First of all, I’d like to (belatedly) wish readers of this blog a very blessed and holy Ramadan. The month is a time to reflect and to get closer to God, and it also provides an opportunity for people to evaluate their health and well-being, and hence, it becomes common to see more people taking to fitness during this month.

A common discussion among fitness enthusiasts in Ramadan is when it is best to work out as no water and food can be consumed during the day. From my experience and from many conversations with runners and athletes, there is no perfect/ideal time, as it really depends on you, your body, how much you can tolerate (if you’re working out while fasting). The most common times are listed below

• Some brave souls somehow manage to do it in the morning (How they survive the day in a dehydrated state is impressive, I don’t know how they’re able to do it).
• The hour leading up to Iftar
• 3-5 hours after Iftar
• Right before Suhoor

I personally tried different times, and the one that worked out best for me is about 3 hours after Iftar, as my body would have had enough time to digest the food inhaled at sunset and I would be able to hydrate. I also tried to work out before suhoor and that went well.

My recommendation is to try different times and see how your body reacts and functions, and observe how it feels after working out. If you exercise during fasting hours and you feel lightheaded let’s say and/or get severe headaches, then you either reduce the intensity of your workout or simply move your sessions to be post-iftar. We all have different bodies and we’re all unique in a way to how we can handle food and water deprivation for a few hours, so just be sensible with what you do, don’t over exert yourself and remember that fasting on its own is hard enough, let alone with a work out thrown into the mix.