Tale of a Traveling Fast-er

Posted: July 23, 2012 in Food
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Today I have to make a short business trip to NYC. When a Muslim is traveling, especially through different time zones, they are not required to fast that day. You would skip that day and then make it up after the end of Ramadan. Now this rule was established when long distance traveling was done via a camel in the blistering sun, where it took all day to go 30 miles. I, however, am sitting in an air conditioned Amtrak Acela train and will be in NYC in about 2 hours. I think I’ll be ok. The challenge is going to be finding Paleo friendly food, especially for Sahoor tomorrow morning. The other challenge will be to find a suitable place to workout. I’ll rely on my friends in the city and trusty www.yelp.com for assistance on that.

I knew I would have to walk extra today so I adjusted my Sahoor meal accordingly:

  • 2 eggs plus 4 egg whites, scrambled with tomatoes and onions. Added some hot sauce and chili powder on it for flavor
  • Whey protein shake
  • A glass of cranberry juice
  • Cup of Teavana White Tea with half a spoon of Rock Sugar
  • 64 ounces of water

(I’ll upload pictures of Sahoor meals when I am little more used to being up that early and am not eating with one eye closed)

I ran out of gaucamole last night or I would have added that to my meal as well. I didn’t make any more since I knew I would be traveling and I didn’t want it to go bad. As you can see my tolerance for liquids has increased in the morning. I will continue to increase that if my body allows it.

Tonight’s goal will be to avoid all of that delicous NY pizza and other great (not so great for you) food the city has to offer. If  this wasn’t only day 4, I would make today a cheat day.I’ll explain more what that means after we have some solid Paleo days under our belt.

First Weekend Complete

Posted: July 22, 2012 in Challenge, Food
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The first weekend of Ramadan is over and am I the only one confused where the time went? I figured I would be at home on a rare unscheduled weekend and that I would be counting down the minutes. SubhanAllah, time passed and here we are at Iftar. Food time. Alright so some of you saw a teaser earlier on my Facebook page about what was for dinner:

The result, Chicken Fajita with Guacamole. The end result, or I guess the beginning before I devoured it:

This is a pretty straightforward dish to make. The guac was from the night before and made a nice addition. Here is how it was done:

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb of chicken breast cut in to small pieces
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp sea salt (optional)
  • 1 Tbs of coconut oil
  • 1/2 onion sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper sliced
  • 1/2 of a lemon
  • 1/2 of a lime
  1. Combine the cumin, oregano, chili powder, and sea salt into a bowl.
  2. Mix the chicken pieces into the bowl and mix it around to make sure all of the chicken is coated.
  3. Heat up a pan and when it’s hot, put in the coconut oil
  4. Put the onions in the pan and let it saute for 3-4 minutes
  5. Add the chicken in and stir everything up. Let the chicken cook for about 10-15 minutes while stirring.
  6. Right before the chicken is done, add the lemon, lime, and red bell pepper to the mixture. Stir it up for a few minutes
  7. Serve with a mixture of vegetables and guacamole.

I usually use extra virgin olive oil but decided to switch things up today and use coconut oil. Coconut oil is known for its many benefits regarding digestion, weight loss, skin care, and immune system. Also the salt is optional here. If you do want salt, try to use sea salt. This is a lot of food so plan to store some or share with someone else. In 20 minutes, you have another Paleo friendly dish.

The Workout

Today’s workout is a body weight workout. These type of workouts are great if you are on the go or don’t have access to equipment. You don’t need a lot of room either so if you are going out and aren’t going to have time, a public bathroom should be more than enough space to get this done haha.

10 rounds for time

10 push ups

10 squats

10 sit ups

Not a lot of technical movements going on here so just make sure you warm up your major muscle groups and get your heart rate elevated before starting. If the push ups become too much or you can’t do push ups, drop to your knees and do them that way. If you still feel this will be too much, you can reduce the workout from 10 rounds to 6. Remember the goal of these works are high intensity, so push your self to do as much of this as you can unbroken (without taking rest).

That’s a wrap for day 3. I’ll be on the road for the next couple of days for work so I’ll be tackling the challenge of eating out as well as working out on the road. Stay tuned!

Making Leftovers Work

Posted: July 22, 2012 in Challenge, Food
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Last night’s Iftar consisted of the spinach and egg chicken that I made along with home-made guacamole. I made extra of both items in hopes to try to the ol’ leftover trick. It worked out well. I took the remaining spinach and egg chicken and added some more egg and veggies to it. Here is what I had for Sahoor:

  • Leftover spinach and egg chicken
  • 1 egg and 3 egg whites scrambled
  • Added some more tomato and onion to the mix
  • Piece of toast
  • A few spoonfuls of the homemade guacamole
  • 60 ounces of water

As you can see I drank a lot more water than I have in the past days. I also had some watermelon and coconut water before I went to sleep last night to ensure that I’m well hydrated today for my workout.

The guacamole I’m finding is a great add-on to any meal not to mention you can just eat it with a spoon when you want a snack. I’ll be making more of it in the coming days. It’s pretty straight forward to make too. Here is how I made it last night:

  • 2 avocados, peeled
  • 4 Tbsp of lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp of lime (optional)
  • 1/4 tsp of cumin
  • 1/4 tsp of chili powder
  • 1 clove of garlic (or less)
  • 1/4 tsp of sea salt
  • 1 diced tomato
  • 1/2 red onion
  • handful of cilantro to garnish, finely chopped (how-to)

Take all items, put them in a bowl, and mash it up with a fork. Be careful with the amount of garlic you use, its smell and taste takes over quick.

There will be a workout tonight, most likely a bodyweight workout. Should be intense nonetheless.

Day 2 in the Books

Posted: July 21, 2012 in Challenge, Ramadan
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So no workout today. Every fourth day is generally my rest day. I was hoping I could get in a workout today and take tomorrow off. However, seeing as how the gym is closed on Saturday evenings, I would have had to do my CrossFit workout at home which isn’t much fun or motivating. Also, I don’t think I ate enough this morning at Sahoor. Although I was much more rested than I have been in days, I felt weaker than yesterday. No worries, I’ll make adjustments for tomorrow’s Sahoor and go at it tomorrow.

Iftaar was at 8.30 today (that reminds me, I really need to create that glossary). I started preparing some Paleo dishes an hour or so earlier. This meal was again heavy on poultry and veggies. I made some gaucamole from scratch to keep around for snack attacks.

 

Here you have some of the premarinated chicken that I keep in the freezer. I sautéed it in extra virgin olive oil with a handful of spinach. I added an egg and some chili powder to it. I mixed it all up as it sautéed on the stove. When there was about 10 minutes left before Iftar, I cut up some tomatoes and put them on top with the stove turned to the lowest setting and let it sit. Once it was time for Iftar, I opened my fast with a date. This is how Muslims traditionally open their fast and is usually the first thing I’ll have. I added some rice (not so Paleo I know), lettuce, and the gauc I made to my plate for a satisfying dinner. For dessert, I had a nice amount of watermelon mmmm. This is how it turned out:

In reference to my earlier post about preparedness, I made enough of this to eat tomorrow as well for Sahoor. I’ll probably add some scrambled eggs to it and some meat. There is also plenty of gauc left over for midnight snacks. Gauc is a great source for healthy fats and a great Paleo snack. I’ll try to post some of these recipes on my page at some point.

Ready for day 3!

Preparedness

Posted: July 21, 2012 in Food
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Maybe it was the excitement about Ramadan starting, maybe I was excited about getting this blog started, or maybe I was just too used to easily pouring a bowl of cereal for breakfast these days but I seemed to overlook a small detail. Having the necessary food items available! So this morning I was mentally prepared to eat a large omelette. I had my meat ready, I had onions and tomatoes chopped up ready to go, I open the fridge….and well, no eggs!! DOH! So the lesson for today, be prepared. Plan your meals ahead of time so you aren’t trying to figure this out while under the pressure of a clock. Figure out what you want to eat and then CONFIRM YOU HAVE WHAT YOU NEED. Luckily I have plenty of good food prepared ahead of time that I was able to pull out and warm up.

This is what I ended up pulling together this morning since I was sort of missing a major ingredient for my omelette:

  • 3 grilled chicken patties
  • Lettuce and Tomatoes
  • Piece of toast
  • 32 ounces of water

These chicken patties contain ground chicken mixed with onions, tomatoes, green peppers, eggs, lemon juice, and other veggies. They were prepared and grilled prior to Ramadan and then frozen. They make for a great quick meal or snack.  It isn’t easy eating that much meat in the morning so allow your self some time if you go that route. I hydrated a bit last night and continued to do so this morning although I’m realizing it’s not enough. As an athlete you should be drinking at least a gallon of water a day. Given that I’m not eating or drinking throughout the day and then working out, I may need to increase that.

Oh and to make sure I’m prepared, I made a trip to my favorite grocery store, Wegmans, and picked up some stuff I will use for tonight’s Iftar and snack attacks.

As you will notice, I shouldn’t be running out of eggs anytime soon….

First Workout

Posted: July 20, 2012 in Challenge
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First day of Ramadan and my first Ramadan workout are in the books. Maybe it was the fact that I was busy at work all day today or that I knew I needed to stay strong for a good workout, but I didn’t really feel it. I felt a bit of grumbling during my normal breakfast time and then again during my routine lunch hour but other than that it was great.

As for the workout, I didn’t exactly stick to my plan but for the better. Since it was my first day, I had decided this morning I would stick to a less intense strength based working. Probably something with olympic lifts, nothing that involved a time challenge. However as tired as I was, when I got to the gym I felt great.  I made it for the 7.30pm session and randomly decided to take on the Workout of the Day (WOD) that the rest of the gym had done. I did decide to modify it a bit by reducing the amount of running I would have to do since it was afterall my first day trying this. Here is what I did:

3 Rounds for time
Run 200 meters
15 Power Snatch 75#
7 Chest to Bar Pullups
7 Ring dips
Completion time- 10 minutes
 

I felt pretty good afterwards, I wasn’t completely wiped and even felt I could have done it a bit faster. I was surprised to find that I still had some energy left in me but I decided to leave it at that, no need to push my self to the edge on day 1. I managed to get home just in time for Iftar. Enough text, let’s see a picture of my dinner

What you see is chicken marinated with spices, sauteed in olive oil with broccolli and some lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers on the side. For the chicken you can ready it in advance by getting chicken breast, cutting it into small pieces, and dip it into a mixture of lemon juice and various spices. I then freeze it for future use. Oh and I love spices so I throw some siriracha sauce on top it.

All in all a successful first day. I ate pretty Paleo, was able to do a met-con workout, and then made it to taraweeh prayer. 1 day down, God willing I can keep this up for another 29!

p.s. time to hydrate hydrate hydrate!

Ramadan Mubarak

Posted: July 20, 2012 in Food
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Ramadan Mubarak! So it’s begun…

I ended up staying up late to get some stuff done last night so my plan on sleeping as much I can when I can is already out the window. Oh well.

I woke up around 3.50am for Sahoor. I didn’t feel like getting too fancy or strict this morning so here is what I had:

  • 3 eggs scrambled with pepper sprinkled on it
  • grilled chicken pattie
  • a small tomato
  • 2 pieces of toast
  • about 32 ounces of water

I threw the bread in for some extra carbs to make sure I would be ok the first day. I wanted to drink more water but time was limited and I could only take in so much. I think tonight I will start hydrating heavily after Iftaar.

I plan on working out tonight. My gym’s scheduled workout involves running a mile plus other things so I will probably skip on that. What will I do? Not sure yet. I will talk to my coach about some ideas when I get to the gym.

I’m getting past the lunch time jitters now. Should be downhill from here right??

Oh and for those who attend Taraweeh prayers, a friendly reminder of.. don’t be that guy:


The Game Plan

Posted: July 19, 2012 in Challenge
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30 days, no food or water from sunup till sunset, clean eating, CrossFit training. I’ll need some what of a game plan if I want to tackle this successfully. I don’t have to many details in mind since this is an experiment for me this year so I will adjust as I have to.

What I know:

  1. Schedule – I usually workout in evening around 7 or 8. The last CrossFit session at my gym starts at 7.30pm so I plan on attending that. I’m going off my experience from my high school days when I used to attend wrestling practice during Ramadan. By the time practice would end, it was time to open my fast and I felt fine. Then again those days Ramadan was in the winter time and the days were much shorter (fast opened at 5pm). Nonetheless, aside from the gym schedule, I want to attend taraweeh prayers at the mosque after opening fast so I would rather take care of the workout before hand.
  2. Programming – Shorter metabolic conditioning, more strength related workouts. I won’t be trying to tackle Murph anytime during this month. Most of my workouts will include strength based olympic lifting and gymnastics. I will try to throw in shorter met-cons after the strength workouts if I’m feeling up to it. At some point, if I’m well rested and fed, I’ll try a named met-con WOD and see how it goes. I’ll be following the gym’s programming where I can and other days I will develop my own.
  3. Nutrition – This is where it will get tricky. My plan is to eat as much protein and fat as I can in the mornings. Not an easy task at 4am. Eggs, chicken, and avocado will be my best friend in the mornings. I’ll work in some carbs though at least in the beginning.  In the evening’s I’ll try to stick to Paleo style meals the best I can. Easier said than done, especially if you have seen how Muslims (especially Pakistani Muslims) eat during Iftaar. I’ll try to post when I can what I ate and maybe some recipes.
  4. Rest – One of the most difficult things to attain during Ramadan in the summer. My window to sleep is very limited. I have to be up between 8.30pm and 11.30pm to eat and pray. I then have to be up by 4 am for Sahoor. I also have to be at the gym from 7.30-8.30pm. I may adjust my work schedule and go in right after Sahoor, giving me the ability to come home early and take a pre workout nap. Problems: I’m not a morning person and I’m not a napper. this should be fun.

The other details will be worked out as I face certain situations. Tomorrow will be my first workout while fasting. I’ll pace myself and make sure it’s an easier going strength based workout.

Aside from all this I have to make sure I’m getting the most out of this month. I have to make sure my mood isn’t affected to the point where I’m not nice to people. I have to make sure I set aside time for volunteer work. I have to make sure I donate more generously to charities or to those who are less fortunate. I’m confident that if I make sure I’m taking care of these things along with my fitness, this month, the hardest 30 days I have ever had to fast in my life, will be over in no time and I will be missing it.

It’s go time tomorrow!

My Ramadan Challenge

Posted: July 17, 2012 in Challenge
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Aslaamulaikum all!

Well it’s that time again, 325 days have passed and it’s time to start the month of Ramadan. While most people know Ramadan as Muslims not eating or drinking from sun up to sun down, there is actually a lot more to it. This is a month where Muslims push themselves to become better people through fasting, spirtual cleansing, discipline, philanthropic and charity work. It’s 30 days of reflecting on our lives, understanding how people less fortuante than us who don’t have food may feel, giving to the less fortunate, and developing self-control in restraining our selves from bad actions. All in all it’s a month designed to better our mind, body, and soul. Most people do a great job with the mind and soul but all too often I see the body part being neglected.

I’ll be the first to say I have been guilty with that neglect. 10 minutes before the sun sets, I’m salvating over which egg rolls I will eat first and what sugar drink I will gulp down in a 0-60 contest. But why? I’ve heard all the excuses in the book  (a lot of them made by me) about eating the way we do when it’s time to open our fast or neglecting even doing a few pushups when we wake up.

This year I’ve said no more of these excuses. How can I maintain my fitness level, push my self to eat clean, and at the same time show others that it can be done? I want to show people that as a Muslim that observes Ramadan, I can harness the greatness of this month that will push me not only to be a better son, brother, co-worker, and community member, but to also be a better athlete that respects the body God has given me.

Over the next 30 days I will document how I eat, how I workout, how I rest, some recipes that I find useful, and other tips and tricks I pick up along the way. I want others to read this and believe that they too can do it. Make no mistake, the main goal this Ramadan will be to better my deen and myself but in doing so, maintain or even increase my fitness. Will this work? Will I be able to maintain it for 30 days? Who knows. All I know is that if this works, this will be a game changer for me and how I tackle Ramadan in the future. Hopefully it will motivate some of my friends and family to do the same.

July 20th, here I come!

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