Doha: Aspetar discussed on what a person can eat pre and post training during Ramadan, as part of its Healthy Ramadan series which is being posted across its social media accounts.
In a tweet, it advised to eat a carbohydrate-rich snack before training to fuel your body, such as white toast on jam, dates, fruit; and eat a snack that is rich in protein and carbohydrate post-training for recovery such as tuna sandwich, milk with fruit, flavoured milk, smoothie.
Among the other topics that Aspetar had covered as part of its Healthy Ramadan series include how to prevent dental problems, how an individual can do endurance sessions to lose weight, how to improve sleep quality, and how to stay properly hydrated. All of the videos can be accessed across its social media accounts.
On how to prevent dental problems, it asked people to use toothpaste and floss at least twice a day. “Use a toothpaste containing potassium and fluoride, reduce the amount of sweet foods, reduce the intake of citrus fruits to prevent tooth sensitivity, have a thyme drink; thyme can be useful for mouth issues as it kills bacteria in the mouth and reduces tooth sensitivity at the same time.”
The specialised orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital added, “Break your fast with dates because they contain fluoride which helps strengthen the teeth; drink enough water; avoid taking substances that cause dry mouth, such as caffeine and excess salt; eat boiled fruits and vegetable because they contain a high percentage of fibre that helps to restore the balance of teeth.”
On doing an endurance session to lose weight it said exercise sessions should be long and of light or moderate-intensity (i.e., fast walking, or slow running); exercise sessions before Iftar should be for between 40 and 45 minutes; exercise sessions after Iftar can be longer (i.e., 60 minutes or longer); avoid consuming too much glucose or sugar at Iftar and during night feeding hours.”
Meanwhile on how to improve sleep quality it advocates to maintain a healthy diet, and make sure to create a dark sleeping environment, a comfortable bed and a cool room temperature and keep regular bedtimes and wake-up times and get enough sleep; take naps during the day for no more than half an hour or an hour when you feel tired, avoid strenuous physical activity for three hours before bedtime, avoid drinking stimulating beverages such as tea and coffee within four hours of bedtime, and get exposure to early morning sunlight for 30 to 40 minutes to adjust your body clock and sleep schedule.
And to stay hydrated, drink regularly between Iftar (evening meal for breaking the fast) and Suhoor (meal consumed early in the morning before fasting); eat fruits and vegetables that are rich in water including cucumber, watermelon, and orange; do not focus your water drinking at one time only – spread your drinking habit during non-fasting hours.
