Return of the Monkey: Preparation for Ramadan (Part 3) - The Training

In part 2, I discussed eating during Ramadan. What about training?

Most people will say that they have no time or that they will be tired. You fast during the day, so that is not going to help if you want to train during the day right? In the evening you are busy performing Solah (Maghrib, Isyaa' and Tarawih). Surely you think there is no time.

[Tarawih prayer]

Practically, no. You can still train during the month of Ramadan. Do not use fasting or Tarawih as an excuse to not be able to train. I will accept it if you say, "I'm taking a break from training but I'll still eat clean", "I'm taking this opportunity to refuel my muscles" (That is if you really meant it, and explain how you will go about doing it). But never, and I mean never, use fasting or Tarawih as an excuse not to train (unless you have severe health condition or pregnant).

[Ramadan is not an excuse to stop training]

So there are two main reasons that makes it hard for people to train during Ramadan: time and energy. I will say, we make time and use energy in a smart way.

Let's break this training during Ramadan into different situations. Why? Well, while everyone will fast; not everyone will be performing Tarawih every night. It is Sunnah.

I won't be going for Tarawih much. When can I train?

This is the easiest of situations. In this case, time is definitely not an excuse. For this, there are perhaps three different situations I can think of.

If you are the type that has to prepare your Iftar early, break your fast with family and friends, you can always train after Isyaa' once you have taken in enough calories. 

If you do not wish to train late, an option is to train within half an hour prior to breaking fast and continue for another half an hour or so after Iftar.

[Okay... we need to eat now]

If you want to go hardcore, you can split your training into two sessions: the first session is half an hour before and after breaking your fast, and another session after Isyaa'.

I will be performing Tarawih for most nights. I definitely do not have the time right?

Wrong. You can still make the time. If you are in this category, then you are with me. Similar to the previous situation, you still have three options to for training. 

The first is again prior to and after Iftar. The second is after Tarawih and the third is splitting into two sessions (before and after Iftar, and after Tarawih).

Training right before and after Iftar

So of you may be thinking "This is crazy! Training on an empty stomach and right after eating?". You're probably thinking you won't have enough energy and since you cannot drink while fasting, you are going to die. Plus, you're going to eat during Iftar and continue training? "I'm going to throw everything back out!"

[Let's go training.... wait, let me get up first]

It's true you can get very tired and thirsty before Iftar, but only if you are not doing it right. Your body will lose energy faster when you do any aerobic or anaerobic exercise (any form of cardio). So it's best to do weight training and keeping the reps to minimum. This means you will lift heavier weights as opposed to targetting a high number of repetitions. For example, if you are used to 12-15 reps of squats, switch to doing 8-10 reps instead. You also lower the number of sets.

[Are you even going to argue with the shirt?]

Will you have the energy to workout? If you had eaten properly for Sahur and getting in enough nutrients, then you will. 

So how much do I eat for Iftar? If you train early and finish your workout just before Iftar, then eat your normal meal to replenish your energy. If you are still in the middle of your workout however, you need to eat just enough to have energy to continue your training. So have some dates, drink water, consume some carbohydrates, perform Maghrib and off you go to continue your workout. Once you finish your workout, then have your meal.

If you wish to do some cardio, do it after Iftar (unless you know you can survive cardio while fasting). So really, there is nothing wrong about training before and after Iftar. It's about how much energy you have and how you manage it. 

Training Late (After Tarawih)

I don't think I need to explain much about training after Isyaa'. Most of us do train during this hour on most days after work But what about training after Tarawih? "Wouldn't it be too late to train?".

No. It's actually okay to train late. There is nothing wrong with it. So if you finish Tarawih around 10 PM, start your training around 10.30. Train for one hour and by midnight you'll already be in bed.

[Let's set our goals right]

The Monkey's Training

Okay, so what will my training be like during the holy month? I have mentioned earlier that I won't be going to the gym. I've froze my gym membership for this month. I've already explained my diet plans and now it is time to share my workout. 

I won't go into the details of my workout in this post. Let's save that for later. For most days during Ramadan I will be finishing work around 4.30 PM, except for Mondays and Fridays where I teach classes until 6 PM. Since I will be going for Tarawih on most days InshaAllah, my workouts will be after Tarawih. On certain days I will train prior to Iftar.

How do I train without a gym? My training will be at home and most of it will be bodyweight workouts. I will also use home furnitures and items as equipments along with two light dumbbells that I have.

[Turn your furnitures into gym machines]

I will use this month as a cutting month an also build up on core training. This will mean more short HIIT and cardio sessions, less rest time, more isolation which targets the core and also more core workouts.

[The stairs in your house can be a great asset]

Honestly I have been slacking off on bodyweight and core training, so this is a good chance to get back into it.

If you are wondering what are examples of bodyweight workouts you can do at home; there's push ups, dips, pull ups, elevated push ups, and more. Core workouts include any abs workout and plank variations. For cardio, there's going up and down the stairs, burpees, mountain climbers, shadow boxing and skipping just to name a few.

[Decline push ups can be done using a chair]

I will go through my Ramadan diet and training in detail once the Holy month starts. Until then, get your preparations ready and you are on your way to benefit from this special month.

Return of the Monkey: Preparation for Ramadan (Part 2) - The Diet

How do I stick to my diet with all the good food and pasar Ramadan everywhere?

I won't have time to go to the gym.

There is no time to workout.

These are just some of the excuses I hear.

So how do we prepare ourselves for the Holy month of Ramadan?

What is one of the things that attract tourists to Malaysia? Yes, food! It's a fact that when Ramadan arrives, you will find some of the most amazing food available. Some you could hardly see on other days. Ramadan in Malaysia is a food festival (And here I thought it was to supposed to be a month of fasting). 

[A sight at a typical pasar Ramadan.]

[There are so many types of "kuih-muih" available.]

[The questions on most people's mind "What do I want to buy today?"]

This makes it hard for people who would like to go on a clean diet. Most of us would be thinking, "Heck, why should I give up on these food? They only come by once a year". Then, you spend the rest of the year to burn off what you consumed in that one month.(I learnt the hard way.) 

Then there is the workout dilemma. You're fasting the whole day. And you need to go home and break fast with your family, perform Tarawih after Isyaa' and maybe even listen to tazkirah. "That's my whole night gone".

[And how can we forget the "buka puasa" deals and gatherings. All the food and time taken up.]

So whatever reason people give, it all comes down to two things: diet and time. This post is especially for fellow Muslims in Malaysia who may be struggling to figure out how to balance their diet and how to get their workouts done.

The question then should be: How do we keep fit? or how do we use this month to our advantage?

The Damage

To get the whole idea of how much damage we are doing to our body, we have to break things down. Yes, I agree with everyone out there that pasar Ramadan provides some of the tastiest food you can find. But it doesn't matter which one you go to, they will always have 5 things in common: oil, sugar, coconut milk, white rice, flour.

[This is what pasar Ramadan is primarily made up of.]

I won't be explaining about how much damage each of these ingredients can cause to your body. There are plenty of information out there. But if you can find any food stalls during the Holy month that does not have any of these ingredients, do tell me.

Alone, these ingredients can be dangerous if not controlled, but to bring them together is a recipe for disaster. C'est une catastrophe.

Does that mean we should skip pasar Ramadan?

We are not professional athletes. At least I'm not. And we are Malaysians, which means we love our food. So I am not going to tell you to ignore pasar Ramadan. This is our culture after all. 

If you try and avoid the 5 ingredients above,  good luck. I've tried several times and ended up just walking around at a pasar Ramadan for and hour and going home empty handed (At least I burnt some calories).

What we need to do is to know what we can take. Try to minimize the number of times you actually go to a pasar Ramadan. Trust me it's better to cook at home. Saves you time and money. (You can use those times to workout which I will explain later.) But if you can't, enjoy the bazaar.

Choose food that are the least "dangerous". Avoid deep fried food (you don't know how many times they've used the oil. Recycled cooking oil is harmful to your body). Avoid the drinks stall (Do you see how much sugar they put in your drink? Almost half of the RM1 cup is sugar.) Don't be greedy. Not too much rice and cut down on the "kuih-muih".

[After a whole day of fasting, don't we all need some sugar in the body?]

If you need to go out for "berbuka puasa", choose the food that is less harmful to your body.

We fast for a whole day, so our body needs all the nutrition it can get. From fats to sugar, carbohydrates, fiber, iron, zinc and protein. Our body also needs water. That is why the prophet Rasulullah (pbuh) broke his fast with dates. A ripe date contains 80% sugar. It also has other nutrients like protein, fiber, magnesium and zinc. (That's like eating chicken, vegetables and chocolate ice cream! Just kidding.)

[A ripe date contains sugar, protein, fiber, magnesium, zinc.]

[Unfortunately it is hard to find fresh dates in Malaysia, so these would do.]

Avoid sweetened drinks! The dates are already high in sugar. And they are natural sugar.

Alhamdulillah, I've learnt a thing or two last year while performing umrah during the Holy month. I've seen how the Arabs in the Holy Land break fast. The menu seemed simple but it is just what the body needs: Dates, Arab bread, yogurt with a sprinkle or splash of cinnamon, and some nuts. And of course they drink Zam-Zam.

And there you have it. Complete nutrients. You can't shock you body into eating too much food when breaking fast, so you have have a another meal later after Maghrib. This will make sure you have enough energy for Isyaa' and Tarawih. 

[Dates, yogurt, bread and nuts]

[They got it right in the Holy Land]

So what if you had to go for "berbuka puasa" gathering? Simple. Control what you eat. If it's buffet, don't be too greedy. Don't think of it as a waste of money if you didn't eat much. Appreciate the company instead. If it's a la carte, choose something more healthy. It's better to spend and eat less or little, than to spend the next few months on a personal trainer and dietary supplements. Which do you think is cheaper? You do the math.

The Gym Monkey's Diet

After giving it much thought, I have decided how to plan my diet for the month. I would need the energy to last me for the day, so for Sahur it is important for me to get some carbohydrates, protein and fats. My Carbohydrates here will most likely come from dark green vegetables, brown rice or wholemeal bread. These are slow release carbohydrates which are much better for the body. For vegetables I'll stick to mainly broccoli.

My proteins will come from either eggs, fishes or chickens. If it's eggs I'll scramble it. For fish or chicken it's either oven grilled or steamed. The fats of course will come from the cooking. I'll drink green tea and water. 

Breaking fast, I'll try to adapt to they way the Arabs do it. The only hard part is the yogurt. I would need a whole month supply of Greek yogurt. Then my main meal would be after Maghrib. 

And if you thought that good food can't taste good, look below:

Brown rice with grilled chicken

Broccoli juice

Original yogurt

Dates

Grilled tilapia

For the main meal I'll take in protein source and carbohydrates. They will most likely be the same as Sahur. I would need the energy to perform Tarawih and also workout afterwards. (Yes I'll be working out late. I'll discuss workout in part 3). Once Ramadan starts, I'll be posting up my meals and dishes.

I won't lie, there will be times when I will get myself to a pasar Ramadan or a "jamuan buka puasa" but I'll eat in moderation and I'll check what I eat. Like I said, I am not a professional athlete.

This is a chance to enjoy good food the right way. Eat clean and you are more than halfway through to benefit from the month of Ramadan.

Next, I'll discuss about training and working out during Ramadan.

Back to: Return of the Monkey: Preparation for Ramadan (Part 1)

Next: Return of the Monkey: Preparation for Ramadan (Part 3) - The Training

Return of the Monkey: Preparation for Ramadan (Part 1)

Okay, so the monkey has been out of action for a long time. I have to admit that I have been slacking in terms of fitness and health this past couple of months, and I paid the price.

My weight has skyrocketed back up to 85kg in early June. I wish I could say they were muscle mass, but the fact is that they're not. They are mostly bad fats.

[The Gym Monkey on bad diet]

There are several reason for this; my sister's wedding & Virgil's wedding especially, in which case I ate a lot.... and i mean A LOT!!! So do I blame my sisters? NO!!! I blame myself for not controlling my meals.

[With Sam@Hariz when I was hosting my sister's wedding]

[In Sabah with Riduan and Virgillia's Cocos style wedding. I actually dropped 4kg in 5 days prior to the wedding]

Last month (June), I got myself back to the gym. I was definitely not at 100% but it didn't take me long to get back into the gym mood. (Now I just have to work harder to get that awesome monkey who worked out twice a day to return).

It's a good time for the monkey to come back, just before Ramadan.

I've had questions posed by my friends about what they can eat, when to workout, not having time to workout, and much more. Part 2 of this will be up by week's end to try and answer these questions.

I'll also give an insight about what I'll be eating during the Holy month and what workouts I will be doing. (Note: I won't be going to the gym until after Eid).

Next: Return of the Monkey: Preparation for Ramadan (Part 2) - The Diet

[Let's bring back the Gym Monkey of old..... ONLY BETTER!!!]