| Danial Norjidi |
WHILE Muslims in Brunei are fasting as the country celebrates the holy month of Ramadhan, they can still exercise, maintain their fitness levels and practise a healthy lifestyle by moderating their exercise intensity levels and food intake.
This was shared by Fitness Instructor Abby Abdullah of ActivFitness Studio during a recent interview with the Bulletin.
She shared some advice for fitness enthusiasts during the month of Ramadhan. She said that people can still exercise, saying “keep going and do it light”.
“When we fast, it does not mean that we have to stop from our normal fitness activities, we just have to lessen it down. Instead of doing high-intensity, just do it light; as long as we sweat and stay healthy, that’s it.
“You don’t have to go for a 10km run. Maybe just a light walk, light jogging, or after Tarawikh prayers we still can do exercise,” she explained.
Fitness Instructor Abby Abdullah of ActivFitness Studio during a recent interview – AZROL AZMI
She shared that during Ramadhan, her fitness studio is still operating. When asked on how operations changed, she said, “Nothing much. We have both Muslim and non-Muslim customers, and they all still want to exercise. Our Muslim customers, even though they are fasting, they still join, because for them, puasa is puasa, workout is workout.”
She said that as long as they control themselves, and don’t do really high intensity exercise, it is alright, and affirmed that it is definitely possible to continue exercising and maintain fitness levels during fasting month. She also highlighted the importance of food and nutrition.
“In fitness or a weight-loss journey, we concentrate 70 per cent on food and nutrition, and 30 per cent on workout,” she said. “There’s no point for you to work out every day 24/7 only to go back and eat more than what you have burned.”
“Once Sungkai starts, control your food intake. When Beduk starts, don’t head to the food straight away. Perhaps grab some water and Kurma (dates), and that’s it. Go for your Tarawikh prayers, then have your normal meals.
“During Sungkai, try not to take too much sugary or salty food, because salt will make you thirsty, and too much sugar or carbs will make you sleepy, so lessen it down. Try not to drink too much water during Sahur, because that will make you thirstier later on,” she advised.
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