Transcription
Welcome to "Let the Quran Speak," I'm Safiyyah, your host. When it comes to working out in Ramadan, most of us go to one of two extremes. We either push too hard and crash and burn or we stop completely. I'm here with Belal Hafeez, a fitness expert. He's gonna tell us what's the best approach. Belal, welcome to "Let the Quran Speak."
Thank you for having me.
And I should mention, Belal, that you are the host of a new show, the "Healthy Muslims Show," congratulations on this wonderful achievement.
Ah, thank you.
And we're so excited to watch you on the show.
Yeah, we're excited to get started. Myself, Nazima, it's a new venture for us as well, and for us to have the opportunity to partner with obviously "Let the Quran Speak," it's such a privilege and honor, and so we're so excited to just be able to provide information to the community to help them, Inshallah, you know, be healthier, more energized and feel better overall.
Belal, I wanna start by asking you some of the most common questions that you get. I guess you get this every year, right before Ramadan begins, or as it's starting. The first question, I do not work out at all. Should I begin working out in Ramadan? You told me ahead of time that this is the most common question that you get.
Yeah, yeah.
And I'm surprised by that because I would've assumed that nobody would want to begin fasting in Ramadan. But you're telling me that yes, people are interested.
Yeah, so what's interesting is that you get either one of two, it's either people would be very honest about it, and they'll be like, ah, you know, can I start now? Can I, you know, what should I do if I just wanna get started? And so forth. And then you have others who are like, ah, I've been doing stuff. And then I'll ask them, okay, so what have you been doing? It's like, ah, I haven't worked out like in a month. It's like, okay, so what were you doing before that? And they'll be like, ah, I worked out. And when I start to, you start to pry, and you start to dig deeper into it, you realize it's been a few months, but it's been a few years since they were consistent, right? So reality, they're actually beginners, right? Which there's nothing wrong with that. It's great to be a beginner. It doesn't matter where you start. All that matters is that you start.
But it's interesting that people choose the beginning of Ramadan to begin.
It's the mentality around it, right? Because it's the one time everyone's focused on their nutrition, right? Whether it be healthy or unhealthy, right? It's the one time people are thinking about it. It's the same thing as it's the only time in the year where the family gets together to have dinner, right? To have Iftar. It's the only time that everyone comes together and actually has a meal together, right? But throughout the, throughout the year, you know, you have some people have it together, and then you'll have kind of spread out. And even if everyone's in the house together, everyone kind of has their own schedule. But Ramadan, everyone comes together.
Right, so now when you're thinking about nutrition, it's like, okay, I'm gonna be fasting. It's a good time to be able to lose weight or it's an easier time to be able to lose weight if you, you know, so then they start thinking, okay, what if I start working out? I start doing fitness? And they started kind of bringing everything together. So when you have that mindset, that's where people start thinking, okay, you know, I'll just start everything. And a lot of times people put more on their plate, figuratively, realistically, and working out wise than they need to.
Or that they should. And so that's where a lot of the mentality I think around it is what's really important.
I'm guessing, Belal, your advice is different for someone who's a beginner and somebody who's seasoned. What would you advise a beginner to do?
Yeah, so what's actually interesting is the advice is actually very similar.
Okay.
And so what I mean by that is that even someone like myself who's been, you know, training, working out for years, right, since I was a kid.
Since you were a kid?
Yeah. Since I was, I was young, I've always been playing sports, and since I was, you know, in high school and so forth. But the one thing I tell people, it's the same. The reason why it's the same is that because even those who are seasoned and been doing it for a long time, they need to take a step back and focus on the fundamentals. Because so often when you're in that sprint mode, you fail to realize, wait, how is your form doing? Have you taken a step back to focus on stability? Have you focused on, you know, building up your core strength again, taking the pressure off your lower back? Have you worked on some of the stuff to help with your joints and so forth? Some of the more basic fundamentals like mobility and stretching and some of the stuff that a lot of times when you're just kind of, oh, I can lift really heavy, I can run really fast, I can do a lot of reps, I can do a lot of this, sometimes the fundamentals, you kind of take a step away from, right? So in Ramadan you almost have it built in where you get a chance to take a step back. Now for someone starting, that's amazing because you shouldn't be trying to do too much anyways when you're first starting out.
You should be focused on the foundation, on building a foundation, so when it comes to someone who's a little bit more seasoned, they need to take a step back and kind of rebuild that foundation. Someone who's starting off, they need to build that foundation for the first time. So both kind of, they're kind of taking the same approach. Also, their workouts for someone who's seasoned will be a little bit tougher, obviously, right, because they've been doing it for a long time. For someone who's just starting off, it won't be as intensive, but they're kind of similar because you're still working on, okay, how is your hip mobility? When was the last time you took a step back from lifting heavy or doing a lot of reps and focused on, you know, your hip mobility and how your range of motion is? When was the last time you worked on your ankle mobility? When was the last time you worked on your core stability? So all these elements that are really, really important, like a lot of people will tell me they have like shoulder pain every time they push. Anytime they do any sort of pushing exercise, they get a lot of, well, one thing is take a step back and work on stability exercises to help build up that shoulder again. Rebuild that shoulder, so that way it's stronger. And across the board, especially myself, like and I see this across the boards, those who do it properly and focus on taking a step back at Ramadan, still working out, but taking a step back and rebuilding. They're able to go so much farther after Ramadan. And the example I always give everybody is think of like archery. The further you pull that arrow back, the further it's gonna go. But you need to pull back first before that arrow can go far. And so same thing when it comes to fitness and so forth. You need those moments where you could take a step back to then rebuild, and you'll notice your strength and your endurance and everything is gonna be so much better after Ramadan, because you took that step back.
Belal, when would you think is the best time for someone to work out? I'm sure you got this question a lot as well.
It's the most popular one.
Is it like in the morning? Before you start your fast? Or is it after you break your fast? Is late at night? When exactly.
So what's interesting is that because timing's changed so much, right, for Ramadan. When you work out.
So it depends on the time of year.
Yeah, time of year makes a huge difference, right?
Okay.
So summertime was very different than now,
Than say now it's gonna be like February-ish, right? So the one thing I tell people is that, A, you gotta look at your schedule, right? You have to be honest with your own schedule. So you have to know when you're getting off work or when you're starting school, when your classes are, you know, your kids' schedule and everything else. From there, plan out how many workouts you can realistically get done in the week, right? So from there, ideally three times, minimum three times in a week, right? So 30, 45 minutes is a good time. So if there's 168 hours in a week, you're realistically doing less than three hours in a week. Space it out so that way if you do get sore or if you are tired, you have enough time to be able to rest and recover so you can get back into it, right? So if someone who's more seasoned, four times, even five if you really wanna push it, depending on how seasoned you are, you can definitely get up there. But if you're someone who's starting off or if you haven't been as consistent, three times. From there, the timing will now again depend on your schedule.
Hmm.
The ideal time, especially now, this time of year I would say is right before Iftar. The one reason why is because you're gonna have food and water available to you. You're generally, you're probably gonna be just about getting home at that time from work and so forth. So you have a little bit of buffer time to be able to get in a 30 minute, 40 minute workout. If you do it after Iftar works as well. The only thing is it's closer to Taraweeh. Because there's enough time between Maghrib and Isha.
Yes.
This time around, you have that window open where you can work out. You just wanna make sure that you're gonna have to go a little lighter on Iftar, so that way the food's not sitting in you when you're working out. Otherwise you are gonna get a stomach ache. It's gonna mess up your Iftar.
Yes.
I'm not a big fan of working out late at night. I know at university, especially those at university and colleges, they love working out at that time because they, well, they basically, and we, I was guilty of this. I'm not sure about yourself, of becoming nocturnal.
Yes, yes.
When you're university and so forth, sleep all day, and then you're up all night and you stay up. Even though I was guilty of it, I would still advise, let's not do that because you know, you wanna be up during the fasting time, right? You wanna be able to do it, during the fasting time, right? It is, you want to go through that sacrifice as well. But I know a lot of, despite whatever I say, they're still gonna work out at the time, which is fine. You just want to make sure, it's important to realize sleep is really, really important. Your sleep is already gonna be affected. People ask me all the time about supplements and this and that and food and everything. Nothing--
I mean, I think you talk about that too.
Yeah, definitely. Nothing surpasses sleep, right? Sleep is the number one thing that's gonna help you recover. So when you work out, you don't reap the benefits of the workout during the workout. That happens in recovery.
Mm.
Right?
So how many hours should somebody sleep?
So eight hours would be ideal, but so there's two, there's two things to keep in mind. Taraweeh, right? How long the, is leading, right? So if you're going to a place where they lead a little bit slower, your sleep might be a little bit less, right? If they read a little faster, you might be able to get to sleep a little bit quicker. So that's gonna have an impact. But generally, and then you're waking up for Suhoor. So one thing that is important to remember is that your sleep is gonna be affected. There's nothing you can do about that, right? It's like a parent complaining about sleep. There's nothing we can do about that. You're gonna be woken up at 1:00 AM randomly by your child crying. It's just a normal part of being a parent.
Yes, yes, that's true, that's true, yes.
Right, so same thing in Ramadan, it's gonna be a part of it, but again, it's a time when you are focused on a mission that you're trying to accomplish. So you're understanding that there are gonna be hard parts. It's not all, it's not gonna be an easy or a cakewalk, which is okay. And it's the mentality that you go into it, that there is gonna be some hardship in it, and that's okay. After Ramadan, you can catch up on your sleep, and you can go through that. But understanding that, so from there, one of the ways that you can do is, but when you have your nutrition on point, your hydration, you're making sure you're being physically active, and then you are trying, getting in naps when you can in say mid-afternoon and so forth, will have a huge impact as well. Just making sure it doesn't turn into a sleep and stays a nap is important.
Okay.
But when you are, if you're overeating, if you're not moving. What everyone does is turns Ramadan into the month of feasting as opposed to the month of fasting, and then they sleep all day and don't move around, then that kind of becomes a recipe for disaster.
Yes.
Right? So if we're doing all those other elements, and then our sleep isn't perfect, it's not gonna have as much of an effect as they otherwise would, right? So your sleep isn't gonna be affected. That's why one thing, when it comes to working out, I'm not a fan of having it too close to sleep, it's just because your central nervous system's firing, your energy's up, you know, you're a lot more hyped up. It is harder to go to sleep. Even if you do go to sleep, it still has an impact on how deep of a sleep you can get.
Last question, Belal, how do you be sure that you're not overexerting yourself?
So during the workout or in general?
Like are there signs, like are there signs that someone could tell, okay, I'm going too far in terms of the exercise that I'm doing. I really need to pull back a little bit.
Yeah, what it comes down to is people have to understand that how sore are you getting?
Okay.
Right? Soreness plays a huge factor. Are you getting a little bit more tired than normal? Are you getting brain fog? Right, all of this is because you're not recovering properly, right? Or you're doing too much during the workout, right? A lot of times you'll have people get really excited, and they'll wanna do too much, right? They'll like, I'll have people reach out to me like, all right, you know, the first week I was doing great, and the second week I can't. And I'm like, well, think about it Islamically, right? It's the same thing. You see people in that first week, they try to read extra Quran.
Yes, yes.
And Salah and everything, they're doing a lot, which is great, right? But there's no pacing. And so what ends up happening, they burn themselves out.
Okay.
And so same thing when it comes to the workouts. With nutrition, they're like, I'm gonna have zero carbs. Well, that's not smart, you need your carbs. That's where you get energy, right? They're gonna cut that out. Then they're gonna work out five, six times a week. I've had people to be like, all right, so I'm gonna work out right after Iftar, and before Iftar, I'm gonna go for a run. What were you doing beforehand? They're like, ah, I was just doing, I'm like that's how you're starting? Don't do that. You're gonna, right? And some, most people listen, thankfully, and then they'll see good results by, you know, pacing themselves. And then you'll have others that are like this is what I was doing. I just can't keep up. I'm just too tired. I'm like, well, yeah, your body's telling you to stop, right? It's telling you, please leave me alone.
Yes, yes.
Right? So what you need to do is take a few days off. They're like, oh, but what? You're not gonna lose anything. Take a few days off, allow yourself to rest, recover. Your body, recovery is super important. Recovery is how your body gets, so if you wanna say, if you're young, and you wanna put on muscle or, but even strength, strength is important for everyone regardless of age. Strength is very, very important. It's important to be strong because that's what helps preserve your joints and bones and everything else. But in order for that to happen, you need to recover. So making sure that you have enough time between one workout to the next. If you're experienced, you can go back to back days. But if you're not so experienced, have a day in between that allows your body to recover. But the one element that I will say that everyone should do is do something every single day, 10, 15, 20 minute walk.
Okay.
Will do wonders, right? Especially during Ramalan, that will have a huge impact on you. It has an impact on mental clarity, energy, stress, and then obviously weight loss, overall health. So that's one element that I would say you should do every single day is go for a walk, a relatively good pace. One that's not getting you completely out of breath, but you can carry a conversation, but it's not so slow that you're just kind of waddling down the street. You should be able to kinda, you know, keep up a decent pace. So you don't need to be, you know you'll see some of those older ladies are like shifting their hips and stuff.
Yes, yes.
No, you don't need to do that.
Okay.
But, you know, keep a decent pace. And one thing I tell people is, you know, if you keep a tasbih with you, keep something with you, and you can do dhikr on the way as well. That's a great way to be able to catch up, put on a podcast, listen to you guys, right?
Thank you.
Listen when you're on.
So, Belal, tell me what to expect on your new show, "The Healthy Muslims" show. Are you gonna be showing us some moves some workouts?
So we are gonna be--
A workout plan, what are you gonna be doing?
So we're gonna be doing a little bit of, kind of as much as we can to help the audience try to gain as much as possible. We're gonna be doing some exercises and stuff. My goal is to try to help, especially when it comes to fundamentals and really get you started. It's hard for me to be able to provide individual, right? Because we're talking to a broad audience. So what I wanna be able to do is make sure that the information that we're providing is something that everyone can take something and add it to what they have going on, right? So maybe not everything, but you could take something out of it. So when it comes to basic movements, understanding fundamental exercises, understanding basic movements. So making sure that your posture, your form is in place to help minimize injuries. And so that way you can be consistent as well, but we wanna be able to make sure that everyone can leave with at least one thing that they can then add to their day-to-day life to help improve that Inshallah.
I'm so excited for your show, Belal.
So am I. It's exciting. It's really, really exciting.
I hope everyone will watch it.
Inshallah.
As-salamu alaykum.
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