1. Introduction
Allah Almighty has graciously blessed us all with a physical body and a soul. This brief article will deal with the easier aspect, i.e. physical body and how we can all try and improve our physical conditions. Before moving on to the subject, it
must be reminded that our physical condition has an impact on our spiritual condition. Thus an instruction has been given
to Muslims to regulate their physical health:
O children of Adam! look to your adornment at every time and place of worship, and eat and drink but exceed not the bounds; surely, He does not love those who exceed the bounds.
(Holy Quran- Ch.7: V.32)
“The Holy Quran has laid stress on physical cleanliness and postures, and their regulation in relation to all worship and inner purity and spiritual humility. Reflection confirms that physical conditions deeply affect the soul.” (Hadhrat Messih Maud [as], Philosophy of teachings of Islam, pg8)
“Mental and spiritual health is deeply linked to physical health. If you maintain your physical health it will help your mental health. It is not necessary for a spiritually healthy person to be physically fit but if he is, it will certainly help him. Older people have been saying prayers all their life with deep personal attachment yearning for the days when they could say their prayers without getting tired, and gain more pleasure. However, due to ailments in old age they cannot say their prayers with ease as they used to in their younger days. Physical health does help the spiritually strong to do good deeds and worship God.” (Hadhrat Khalifatul Messih IV [rh])
2. I want to lose weight?
In order to lose weight, one must pay attention to both diet and exercise. A combination of both will help to lose weight but
maintain muscle which gives the body a better shape.
Simple Diet Plan:
7-8 am – “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.”
This means that eat your larger meals early in the day, this will enable your body to have calories to burn throughout the day.
A big healthy breakfast will give a good start to the day. Good cereal (weetabix/ Just Right/ Porridge)/ toast/ eggs/ banana/
glass of milk
9-10am – Light snack of any fruit, yogurt, cereal bar etc. No junk food
12-1pm – Healthy lunch, lots of salad, meat and a small portion of rice/pasta/noodles. A small dessert is fine, e.g. yogurt/ fruit salad/mouse. Fill your stomach with food first an then have a small dessert if you have a sweet tooth.
3-4pm – Fruit or vegetables, apple/orange
6-7pm – Watch what you eat here, there should be minimal carbohydrates. Try and eat more vegetables/meat or anything
healthy.
8-9pm – If you feel hungry, have a healthy light snack such as a yogurt/ water with lemon or a fruit
3. I want to gain muscle?
For the ones looking to gain muscle mass, different training methods can be used. This should however be done carefully as
it can have side effects and cause injuries if not done properly
Few tips:
• Increase compound exercises; e.g. bench press, pull ups and squats.
• When lifting, lift explosively
• Emphasise the negative; when lowering the weights, do so slowly.
• Increase the amount of fish and chicken you eat.
• Stop/reduce aerobics as it has a detrimental effect on mass building. Although this should not be done for long periods.
• Increase food intake for 3 days and then go back to normal.While increasing your intake, put the muscles under heavy loads.
• Rest, your body actually develops when you are resting. Training everyday will not allow your body to recover.
Although gaining size may be good to some extent, but if overdone, natural athleticism and agility are sacrificed. Hence,
as the God Almighty says, keep a balance. In this too, one should keep a balanced training program.
4. I want to reduce fat and look lean?
The golden rule to remember is to reduce carbohydrates (pasta, bread, rice, chapattis) and increase protein intake (tuna, cod, chicken, turkey), while also increasing fruit intake so the bodydoesn’t lack amino acids and vital nutrients.
This should be done with exercise. While exercising, keep a mixture of aerobics and weight training.
5. I want to get Fitter and stronger?
To increase fitness, you can try various sports such as running, cycling, and football. Circuit training classes are also an
excellent way of increasing fitness. Anything which engages you physically and is fun, go for it! It makes training less boring.
To get stronger, you can do following:
• Go to gym and lift heavier weights
• If running, focus on running fast. Sprinting is similar to lifting weights but keeps the body athletic at the same time.
• Go to circuit training classes. It will help if you have a training partner so grab one of your friends and get in
shape!
I hope this helps. Now all you have to do is to make a decision to train regularly and watch your diet. You will see results much quicker than you might expect. Insh'Allah.
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