Best Time To Workout For Weight Loss In Ramadan

Ramadan is a time of spiritual reflection and renewal, but it can also be a time to gain some weight. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and involves fasting from sunrise until sunset. While fasting during Ramadan is an important religious tradition, it can also present physical challenges.

Fasting during Ramadan can cause many people to lose weight due to the fact that they are not consuming any food or liquids except water. This causes your body to go into survival mode, which means that it will burn fat more efficiently than usual. However, if you continue with your normal exercise routine while fasting, you may actually gain weight instead of losing it during Ramadan!

Right here on Buy and Slay, you are privy to a litany of relevant information on exercise time per day, exercise for weight loss at home, and so much more. Take out time to visit our catalog for more information on similar topics.

Best Time To Workout For Weight Loss In Ramadan

Between interrupted sleeping patterns and a lack of liquids, maintaining a normal workout routine during Ramadan can be hard.

However, in order to remain healthy during the holy month, finding the time to work out will help to keep energy levels up, your mind clear and your metabolism stable.

“The holy month should not be when you give up on your fitness goals. Rather, make Ramadan a time to recharge so you can hit the gym strong after these four weeks,” says Ahmed Al Sayed, a personal trainer at Fitness First.

Which kind of workout is best?

As someone who observes the fast himself, Al Sayed focuses on three basic fitness aspects in each work-out: strength training, cardio and flexibility. “The reason I prioritise muscular strength is because a loss of muscle mass will slow down your metabolism. The goal ought to be to avoid both: losing muscle and a drop in your metabolic rate,” he says.

“When it comes to cardio, I recommend a light-intensity session, limited to 30 minutes of slow, steady distance, every other day. Remember, you will be dehydrated, so your body will use your fat storage as a source of energy, especially if you do your cardio before iftar. However, the fact that you’re depleted means your blood pressure might drop at onset or even after, so don’t skip warm-up and cool-down routines.

“Similarly, when you start your resistance training, choose exercises that target the upper body before the lower body to avoid any drop in your blood pressure during or after. The last fitness aspect to focus on is flexibility to avoid any mobility-related issues you might face, especially when you exercise normally again after Ramadan and during the Eid break.”

The best time to work out

During the fast, with high temperatures and no liquids from sunrise to sunset, you will compromise your health by pushing yourself too much. It is not recommended to do intense cardio workouts and heavy weight-training exercises while fasting. You should also cut your routine down to two cardio sessions a week throughout the holy month.

Here are the four best options for working out during Ramadan, according to Fitness First:

90 minutes before sunset

A light work-out towards the cooler part of the day will mean you can soon replenish yourself with water, and reap the benefits of exercising on an empty stomach. However, any workout done at this time should be low-key with more resistance training, low repetitions and weights, and lots of stretching. This is also a good time for a short brisk walk or light jog.

After your evening meal

While cardio can be difficult on a full stomach, around one hour after iftar is a good time for weight training. On the days you plan to exercise after your meal, you may want to add in a little extra food to fuel your body, and ensure you drink plenty of water to rehydrate.

Between 11pm and 2am

For night owls, the best time to work out may be between 11pm and 2pm, after your food has had a little time to settle and your body has fully rehydrated. If you have managed to get some rest in the afternoon, exercising at this time can be favourable, as it is cooler than the daytime, and will still leave you with a couple of hours more sleep until you get up to start the day.

Between 3am and 4am

For early risers, the best time to work out may be just before your morning suhoor. This way, you will have energy from the previous night’s meal, yet be on an empty stomach. You can hydrate while you exercise and once you are done, eat again to refuel. This method will also get you get energised for the day ahead.

Exercise Time Per Day

One of the most common questions that exercisers ask is: “how long should I work out?” The answer to this question depends on your goals and current health status. While following minimum guidelines for physical activity can help to maintain health and combat the negative impacts of a sedentary lifestyle, it takes more effort to lose weight and get fit. In addition, an individual’s current level of fitness will also determine how much they should exercise each day.

When people wonder how long they should be exercising they may hope the answer is less versus more. In fact, the recent health and fitness trend is to do shorter workouts for weight loss. But this fad might not always be effective for everyone—whether you’re trying to lose weight or improve your level of fitness.

The best method to determine how long you should work out shouldn’t be based on fitness trends. Of course, you can (and should) still include short workouts on rotation in your schedule. But you will also have to do some cardiovascular workouts that are a little bit longer if you want to lose weight and stay healthy.

Weight Loss

According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), you should exercise for 150–250 minutes per week to lose weight. The organization also suggests that more exercise provides better results.

If you want to keep the weight off for good, the ACSM prescribes a minimum of 250 minutes of moderate to high-intensity exercise per week.

To meet the ACSM guideline, you could simply exercise for 40 minutes every day. But that workout schedule could get boring, which may cause you to quit your program. In addition, to lose weight effectively you need to exercise at different intensity levels. This requires that you adjust your workout duration to accommodate the various workloads. It’s also helpful to keep track of your daily calorie needs for weight loss. This calculator can provide you with an estimate.

Build Strength

Muscle mass decreases with age, which stresses the importance of regular resistance training. Strength training builds stronger muscles and bones to support the joints and prevent fractures and can even be beneficial for managing arthritis.

In addition to cultivating a regular strength training regimen, it’s important to make sure that you’re still incorporating enough cardiovascular activity to maintain or improve your current level of aerobic fitness.

Switching up your workout routines and workout lengths can help stave off boredom and help you stay motivated. But be sure to carve out time for rest and recovery days to avoid injury or burnout.

A 2016 review and meta-analysis published in Sports Medicine suggests that strength training at least two days a week can effectively build and strengthen muscle. Some experts recommend three days or more, however. 

Stay Healthy

The American Heart Association (AHA) has physical activity recommendations for basic health maintenance for adults and children in the United States. Here’s a close look at some of the AHA’s advice.

• Adults: Americans aged 18 and older should get at least 150 minutes of heart-pumping moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of higher-intensity cardiovascular activity (or some combination of both) each week. The AHA also recommends incorporating strength and resistance training at least two days per week.
• Children: For kids aged 3–5, the AHA states that this group should be very active throughout the day. Children aged 6-17 are advised to get at least 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity cardiovascular exercise per day, with vigorous intensity at least three days per week. Strength-training activities for this age group should be at least three days a week, gradually increasing with frequency and intensity over time.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that only around 22.9% of U.S. adults aged 18–64 meet the minimum guidelines for physical activity each week.

To reap the health benefits of regular exercise, the AHA suggests that adults gradually increase the amount and intensity of exercise to reach a goal of 300 minutes (5 hours) of physical activity per week.

To incorporate more heart-pumping physical activity into your daily life, the AHA recommends first and foremost being less sedentary whenever possible. Even light activity such as getting up and going for a short walk or performing gentle stretching can help offset the risks associated with too much sitting, according to the AHA. In addition, the AHA suggests the following activities:

Moderate-Intensity Exercise

• Ballroom or social dancing
• Brisk walking (at least 2.5 miles per hour)
• Biking slower than 10 mph
• Doubles tennis
• Gardening
• Water aerobics

Vigorous-Intensity Exercise

• Aerobic dancing
• Cycling 10 mph or faster
• Jumping rope
• Hiking (uphill or with a heavy backpack)
• Singles tennis
• Swimming laps
• Rigorous yardwork
• Running

While getting enough exercise is crucial for maintaining and improving health, staying hydrated and getting proper nutrition is just as important. For advice on following a healthy, balanced diet, refer to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

How Long to Work Out Each Day

If you are healthy enough for vigorous exercise, your workout program should include hard, high-intensity days, easy days to recover, and moderate days when you build endurance, improve heart health, and burn fat. Each of these workout goals requires a different exercise duration.

How long you should exercise every day depends on the specific workouts you choose and your personal health and fitness goals. But in general, you’ll want to incorporate a mix of the following each week.

Short-Workout Days (20-30 minutes)

High-intensity intervals (HIIT) workouts need to be short. Why? Because your body simply can’t work very hard for a long period of time. If you find that you can complete high-intensity drills for an hour or longer, you’re probably not working hard enough.

HIIT workouts should last 20–30 minutes and feel very hard. Keep in mind, however, that you burn more calories from EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption), also known as “the afterburn,” if you structure high-intensity workouts properly.

Measure workout intensity with a heart rate monitor and make sure you reach your target heart rate for the session. If you are well-rested going into the workout, you’ll find it easier to work hard enough to reach that goal.

Easier Recovery Days (30-45 minutes)

The purpose of an easy day workout is to allow your body and your mind to rest. Of course, you could sit on the couch to recover as well. But an active recovery helps to increase your body’s range of motion, decreases your stress level, and increases your daily caloric burn. 

Active recovery is simply a low-intensity movement that increases the range of motion in your joints. For many people, an easy walk or a leisurely swim is a good active recovery exercise. Some yoga classes (restorative yoga, for example) are another smart option. An easy active recovery workout can last 30–45 minutes.

Long Moderate Workout Days (45-90 minutes)

Most of your workouts during the week will fall into the moderate category. These workouts burn more calories than a recovery day, but still allow your body to recover and prepare for high-intensity workout days. 

However, because your body isn’t working as hard on moderate workout days, you need to exercise for a longer period of time to burn enough calories to lose weight. Try to make these sessions last 45 minutes or longer.

If possible, schedule one long workout, 75 minutes or more, during the week. This longer session challenges you mentally and builds cardiovascular endurance.

Exercise For Weight Loss At Home

Exercise is essential for your overall health. Good health and weight loss are interrelated. If a person has a higher body mass index, then they are prone to several disorders like hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, and other cardiovascular problems. Exercise becomes also very crucial for the effective management of these conditions. If you are diagnosed with diabetes, you can try out these exercises for diabetes to keep your blood sugar levels in check.  

Two important factors that need to be considered to lose weight are exercise and dieting. The balance between the two is very important. In your everyday routine, if you follow your diet and skip exercise or work out intensely and not follow your diet then you will see your body behaving very differently. 

Exercise has many benefits attached to it along with weight loss. Exercise improves your mood, strengthens your bones, and reduces the risk of many chronic diseases. People tend to pull themselves out from exercise as they won’t have the time to hit the gym or even cannot afford to join a gym or personal trainers to guide them on their fitness journey.

7 Best Exercises to Lose Weight At Home

So, here we would like to suggest to you the 7 best and popular exercise programs that you can practice at home and make yourself stronger, fitter and healthier. 

1. Aerobic Exercises

Walking is considered one of the best weight loss exercises. Walking at a fast pace is a great exercise for burning calories. An exercise program that puts minimal stress on your joints and can be incorporated into your day-to-day activities.

According to many studies, A 70-kg individual burns around 167 calories per 30 minutes of walking at a pace of 6.4 kph. It is also observed that an individual can reduce their body fat by an average of 1.5% and waist circumference by 2.8 cm by walking for 50-70 minutes 3 times per week.

Jogging and Running are considered to be the king of weight loss exercises. These exercises are total body integrated exercises. It will strengthen your legs and be very effective for belly fat. The major difference between running and jogging is the pace. Jogging is between 6 – 9 kph and running will be around 10 kph.

Running and Jogging will approximately help burn 372 calories per 30 minutes and 298 calories per 30 minutes respectively. The combination of these 3 exercises will certainly help improve your muscular strength and overall body weight to keep you fit and healthy. 

Exercise Pattern

Set aside 1 hour of your time and include these exercises in your routine.

• Start with walking exercise for 15 minutes.
• Increase your pace and start Jogging for the next 15 minutes.
• With a constant increase in pace, run for another 15 minutes.
• Reduce your pace and come back to jogging for 10 minutes.
• Relax your body and slow down your pace and walk for 5 minutes.

2. Skipping or Jumping Rope

Skipping exercise offers a complete body workout and helps increase your muscle strength, metabolism, and burn many calories in a short time. 

Skipping exercise done regularly will bring in calmness and help to ease depression and anxiety. The workout also increases your heart rate which results in faster pumping of blood across your body to keep your heart in a better and healthy condition. Along with your heart, this exercise takes care of your lungs by keeping them functioning and healthy.

Everybody has a distinctive body and which makes the process obtain different results. Losing weight is nothing but burning more calories than you intake and skipping will surely help you do that. This form of exercise approximately burns calories close to 1300 per hour. 

Exercise Pattern

• On a flat surface, stand with your back straight.
• Make sure your feet are together and pointing straight.
• Keep your hand straight pointing downwards close to your thighs.
• Jump off the ground and let your rope pass under your feet and bring it back.
• Repeat these steps and increase your jumping speed constantly.

3. Planks

Plank Pose or Plank exercise is one of the most effective full-body workouts. The biggest advantage of Plank’s workout is it targets most of the major muscle groups in the body. It strengthens your muscles in the core, shoulder, arms, chest, back, and hips. Along with these benefits, Plank exercises help in quickly burning the excess fats and calories from the body. 

A workout that seems to be a simple and easy one but it’s quite exhausting and intense. The plank exercise is a great example of the longer you workout the better will be your results. You need to focus on holding your plank position for a longer period to find quick and better results.

Plank exercise has different variations that target different muscle and body areas. Each variation is very helpful and keeps improving your core strength, body balance, endurance, and posture. 

Plank Exercise Variations

The Standard Plank: It is also known as The Extended Arms Plank. This position is best suited for beginners who are looking forward to improving their core strength. This workout is great for improving metabolic activity and digestion. The forearm Plank variation is an identical version of the extended arms plank. The target areas of this workout are the core, arms, shoulders, and back.

The Mountain Climbers: Considered as one of the intense variations of plank workout. A full-body workout that burns excess calories and fat from the body. The targeted areas of this workout are the biceps, hamstring muscles, core, triceps, and chest.

Exercise Pattern

• Get down into the Push-Up or Standard Plank Position.
• Now bend your right knee and pull it towards your chest.
• Push your right knee back to your initial position.
• Now bend your left knee and get it towards your chest.
• Push your left knee back to your initial position
• Continue the above steps around 20-25 times.

The Reverse Plank: This is a variation of the standard plank but done in a reverse manner. This workout is an excellent way to stretch your body. A workout that reduces unnecessary fats and calories from your body. It helps in strengthening your core, shoulders, back, chest, and gluteal muscles. 

Exercise Pattern

• Sit down and extend your legs in front of you.
• Place your hands behind your hips for your upper body support.
• Now lift your hips by straightening your hand and form a straight line with your body.
• Hold this position for 40-60 seconds.
• Repeat these steps and methods around 20-30 times.

4. Push-Ups and Pull-Ups

Push-ups are one of the most popular exercises and it is a workout that can be done at any time, anyplace, and by anyone. Push-ups exercise is very useful for weight loss as it pushes your body away from the ground and exerts energy which in turn burns calories. 

Push-up exercises are good as it burns calories quickly and makes you focus on the larger muscles in your upper body. Push-up workout also focuses on your chest, shoulders, back, biceps, and triceps. Push up exercise will also strengthen your core muscles and make your body physically stable and healthy.

Push-ups help in building more lean muscles in our chest, shoulders, biceps, and triceps. If you keep practising push-ups for weeks or months or years, then you will build a great amount of muscle mass, and to maintain your muscle your body has to expend its calories. 

Exercise Pattern

• Look for anti-slippery and flat surfaces.
• Place your hands facing forward and slightly wider than your shoulder width.
• Set your feet together or slightly apart in a comfortable position. Initially, you can keep your feet further apart until you find a proper balance.
• Now bend your shoulders as low as possible towards the floor and push up back and straighten your arms.
• Repeat these steps for 15 reps and 3 sets.

Pull-ups focus on several muscle groups that burn more calories as multiple muscles like biceps, triceps, back and core are working together. This workout can aid you to get in shape, increasing your ability to burn fat and boosting your metabolism. To complete a pull-up it nearly takes 15 muscles and the primary muscles are your lats and biceps.

According to the study, doing a pull-up workout will help you burn nearly 10 calories per minute. It is recommended that at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity workout have to be done each week as cardio is one of the best ways to burn calories.

Exercise Pattern

• Grip the pull-up bar with your arms fully stretched by standing straight.
• Now bend your knees and pull yourself until your chin clears the bar.
• Come back to your original position slowly.
• Repeat these steps for 15 reps and 4 sets.

5. Squats

Squat exercises are known as muscle strengthening exercises. The main aim of this exercise is to improve the lower part of the body. Squats help burn calories and prevent fat from accumulating in your lower part of the body. This exercise helps improve your mobility and also balance. A beginner should aim for 3 sets of 12-15 reps of at least one type of squat to expect better results.

Exercise Pattern:

• Stand straight with your feet wider than your hip width with toes facing front.
• By bending your knees and ankles push your hips back.
• Sit into a squat position by keeping your heels and toes on the ground.
• Keep your knees bent to a 90-degree angle and pose yourself parallel to the floor.
• Straighten your legs by pressing your heels and return to the standing position.

6. Lunges

A popular strength training workout that strengthens and tones your lower body and improves overall fitness and athletic performance. Lunges mainly focus on strengthening your back, hips, and legs. 

Lunges help in building lean muscle and reduce body fat. It is important to push yourself and include lunges in a high-intensity workout routine with the help of heavyweights. The single-leg movements involved in this workout stabilizes muscles to develop balance, stability, and coordination. 

Exercise Pattern

• Stand straight with your back and abs upright.
• Bend your knee by keeping your right leg in the front.
• Now, bend your knee until your right thigh is parallel to the ground and left one perpendicular.
• Keep your front knee above your heel.
• Come back and bring your feet together.
• Repeat the above steps with your left leg.
• 30 reps of alternate lunges are very helpful.

Along with exercises that need to be done at your place for weight loss. There are other factors and methods that can be helpful for weight management.

7. Yoga

Yoga, a 5000-year-old transcription has proved to be an effective weight loss therapy. It is believed to be developed by Rishis and Brahmans and has 5 basic principles: Exercise, Diet, Breathing, Relaxation, and Meditation.

The combination of Yoga and healthy eating has proven beneficial as it helps to lose weight along with keeping your body and mind healthy. It also improves your mindfulness and relation with your body. You can also lower your blood sugar levels by practising yoga for diabetes. 

Along with weight loss as its benefit, Yoga has more benefits to offer such as:

1. Improved Cardio Health
2. Increased Muscle tone
3. Balanced Metabolism
4. Improved Respiration
5. Increased Flexibility
6. Stress Management

Yoga Poses are an integral part of weight reduction. Yoga poses focus mostly on improving concentration and building your muscle tone. Your body should get used to these poses to yield maximum benefits from yoga.

Some of the yoga poses that should be practised for weight loss are:

1. Warrior Pose
2. Triangle Pose
3. Shoulder Pose
4. Bridge Pose
5. Bow Pose
6. Plank Pose
7. Downward Dog Pose
8. Sun Salutation

Calories Burned With Different Exercises

Here is a quick guide on how many calories different exercises burn within what time. Note that these are just general figures and the actual amount will depend on a variety of factors like your weight, age, fitness level, the intensity of your workout and the amount of time you put into each exercise: 

Best time to exercise

Perhaps the best time to do your daily workout routine is early in the morning. The main reason behind this is that exercising on an empty stomach is the best way to burn stored fat. Even if you feel irritated by the early alarm clocks at first, it will slowly become a habit for you, a good one at that. Say, you wake up every day at 7 am in the morning. This way your biological clock shifts earlier, thereby making you tired quickly in the evening or night. This helps in maintaining the schedule diligently.

However, there have been studies that suggest that working out in the evening can be better as our bodies use lesser oxygen during that time, which may help enhance our performance and in turn lose weight. Nonetheless, the studies are quite limited and the majority of researchers direct towards morning as the favoured time to exercise if you want to lose weight at home.

Diet tips for weight loss

Follow these tips to make sure your weight loss programme at home is done properly:

• Do not fall prey to fad diets that promise results in a short amount of time.
• Beware of alluring weight loss pills and belts which may only give short term results.
• Starving yourself is certainly not the right answer as it can lead to other problems like acidity, nausea, etc.

FAQs

1. Is it possible to lose weight with just exercise?

No, Weight loss is a combination of regular workouts and a proper diet. It is important to ensure you strictly follow both to achieve the desired results.

2. If I Sweat more during a workout, does that mean more fat is burned?

No, Sweat indicates your body’s ability to maintain its normal body temperature. Your body starts to store heat when you sweat so that you can experience cooling by evaporation. 

3. How often should one work out to see results?

Work out regularly to get in good shape. It is advisable to work out at least 2-3 times a week rather than once in a while.

4. How many calories to consume in a day?

Calorie intake can be determined by multiplying your ideal body weight by 14. For example, If your body weight is around 135 pounds then you need to consume 1,890 (135*14) calories per day.

5. Can I lose weight in a week?

It is possible to lose a certain amount of weight in a week by maintaining a strict diet and working out dedicatedly and regularly. You may also try intermittent fasting and make conscious changes in your daily lifestyle like walk more often, to quickly lose weight.

6. Will I lose weight if I stop eating?

Weight loss is all about the calories you intake and the calories you burn. When you stop eating, the calorie intake goes down. As a result, you will go into a calorie deficit state and lose weight. However, this is not a healthy option. You must watch your calorie intake but eating is important to stay healthy.

7. What food should I avoid to lose weight?

Any foods with high carbohydrates and fats should be avoided if you want to lose weight. These include french fries, potato chips, white bread, pastries, cookies and sugary drinks.