Successful Ramadan Equates Holistic Lifestyle

The Ramadan is an auspicious month for all Muslim around the world. Not only does he or she has to abstain from eating and drinking, he or she will have to control his or her urges and still carry out their daily undertakings. I would like to share some tips in accordance to my pillars of fitness namely physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual.

Physical Fitness

During the Ramadan period, it is vital that one still look after one’s physical fitness. While fasting allows one to reduce weight (inevitably), it is still important to carry out some weight-bearing as well as some cardio exercises. The key here is to know your body and its limits. Elite athletes have their way to go through their fasting period and still maintain a high performance regardless of the sports they participate. Some examples include Mezut Ozil and Karim Benzema in football and Kyrie Irving in NBA basketball. For us, mere mortals, it is recommended that we carry out some light to medium intensity workouts. This can include walking before the call for breaking of fast and some light weight training. If you are scheduling yourself to go to a gym, ensure you bring some light snacks and the protein shake powder.

One cannot run away from physical fitness without mentioning about food. The importance of sahoor (pre-dawn meals) and iftar (dusk meals) cannot be underestimated. A heavy meal for these times may cause discomfort in the long run. It is always recommended that one takes a well-balanced meal and drink lots of water. Try to avoid aerated drinks when one is breaking fast.

Mental Fitness

Mental fitness can be defined as the ability to process and respond to mental challenges healthily and effectively. This means coping with stress, managing emotions, making decisions, concentrating, and remembering things.

In our daily lives, we are constantly bombarded with decision making situations. This happens the moment we wake up till the time we decide to put our heads to our pillow. The ability to make good, sound decisions and not easy as well as convenient is a good example of mental fitness. Everyone goes through this and I am sure it is not easy. In the course of fasting, it is recommended that you allow your mind to take rest from your busy day. Give yourself a 10 to 15 minutes of mind rest. Whenever your mind starts to think about something, tell yourself that you are on a mental break. As a practising Muslim, during my commute to work, I will zikr which is a form of Islamic meditation. Planning your day in small portions will also help in your mental fitness. For example, set some productive activities before and after Zuhr, after Asr as well as after Maghrib.

Emotional Fitness

Joy, anger, anxiety and ‘feel good’ are some examples of emotions. In Islam, these emotions stem from our nafs. In its unrefined state, the nafs is the ego. During Ramadan, as mentioned earlier, it is also important for a Muslim to control his or her nafs as it is one of the pillars of a good fast. While one cannot totally wipe out one’s nafs, it is very vital that one is able to control it. In its primitive state, the nafs have seven characteristics which needs to be overcome:-

1. Pride

2. Greed

3. Jealousy

4. Lust

5. Backbiting

6. Stinginess

7. Malice

It is recommended one is present to all the emotions that are occurring throughout our life. Practicing gratefulness, empathy, self-motivation and living at the present moment will certainly help control the emotions.

Social Fitness

I had defined social fitness as the ability to adapt comfortably to different social situations and appropriately in a variety of settings. During Ramadan, it is encourage we do activities that can help reduce the sufferings of others. Enhancing social fitness involves building and maintaining healthy connections with others.

An example of an activity that involves social fitness is doing community service. It is not only investing money to charitable organisations but having inter-personal relations or creating a bond with the people during charity work. I recalled my first community service where my friends and I orgasnised several activities for children with disabilities. The smiles of the children and care takers gave me a sense of joy. That is priceless.

Spiritual Fitness

One final form of fitness which is not well-researched on is spiritual fitness. Spiritual fitness is a life-long pursuit which affects the person’s beliefs and life experiences. Each main religion in the world has their own unique principle, religious practices and spiritual goals. Practicing religion can bring a sense of calm and reflection.

During Ramadan, it is encouraged that one performs the extra prayers and zikr. When we have inner strength, other goals such as fitness, stronger relationships and prosperity are more attainable. Start with the ones that are easy to perform and be consistent in doing it. Once you are comfortable, challenge yourself with other things. Be open to the new challenges and be open to fail. It is through failure that we learn to be better.

These five pillars of fitness are attainable and may lead to a more holistic life. It takes a small step to begin and the improvements you reap will be yours. For more advice and tips, please feel free to drop me a private message.