Although everyone reduces their food intake during the month of Ramadan, practicing sports during this month remains important and necessary and cannot be neglected. Exercising helps regulate blood sugar levels, provides the body with energy, and maintains muscle mass. Given the importance of exercising, we decided to mention to you the basics of practicing sports while fasting and clarify the types of sports that can be practiced in the month of Ramadan.

Basics of Practicing Sports While Fasting

One of the most important basics of practicing sports while fasting is considering the time and duration of exercise. Therefore, experts have noted the necessity of exercising daily for only thirty minutes. Furthermore, individuals suffering from certain diseases, such as heart and kidney patients, should refrain from exercising before Iftar; they can exercise after Iftar and consume a sufficient amount of water. It was emphasized that physical exercises are preferred to be in the evening period just before sunrise.

Also, practicing sports in Ramadan works on burning the carbohydrates present in the body. Additionally, experts warned against practicing heavy types of sports that consume a large part of an individual's energy, such as football, volleyball, and weightlifting. It is recommended to practice these sports:-

1. Cycling

Kuwatayi Kartanegara, a nutrition expert, recommends the necessity of practicing cycling an hour before Iftar time, as it works on burning many calories and consequently results in weight loss, as more than 250 calories are burned per hour.

1. Running

Running can be practiced while fasting but with certain conditions and basics. The pace of running must not be increased so that the individual does not suffer from great exhaustion. Furthermore, it is necessary to refrain from running at noon and under the scorching sun; it is preferred that running be an hour before Iftar or in the early morning to avoid dehydration and feeling thirsty.

1. Brisk Walking

To maintain body balance during the fasting period, you can perform brisk walking exercises daily for only half an hour.

1. Yoga

Practicing yoga exercises does not require you to exert difficult physical effort; it depends on psychological calm and deep breathing to maintain emotional stability and increase body awareness. Furthermore, these exercises do not require you to be in a gym or go to a club; they can be practiced in any room of the house amidst a quiet atmosphere, and it is one of the types of sports that do not deplete much of the body's energy.

1. Pilates

This type of sport depends on strengthening the body through performing some low-intensity physical movements. It contributes to increasing the fat-burning rate, and maintaining these exercises for an hour daily promotes the loss of about 200 calories per hour.

Benefits of Exercise Before Iftar

The benefits enjoyed by an individual who exercises while fasting are numerous, and among the most prominent are:-

• Exercising while fasting enhances the body's ability to burn a very large percentage of stored fat, as it stimulates all systems responsible for energy production and oxidation processes to burn fat and carbohydrates.
• It also increases liver efficiency and stimulates the metabolism to carry out its work.
• It increases the efficiency of the muscular system's work, in addition to making the body get rid of all the grease present in it.
• Some people eat a lot of fatty foods and resort to practicing some athletic exercises to prevent fat accumulation and weight gain.
• Exercising works on increasing the number of red blood cells in the body as a result of increasing the efficiency of the blood system's work, and thus the amount of hemoglobin in the blood increases.
• Sport in general increases body immunity, works on strengthening the immune system, and makes it capable of confronting disease and fighting any infection that may affect the immune system.

To practice athletic exercises correctly in the month of Ramadan, it is recommended to eat foods that contain a high percentage of fiber and proteins, and avoid foods rich in harmful fats, in addition to not being excessive in taking nutritional supplements and some types of vitamins that negatively affect the body's health.

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