If you are participating in Ramadan this year you might find that the habits and behaviours needed for your goals are harder to stick with.
A limited window to eat & hydrate, as well as a broken sleep cycle certainly presents more challenges. But this doesn’t mean that your goals need to go entirely on hold.
We have put together 4 tips we use with our clients who are observing Ramadan so that they can:
1. Stay on track with nutrition
2. Stay on track with training
3. Keep energy levels as high as possible both during the day & during training.
One of the crucial things things keep in mind during Ramadan is that the short term changes do not need to derail any progress you’ve made.
It’s not an excuse to cease training and it’s not an excuse to gorge on many more calories than you would allow yourself normally.
But let’s draw some parrallels with realism here; it’s unlikely you’ll feel your best, strongest, leanest or most energetic… but thats okay!
Tip 1 – Adjust your Resistance Training
Fluctuations in energy levels, blood sugar and hydration mean that an adjustment in your training has to be made.
We recommend adjusting your current plan, to incorporate more full body sessions where you stimulate muscle groups less overall in a single session, but with an increased frequency over the week.
This could mean full body sessions or full upper & lower sessions rather than body part splits.
Tip 2 – Alter training duration
We also recommend keeping the duration of your sessions shorter – aim to be out within 45-50 minutes. Shorter sessions will allow more time to eat and hydrate pre and post training.
We recommend Training early in the morning or after your first meal post fasting.
Tip 3 – Meal timing
Adopting to an eating schedule here is key. It is still possible to manage 3-4 meals over the short window of time which is made available to break the fast. Having this in place allows greater control over blood sugar and will ease stress on the digestive system.
This will also give you the opportunity to plan your meals and keep your calorie intake from spiralling out of control amidst lower blood sugars post fasting.
Tip 4 – Hydration & supplementation
A typical male should be consuming 3-4 litres of water per day, and slightly less for a female.
With the windows of eating being concentrated around food, ensure you track water intake during the break in your fast so that you stay adequately hydrated.
Using some supplementation during your eating window could help you to: control calories, support energy levels and relieve some potential stress on the digestive system.
We recommend taking advantage of: Whey Protein, Greens Powders & Digestive Enzymes
It may also be wise to avoid caffeine during Ramadan due to the evening feeding window and the negative impact it has on sleep.
