Makan apa? Boleh training tak? Jogging macamane? Nak Kurus? Nak Gemuk 😀

Oleh kerana ramai yang bertanya mengenai cara bersenam during this holy month, below is a basic guideline.

To train or not to train?

It’s really not a question on if you can train but it depends on a couple things:

• Type of exercise
• Timing

Ia juga bergantung kepada anda! Sesetengah orang, including me, take Ramadhan as a time to lay off training and fitness and to perhaps focus on other things. Also, for me I find it hard to make it to the gym after berbuka..tired it once but headed back home after a lacklustre workout.

Ok, if you still wanna train, when and how depends on the type of activity you wanna do and also, when!

1. Sports & Cardio (bfr berbuka)

• The problem with sports or cardio/aerobics while you fast are not really about food but all about water of lack thereof. Lagi2 dengan iklim Malaysia yang very humid, fasting leaves you dehydrated and sports/cardio doesn’t help. Fasting and sports leads to dehydration. Symptoms of dehydration are fatigue, headaches, dizziness and dark urine.
• But, for those yang inginkan fat burning, light activity in the afternoon is not such a bad idea for those looking to burn some fat in the absence of glycogen (thanks to fasting).
• Whatever it is..take it easy and “listen” to your body.

2. Sports & Cardio (after berbuka)

• No problem here as long as you don’t jump into overdrive immediately after a heavy buka puasa meal (or buffet!)
• If you wanna do this at say 730ish….just get a light & easily digestable meal for berbuka. Otherwise it can get nasty 😉

3. Weight Training (bfr berbuka)

• No-Go while berpuasa! Your body is lacking nutrition to draw rapid energy for weight training. So not only don’t you have the energy to sustain a high quality workout and build muscles…your body actually breaks down other muscles. Double whammy!
• What happens after you train? You are drained after a grueling session but you won’t be able to recharge with nutrition! Its fasting month!
• Conclusion? Don’t do it….its a waste of time in my books.

4. Weight Training (after berbuka)

• Just like cardio/sports after berbuka, weight training is ok as long as your are well prepared with your preworkout meal and wrap it up with a postworkout meal.
• Since it’s practically impossible to gain mass in the month of Ramadhan, it may be a good opportunity to train for muscle retention to maintain whatever muscle mass you have acquired for the month prior to puasa.
• All in all, I wouldn’t recommend a go-crazy-puasa-buffet and immediately head to the gym. Eat sensibly.

Should You Freeze your Gym Membership?

I have already! 😉 but thats me. All depends on you. If you think you can make it there..thats great. Just make sure you actually get quality sessions in and not just quantity.If you don’t feel like going to the gym, take a break! YOu need to take a break from training once a while anyhow to let your body (bones, joints, muscles) recuperate…abd dengan keadaan Ramadhan yang kurang ideal for training….its actually a good time to take a break!

I do this every year…and guess what…after raya and all…I’ll be mentally recharged and am phyched to hit the gym again. So not only do you rest physically but mentally as well.

And this also allows me to focus on things that I may sometimes neglect during the year…like spending time with my family, terawih and meeting up with old friends for berbuka.

Will you lose all your progress so far?

Well yes and no! Obviously by not training all month, you will lose some strength and size. It’s just like athletes losing stamina during their off-season (summer). But before you start whining, there’s some good news.

Thanks to muscle memory, you’ll be back in no time. Once you hit the gym again, you’ll be able to regain whatever strength, size or stamina you have lost! Quality training and nutrition is obviously vital but it won’t take you another six month like the first time! After a good 3-4 weeks, you will be back!

Again the mental recharge you got from Ramadhan will fuel your enthusiasm and prevent you from overtraining! You’ll be back in shape in no time! Athletes go through this every year during their off-season (to recharge mentally and physically). Ramadhan can be your off-season!

Kalau saya berhenti training , adalah saya akan gain weight semasa puasa?

Good news: it’s extremely difficult to gain weight during the month of Ramadhan no matter what you have for buka puasa! How can this be? Because the 2-3 meals per day you have when you fast (break fast – snack – sahur) are no where nearly as much compared to your normal non-fasting diet! Also tiredness and lack for appetite during “sahur” won’t help you eat as much food as you would like to. For most, you will lose some weight (and muscles) without trying, including me.

Nak Makan Apa?

Semestinya balanced but susah jugak kalau nafsu makan dah membara…lagi2 kalau makan buffet ramadhan. Good advice is to remember that it takes about 20 minutes to actually feel full…so makan slow2.

Manis-manisan? Hmmm makan jangan tak makan but dengan moderation. Hidup kita hanya sekali…so takkan kita tak ingin menikmati makanan di bulan puasa. Just remember to take it easy and to eat a balanced meal first.

Selamat Berpuasa!

Akhirnya, ia pilihan anda! Kalau anda penat physically and mentally, take a break during ramadhan! If you are training for a specific goal or purpose than train smart! For me, you won’t be seeing me at any gym but I’ll probably he hittinh the driving range, playing a lil tennis or swim…to kill of some time while waiting for the Maghrib Azan.

To all of you out there! Enjoy life and live in balance. Selamat Berpuasa Dan Selamat Hari Raya. Maaf Zahir & Batin !