10Fasting is not an excuse to stop being physically active. For some people, fasting actually becomes the perfect moment to reset their lifestyle, including their workout routine. However, the question is, is it safe to exercise while fasting? If so, when is the best time to do it?
Now, for those of you who want to stay active while fasting, read on to discover helpful tips in this article!
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Of course, it is safe, as long as it’s done the right way. In general, healthy individuals can continue exercising while fasting.
Your body may not receive food and drinks for several hours. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t engage in physical activities such as exercise. The key to exercising while fasting lies in adjusting the timing, intensity, and type of workout.
When done properly, exercising while fasting actually offers a wide range of benefits. Here are some of them.
Fasting often reduces physical activity. Continuing to exercise during fasting helps your body stay active and prevents it from feeling “shocked” when returning to a normal routine after the fasting period ends.
With changes in your eating patterns during fasting, exercise can help maintain calorie balance. That way, your weight won’t increase drastically during fasting.
Exercise triggers the release of endorphins, which help you feel more relaxed and happier. So, it’s perfect for overcoming fatigue or a bad mood during the day.
Even though meal frequency decreases, exercise can still help maintain proper metabolic function.
While fasting, one of the most important factors in exercising while fasting is choosing the right time. Some of the safest time options include:
After iftar is a favorite time for many people. Ideally, you can start exercising around 45–90 minutes after a light iftar, when your body has regained energy and fluids.
This way, the risk of dehydration and dizziness will be much lower. Some suitable types of exercise include strength training, moderate-intensity cardio, and light-to-moderate gym sessions.
Light exercise before suhoor can also be an option, especially if you’re a morning person. After exercising, you can eat and drink right away to replace lost fluids.
Suitable types of exercise at this time include light yoga, brisk walking, and stretching.
Some people often choose to do light exercise for 30–45 minutes before breaking their fast. However, keep in mind that only low-intensity exercise is recommended. This is because your body has gone quite a long time without fluid intake.
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To make it feel manageable and keep your body energized, here are some helpful tips for exercising while fasting that you can apply.
As explained earlier, it’s important to choose the right time to exercise. You can exercise close to iftar, after iftar, or before suhoor.
Choose your exercise time according to your condition. Some people are able to exercise while fasting, while others may not.
Next, you also need to adjust the type of exercise you do. Basically, any type of exercise is allowed. However, it’s more recommended to choose light to moderate intensity exercises.
Some of the most recommended types of exercise include cycling, jogging, brisk walking, pilates, and yoga. In addition, avoid intense exercises such as HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) if breaking the fast is still hours away.
During fasting, you can only eat and drink between iftar and suhoor. To exercise properly, you need to maintain balanced and nutritious meals during both eating times.
Make sure to always consume nutritious foods in appropriate portions. Then ensure every meal includes carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins, and fiber.
The next tip for exercising while fasting is to always meet your daily fluid needs. This is important because dehydration can occur when exercising in hot weather while fasting.
To prevent this from happening, you must pay attention to your daily fluid intake. It’s highly recommended to drink 1.5–2 liters of water per day. In addition, you can limit physical activities during the day to prevent dehydration.
Adults need at least 7–9 hours of sleep per day. If you get less than that, it can affect your metabolism and overall body performance.
On the other hand, getting enough sleep helps your body recover and improves your fitness for activities the next day. Taking a 30-minute to 1-hour nap while fasting is sometimes necessary to maintain a healthy body condition.
So, avoid staying up late and stop late-night snacking so you can go to bed earlier.
Starting your workouts with low intensity while fasting is also important. This is because your body needs time to adapt to changes in eating patterns and daily rhythms during the fasting month.
Not only that, beginning with low intensity allows your body to adapt gradually without causing excessive stress. Later, you can increase the intensity and amount of exercise once your body has fully adapted to exercising while fasting.
The last tip for exercising while fasting is to watch for signs of dehydration, especially if you exercise 30 minutes before iftar. Some signs of dehydration to watch out for include headaches, dry mouth, and excessive weakness.
If you experience these signs while exercising before iftar, immediately stop the activity and rest. Then, drink water as soon as it’s time to break your fast to replace lost fluids.
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Exercising while fasting is good for your health, but there is still a risk of injury or unexpected conditions, especially if you exercise regularly or try new activities. Even minor injuries can disrupt your daily activities and worship.
This is where having extra protection becomes important. If you want to stay consistent with your exercises, both during fasting and on regular days, having additional protection can give you greater peace of mind. Sports Insurance from MSIG Indonesia provides protection against injury risks and medical needs that may arise when you are physically active.
With practical and easily accessible coverage, you can focus on maintaining your health without worrying about potential risks. Interested? Find out more about Sports Insurance from MSIG Indonesia here!
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