Aspetar clinical guidelines: Ramadan fasting and exercise for healthy individuals

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Published Jun 1, 2023
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Vol. 101 No. 1 (2023): Issue Jan 2023

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Karim Chamar
Aspetar, Hôpital d’orthopédie et de Médecine du Sport, Centre Médical d’excellence FIFA, Doha, Qatar
Fatma Guezguez
Université de Sousse, Hôpital Farhat HACHED, Laboratoire de recherche « Insuffisance Cardiaque » (LR12SP09), Sousse, Tunisie
Karim Khalladi¹
Aspetar, Hôpital d’orthopédie et de Médecine du Sport, Centre Médical d’excellence FIFA, Doha, Qatar
Hamdi Chtourou
Observatoire National du Sport, laboratoire de recherche « Activité Physique, Sport et Santé » (UR18JS01), Tunis, Tunisie
Tajdine Moumen Jamai
1. Aspetar, Hôpital d’orthopédie et de Médecine du Sport, Centre Médical d’excellence FIFA, Doha, Qatar
Anis Chaouachi
Centre National de Médecine et des Sciences du Sport, Laboratoire de recherche « Optimisation des performances sportives », Tunis, Tunisie / 6. Institut Supérieur du Sport et de l’éducation physique Ksar-Saîd, Université de la Manouba, Tunisie
Omar Al Sayraf
Aspetar, Hôpital d’orthopédie et de Médecine du Sport, Centre Médical d’excellence FIFA, Doha, Qatar
Abdul Rashid Aziz
Physiologie du sport, science du sport et médecine du sport, institut du sport de Singapour, Singapour
Nicola Luigi Bragazzi
Laboratoire de mathématiques industrielles et appliquées, département des mathématiques et des statistiques, Université de York, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Helmi Ben Saad
Université de Sousse, Hôpital Farhat HACHED, Laboratoire de recherche « Insuffisance Cardiaque » (LR12SP09), Sousse, Tunisie

Abstract

Healthy adult Muslims who practice Ramadan fasting (RF) follow strict religious rules regarding their lifestyle. RF influences several parameters, including nutrition, hydration, and sleep habits, and can potentially reduce physical performance. It seems that RF prevents athletes from training and participating in competitions, and prevents the general community from engaging in physical exercise.  This places practicing Muslim athletes at a competitive disadvantage. Therefore, the goal of this guide was to provide practical recommendations, based on expert panel consensus, for healthy athletes and their support staff on how to adopt appropriate behavioral, social, and psychological strategies to cope with the changes and constraints resulting from RF. The recommendations developed in this guide are not limited to prescribing appropriate exercise during the month of Ramadan (ie; schedule, frequency, intensity, duration, type of exercise, and training load), but cover different aspects of lifestyle such as nutrition, hydration, and sleep, and address psychosocial and cognitive aspects related to RF. These recommendations are intended for healthy individuals. Patients with chronic illnesses should refer to their doctor to ensure an eventual safe practice.

Keywords:

Athletes, Chronobiology, Exercise, Hydration, Nutrition, Sleep

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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