food and exercise choices in Ramadan

[Farah636]

Hi Cathe!

Ramadan is coming up at the start of August, so I'll be fasting from before sunrise up til sunset -- which in August will be from 4/4:30ish a.m. to around 8 p.m.

I really don't want to work out while I'm fasting, though I'm actually stuck teaching 2 yoga classes and 2 weightlifting classes while I'm fasting. The yoga should be fine, but I am concerned about lifting while I'm fasting...not just b/c I'll be tired/hungry, but I read somewhere that it can be counterproductive to lift while you're fasting, and that you can actually lose muscle -- is this true? If so, should I maybe just use really light weights, demonstrate and spend more time walking around the class and do form-checking, and then get in my own weight-lifting workout later, post-fast?

Another thing that I'm trying to plan for is eating right in the evening and also getting a decent, time-efficient workout in. The main challenge is that I have such a short window of time to get things done. Fast breaks around 8/8:30 (whenever sunset is), and I want to go to my mosque for the nightly prayers which is around 10ish. That said, I feel like maybe the best thing to do is eat light when I break my fast...do 15-30 minutes cardio (thank goodness for some of your time-efficient premixes!! ), shower, have a snack before heading to prayer, and then maybe another snack when I get back...or just do a quick workout when I get home around 11/11:30ish (I usually go to bed around 1 am)

I just wonder though, if I end up eating 1000-1200 calories (a little in the morning, and the rest scattered throughout the night..and this is just a guess, I don't do much calorie-counting), if it's a bad idea to even work out during Ramadan? But then, I think your metabolism slows down when you fast, so then...maybe I should? eeeh, I don't know! I guess to summarize my questions: Can I work out during Ramadan? Is it a good idea? how should I be distributing my calories pre-fast and post-fast, depending on whether or not I work out?

Thanks in advance!