Prep For Ramadan: 7 Tips To Ensure Your Body’s Ready For The Holy Month

The Holy Month of Ramadan is just around the corner and those of the Muslim faith are readying for the spirituality and the simplicity that this month usually brings. However, Ramdan, which is one of the pillars of Islam, also brings with it the challenges of fasting from dawn to dusk.

Here is how you can ease into fasting this Ramadan and prepare your body for abstaining from food and drink for up to 8 hours this year.

Reduce Your Caffeine Intake

For many, caffeine intake is what pushes people through the day. Regular consumption of tea or coffee (or any other beverage that contains caffeine) can make the first few days of Ramadan a challenge. A good way to prepare your body in time is to reduce or eliminate caffeine entirely from your diet a couple weeks before the Holy Month kicks off. This will bring down withdrawal syndromes like headaches, energy crashes, etc.

Wake Up Early

An important element of fasting is the consumption of 'Suhoor/Sehri’ – the pre-dawn meal to be eaten before the morning prayer call. This is challenging for many as it involves eating a meal at the crack of dawn. Preparing your body to wake up early before Ramadan begins will help you ease into the everyday schedule of fasting.

Wean Off Smoking

The month of Ramadan automatically entails having to quit all habits that are not beneficial to you or your body. If you’re used to smoking everyday, then trying to wean off the habit a few weeks before the month begins will ease the hardship of abstinence.

Reframe Your Diet

After an entire year of regular intake of food, it is not easy to switch to fasting everyday overnight. One good way of familiarising your system with fasting is reducing your food intake, or reframing your eating habits to accommodate for a full month of change. Cut down on your snacking habit if you’re used to munching on things throughout the day.

Stock Up On Essential Groceries

Nobody likes an unprepared Ramadan. To reduce the anxiety around food, it will do you good to go grocery-shopping prior to Ramadan to load up on all the necessary produce and ingredients you might need for your Suhoors and Iftars (fast-breaking meal). Buy healthy, protein-fuelled food to keep you full for longer and foods easy to cook and consume to make your Sehri easier.

Consult A Doctor (If Necessary)

While fasting during Ramadan is not mandated for those who are pregnant or dealing with health conditions, if you would still like to participate, it would be ideal to visit a doctor and to check your odds with them. Make sure you know what to eat when and if your body is truly fortified enough to abstain from food and drink for that long.

Create A Modified Exercise Plan

If you’re someone who works out everyday, you don’t necessarily need to quit exercising entirely during Ramadan. However, it is advised to resort to gentler forms of exercise that are not too draining rather than intense, strenuous workout plans.