People, like myself, who try to get to the gym on a regular basis find themselves in a quandary during Ramadan.When do we exercise?How do we get to the gym?And when? During the day is inappropriate as we are fasting.In the evening there is iftar and salat al Tarawih.After that we are usually too exhausted and most people don’t feel good exercising that late at night. In that light I remember meeting a couple of people in Tunisia who were training for the Olympics.They did their training during Ramadan at midnight! Makes sense, but most of us are not willing to make that kind of sacrifice,

So what do we do? First of all, before we go further,let me highlight the two major risks of exercising while fasting-dehydration and hypoglycemia.For the first,we don’t want to sweat too much.If we do we will be losing not only water but also electrolytes so that is a no-no.As to the second,we don’t want to be burning calories off too quickly,since we are not taking any in.Hypoglycemia can be a serious problem.

So the program has to be light to moderate in intensity ,no more. Here are the elements of the program I am using.

1) A moderately brisk walk 15-20 minutes.Can be done anywhere,preferably not in extreme cold or directly under the sun

2) Chiqong.I use the program developed by Roger Jahnke of Nine Phases. 15 mins. approx although it can be stretched out by increasing the number of repetitions.Remember to always keep them an odd number..Usually does not cause a sweat but rather brings in energy-“chi” they call it.So, perfectly suited to Ramadan

3) sit-ups -two sets of 10-15:  5 mins.  and

4) Exercising of arms,chest and shoulders with resistance bands which can be purchased in any sporting goods store and are eminently portable

So there you have it-modest,cheap and doable.Should keep you in shape until your next visit to the gym in shawwal.And you can use it whenever you travel,anywhere.Tell me how it works for you.Salaams,Ibrahim