Ramadan Timetable UK and Ireland 2014 Ramadan Timetable UK and Ireland 2014

Water is essential for every living organism and is great for the human body. Without going into much detail about water, i would like to share something very useful for all those Muslims, New-Muslims and Non-Muslims who are fasting in this month of Ramadan. Some of us feel very tired and sometimes thirsty in the morning. Half way through the day we sometimes don't have the energy to work or motivate ourselves and can feel the body dehydrate very fast with our mouths becoming dry and sticky. Generally on a normal day we drink enough water to last us a few hours, but now that Ramadan is here we tend to forget that the water we drink in the morning is to last us not only a few hours but for anything up to 18 hours without food or drink until the time comes to break our fasts.

Ramadan has come at the peak of the summer season, it is now even more important that we drink plenty of water; yes thats right drinking plenty of water at Suhoor before going to bed really does help! I've tried this last Ramadan and also have tried this in the past few days and it always seems to work! It makes me feel alive and kicking and keeps me active throughout the day! Things you will begin to notice is that; you will always get a good nights sleep because your body will have enough water to hydrate your body and brain. This really revitalizes your body and brain in preparation for whatever the day in front of you has has in store. Every morning i drink 3 cups of water, usually its 2 cups, but it all depends on how big your drinking glasses are, mine holds roughly about 250ml of water.

For many people, the key question regarding fasting is whether it is good or bad for your health. The answer to this requires a quick overview of what happens inside the body during fasting: the physiology of fasting.

The changes that occur in the body in response to fasting depend on the length of the continuous fast. Technically the body enters into a fasting state eight hours or so after the last meal, when the gut finishes absorption of nutrients from the food. In the normal state, body glucose, which is stored in the liver and muscles, is the body’s main source of energy. During a fast, this store of glucose is used up first to provide energy. Later in the fast, once the stores of glucose run out, fat becomes the next store source of energy for the body. Small quantities of glucose are also ‘manufactured’ through other mechanisms in the liver.

Only with a prolonged fast of many days to weeks does the body eventually turn to protein for energy. This is the technical description of what is commonly known as ‘starvation’, and it is clearly unhealthy. It involves protein being released from the breakdown of muscle, which is why people who starve look emaciated and become very weak.

As the Ramadan fast only extends from dawn till dusk, there is ample opportunity to replenish energy stores at pre-dawn and dusk meals. This provides a progressive, gentle transition from using glucose to fat as the main source of energy, and prevents the breakdown of muscle for protein. The use of fat for energy aids weight loss, preserving the muscles, and in the long run reduces your cholesterol levels. In addition, weight loss results in better control of diabetes and reduces blood pressure.