit is as essential in my life as is breathing. This past year I was blessed with making the trip to Makkah and Madinah, which has ignited my interest on the Prophetic traditions related to eating. I now design many of my meals and recipes incorporating some of the Prophetic foods and traditions.

My fourth Ramadan was much like the ones previous, but with one important exception: I started to travel 45 minutes to an amazing masjid in New Jersey (North Hudson Islamic Educational Center) for post-sunset taraweeh prayer. The masjid, which I continue to attend now, has a large group of Latino converts and really makes me feel welcome. However, the travel time shifted my routine.

Instead of working out before breaking fast, I worked out earlier in the day or late afternoon. I made sure to take a 45 to 60 minute nap. I also cooked earlier and sometimes made enough food for two days. In my small Whole Foods market bag, I would pack my iftar of organic dates, raw organic milk and a meal, which included things like three to four ounces of grilled meat, six ounces of roasted organic potatoes and one cup roasted organic cauliflower. This was basically a smaller portion of what I ate outside of Ramadan. Personally, I have very little appetite during Ramadan, so my portions are 15 percent less than the rest of the year. Keep in mind that your metabolism is slowing down as Ramadan, so reduce your portions accordingly.

During my fourth Ramadan, resistance training happened four times a week for about 30 to 45 minutes — the time varied from just before iftar to after iftar, or a combination of the two (20 minutes before iftar continued with 20 minutes after iftar), instead of everyday. I also attended the mosque for prayer as many times as my body could handle.

Fasting and Exercise Can be Done

You can successfully incorporate a modified exercise program during Ramadan if you were exercising prior to Ramadan. It is not ideal to start a new fitness program during Ramadan. There are many factors that will come into play in your regular daily activities, and your amount and type of worship will determine your energy and your time availability for exercise. What is most important is to keep your body mobile, and you can do that by stretching and walking.

Keeping fit during Ramadan will always be challenging. During my first Ramadan, I packed in my workouts but didn’t do the additional prayers, which add so much value to the month. The internal spiritual connection I have gained by adding taraweeh and leaving off the intense workouts has made my Ramadan 100 percent more rewarding. I didn’t know about sahoor either, so my hydration levels were low throughout the day. Over time, I learned that shorter workouts were a better goal, allowing me the time and energy to improve spiritually.

I normally drink at least one gallon of water a day, so exercising during this month and keeping hydrated is next to impossible. There were days when I was just running on fumes. Now, I make sure to drink water in intervals during the non-fasting hours, such as during iftar and before I sleep. The easiest part about working out during Ramadan is my discipline – I am nothing if not disciplined.

Here’s a great recipe I like to use now for suhoor:

Ramadan Watermelon smoothie

1. 1 1/2 cups watermelon
2. 1/2 cup pineapple
3. 1/3 cup peaches
4. 1/4 cup blueberries
5. 1 cup coconut water
6. 1 tbs coconut cream
7. 2 tbs Great Lakes protein

Blend everything together and enjoy!
Calories 330 (very hydrating)

“O you who believe! Eat of the good things which We have provided you, and render thanks to Allah if it is (indeed) He whom you worship. (Quran 2:172)”

Zainab Ismail has over 20 years of experience as a movement therapist, nutritional coach,personal trainer and national speaker. Her lengthy years of health and fitness experience prior to Islam involve working with top level athletes and celebrities. Zainab teaches the popular “Fit For Allah” women’s fitness class at Mecca Center in New York. She is also the Vice President of Nadoona, a fitness movement based in the U.S geared to helping Muslim women in fitness and nutrition and who under Nadoona Extreme have just released a 2 DVD fitness series. As a full-time therapist, she integrates an eclectic approach of soft-tissue therapy, movement conditioning and nutrition coaching in New York City.

Previous Post

July 6, 2014

Ramadan 2014 - Is Ramadan Morphing into A Meaningless Holiday Season?

Next Post

July 8, 2014 Ramadan 2014 - When Deprivation is the Journey

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 2012 Elections 30 Dayd 30 Writers (2017) 30 Days 30 Writers 30 Days 30 Writers (2015) 30 Days 30 Writers (2016) 30 Days 30 Writers (2018) 30 Days 30 Writers 2017 Ali Asadullah Ali Eteraz Alper Bilgili Arthur Richards Asides Asma Uddin Black History Month Briefings Charles Turner Commentary Cyrus McGoldrick Eman H Aly Fatimah Popal Hajj Hajj and Dhul Hijjah Hesham Hassaballa Hisham Hellyer Ibrahim Abusharif Inas Younis Irfan Yusuf Jalal Baig Junaid Afeef Laila Alawa Laila Alwala Mas'ood Cajee Muqtedar Khan Nakia Jackson Newsmakers Parvez Ahmed Podcasts Rabia Chaudry Rafia Zakaria Ramadan Reviews Safiyyah Ally Saud Inam Shahed Amanullah Svend White The Opinionated Oncologist Visions Wajahat Ali Zahed Amanullah Zahir Janmohamed Zainab Khan

Select a Month November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What destroyed Pharaoh's army as they pursued the Israelites?

Select your answer to see how you score.

The sea Plague of locusts Fire from heaven Earthquake