My reply on the topic of Muslims and fitness:

What we find and learn in western men’s magazines is distinctly geared for the goals of living longer, healthier, and to become more sexually pleasing to ourselves and to the opposite sex.

On the other hand, the Islamic ideal man is one who is in a state of submission with Allah’s decree. Being physically fit is a part of that, but is that the goal (like it it for the West) or is it the result of following the Sunnah?

It was mentioned that the Prophet (S) was very physically fit, and that he had a ‘washboard stomach’. If this was the case, it was certainly not due to time he spent in a gym. I also doubt very much if it is a sunnah to spend time doing ‘cardio’ in which one runs for no purpose other than to exert oneself.

Rather, the sunnah is to live a balanced life of ‘applied fitness’, which is fitness which comes from living through the rigors of everyday life, working hard, playing hard and eating minimally. Those that were that strong in the time of the Sahaba, developed that skill from the nature of their livelihood or activities when they came home. We should strive to do the same as well and train in ways that do not lead us to excess.

Out of milk? Run or bike to the store instead of drive. Car dirty? Spend time and put some elbow grease and do it yourself instead of the car wash. Want to be strong? Try learning archery or fighting techniques and tell me how sore you feel afterwards.

All of these ways, and others, are important to making our lives more -real-. Much of it can be accomplished by doing certain things the ‘old fashioned’ way. I daresay that becoming fit from actual applied uses of strength, power and speed retains a strong sense of purpose, and keeps us from imitating blindly the culture of body-worship which is fast becoming an alternative ‘religion’ in the West.

On the other hand, we need to realize that Allah has created all sorts of people, and there are those who are fond of the books more than the archery grounds, stables, or wrestling pad. If they have expressed their love for the Sacred knowledge in this way, while neglecting this small aspect of the Sunnah, they are still very far from reproach from our weak souls.

We simply cannot expect our scholars to be die-cast replicas of the Prophetic Sunnah. This is especially the case when we are discussing the few aspects of the Sunnah which we find attractive because it fits with our current interests or lifestyle.

Since the Prophet (S) was perfect in all respects, we can think of him as a perfect sunlight beam, hitting a prism, creating different colors each with their own level of beauty as well.

We, his followers, are those colors. We should be able to respect on another’s strengths and ignore their weaknesses. At the same time we need to respect our weaknesses and ignore our strengths, since that is the only way to find our way back to the perfect light source.

Only when we examine the best aspects of all of humanity will we find a representation of his Sunnah.

I’ve neglected the “Body” aspect of “Mind, Body, Soul”. While there are so many spiritual benefits to fasting in Ramadan, we should also remember that this is a time when we are perfecting the technique of “Mind over Matter” by controlling the hunger and appetite of our bodies. So we should also reflect somewhat on the “Matter” part of the equation. Unlike many traditions I don’t believe Islam supports the idea that creating a healthy soul translates to creating an unhealthy body. In fact, I am a firm believer that a healthy spirit can only help rejuvenate the body. So with this spirit of improvement in mind I will employ some of the health and fitness knowledge I’ve gained over the years to outline some beneficial points both for you and me.

Ramadan is not about losing weight, but I find that it is a strong signal of whether I am fasting properly. We may have all heard the sad stories of people who end up gaining weight in Ramadan, and this post may help answer why.

It all comes down to whether you are in the -spirit- of Ramadan? What sort of fasting is it if you are eating, in quantity and calories, than what you would have eaten any other day?

You can easily use these calculators to determine how many calories you burn a day (and it’s always useful to know a little more about yourself, isn’t it?):

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/
or
http://medicine.uchc.edu/departments/facdev/nutrition/cal.htm

When you eat less than these numbers, you will lose weight (and eventually have to recalculate your maintenance). When you eat more calories, you will gain weight. I’ll avoid the specifics of ketogenic (Atkins/South Beach) diets, and it is needless to say there are some aspects of them which are useful as well, but they do not change the overall law of nature: you need to eat less to lose weight.

When fasting most people will be reducing their calories by the mere fact that they have only 4-5 hours to consume food, and they are unable to make up all the calories they would have eaten if they were capable of eating the full time that they were awake.

However, what is common among Muslims today is that they gorge themselves at Iftaar time on fried foods which contain huge amounts of calories, making the person ‘make-up’ any missed calories in those few short hours.

So, tonight, are you going over your maintenance number or not? One easy way to determine this without any math is if you are patting your belly while loosening your zarband / belt (whichever applies).

Another, more foolproof way to determine the answer is to keep track of this information. You can keep estimates in your head or you can use a free website which helps with just that: http://www.fitday.com. Simply make your own custom foods by reading the back of the label and put it in there, or look through their existing database of foods. Then enter your portions and you are done.

Although during the beginning of Ramadan you will be losing a lot of water (this is natural), it is important to realize this is not an excuse to gorge yourself either. You haven’t lost any actual fat yet, even if the scale is saying otherwise. It takes a 3000-3500 calories deficit to lose one pound. If you spread it out, that means if you eat 500 calories less than the maintenance you calculated above you will lose one pound of body tissue in that week.

Tada! The mystery of weight loss/weight gain becomes a lot less mysterious!

Now, notice I said body tissue, not -fat-. This is because when your body begins digesting itself, it rarely distinguishes between fat and muscle.

Muscle loss is a huge problem in our elderly community, so please be aware of this fact for you and your loved ones if you ignore all the rest.

Muscle is something your body desires to get rid of. Biologically speaking, its active tissue, it requires constant food and attention from your body to keep muscle tissue alive. Your body would much rather get rid of muscle than consume its own fat, which sits comfortably on your stomach or thighs requiring little attention.

And here again the -spirit- of Ramadan affects your body as well. Relaxing, sleeping, being lazy through most of the day when fasting really exacerbates muscle loss. Besides, what true type of fast is it if you are unable to remember it at all?

To ensure you are losing weight in a healthy manner, you simply need to send a signal to your body that the muscle you carry is -needed-. And that signal is sent by remaining active. If you have a desk job, there is no need to go to extremes, but do some yardwork, a few pushups, or lift a few weights, this sends a strong signal to your body that the muscle it carries is -needed-.

So keep the spirit of Ramadan alive as well, eat well, be active, and you’ll end up lean and healthy both spiritually and physically.

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/86/98933.htm

“April 26, 2004 — More than a third of Americans pray in hopes of achieving better health, according to a new study.

Researchers say prayer is a common practice in the U.S., but little is known about how people use it for health concerns. Although prayer has no proven effect, researchers say previous studies have shown a positive association between spirituality and better health…”

This is a good article on accomplishing a one-arm headstand pushup:

http://www.dragondoor.com/cgi-bin/articles.pl?rm=mode3&articleid=152

amazing. I am working now on a one-arm pullup. Soon inshahallah. I have been dieting at low calorie levels lately and this has impaired any strength gains I expected. Inshahallah, I will be working on eating more and gaining strength now that the dieting is over.

Here is an interesting article on traditional Islamic martial arts: http://www.mubai.cc/articles/art60.htm.

I might be picking up some of their videos, if once I browse their site I determine that they aren’t full-of-it! I’ll publish my findings here.

Found this interesting sword, and this one too. It’s not curved as you may have seen in some depictions of ‘Arab’ sword fighters (Alladin?), which I find interesting.

I’ve always been interested in sword fighting and I’m looking to see how compatible Japanese sword fighting is with what our ancestors practiced.

I read this today: World faces a ‘devastating’ diabetes epidemic – WHO

Here is the interesting part:
The per capita death toll was highest in the Middle East and parts of the Pacific, with more than one in four deaths in the 35-64 age range attributed to diabetes.

Every Muslim is first to proclaim that Islam is a natural solution to the worlds ills. I continuously hear about the solutions that Islam brings; our sobriety is the solution to alcholism, our committment against Zina is what will cure the world of STD’s or unwanted pregnancies, our hatred of usury will solve the economic problems of the world.

If our belief is perfection, then why aren’t we in a perfect state? The examples of what I hear in response is that Islam has been held back by corrupt leaders, or by Wahabi’s or by the television.

I laugh at this, we blame everything else. But, look above, we cannot even control the morsels we put in our mouth, we cannot give an ounce of thought to what it is that Allah has provided, and what we have chosen to sustain us.

Why do we not reflect on the importance of food to our souls and to our bodies? How much of the Quran and Hadith, in regards to such a simple thing as food, is spent indicating what is forbidden, what is allowed, and how we should eat?

Yet, we give it no spiritual significance. We see an Oreo cookie and wonder, green light or red light? Gelatin or not? That is the sad extent of the depth of our thought regarding food.

When the Prophet (sallalahu’alaihee-wassalam) was asked how he could fast for so long, we were told he received his sustenence from Allah. The Prophet (sallalahu’alaihee-wassalam) was the perfect man, and he was sustained by perfection. Can we not see that we literally are what we eat?

We read of Rabi’a al-Adawiya (May her secret be sanctified), at Seeing the Dawn, that animals ran from Hasan and he asked:

“Why did they run away from me, and associated so tamely with you?” he asked Rabi’a.
“What have you eaten today?” Rabi’a countered.
“A little onion pulp.”
“You eat their fat,” Rabi’a remarked. “Why then should they not flee from you?”

There is a -deep- spiritual significance to what we eat and how it affects our reality and our relationship with God. This is just one of many stories of the awliya and their remarkable relationship with food.

What is the relationship of todays Muslim and food?

The pure pleasure of eating into a slice of pizza is what attracts most students to endure the endless drivel repeated by the president of their local MSA. The ambrosia of Coca-Cola is awaiting us when we break open our fast. Zam Zam water remains in our fridges, too holy to drink, while we instead ingest high-fructose corn syrup by the gallons. Fasting is simply an excuse to gouge ourselves at dusk.

Our bodies are powerful and balanced systems. Why don’t we draw some relationship between our food, our bodies and our souls, since they are so closely intertwined?

Ya Muslimeen! Your bodies will be called to testify against you! Each part will discuss how it was used or abused. Our strongest souls are being collected by death! Why? Because of we have abandoned the sunnah of the Prophet (Sallalaahu’alaihee-wassalam)!

We choose refined flour in our breads, when the Prophet (Sallalaahu’alaihee-wassalam) ordered Umm Ayman, when refining bread for his consumption, to put the bran back into the dough (in a hadith related by Ibn Majah). We eat man-made foods from robotic factories rather than the pure food of the earth that the Companions ate. We worry about the minute details of ingredients, looking for the forbidden and permitted, but we don’t spend a thought to recognize that partially hydrogenated vegetable oil is literally a killer.

Hey, as long as its vegetable, right?

Why is it that nearly every Muslim man I encounter in the US is completely out of shape? Our ‘uncles’ with their protruding pot-bellies or our youth with twig arms.

Our history is one of spiritual, mental, and yes, physical excellence. Muslim men should be the renaissance men of the world, adept at all things from self-defense to having a beautiful voice when reciting Quran.

Reading the descriptions of our Prophet (salallau’alaihi-wassalam) and the Companions, could you find a group that aspires to meet -all- of that criteria today?

Spiritually, yes. Mentally, yes. Physically, we are extremely lacking.

It seems there is a large barrier keeping our men from being as fit and healthy as can be. We have no prominent nutritionists, beyond the ones that emphasize eating Halaal. We have little or no care about the quantity or types of food we consume. Most of us are sitting 90% of the day away, we wouldn?t know what to do with a bow if we wanted to.

The Prophet (sallallahu’alaihi-wassalam)
“Any action without the remembrance of Allah is either a diversion or heedlessness excepting four acts: Walking from target to target [during archery practice], training a horse, playing with one’s family, and learning to swim.” (Reported by Tabarani.)

Currently, I recommend that Muslim men follow a specific plan dedicated to bodyweight-based exercises, rather than trying to reach a 300 pound bench press. I feel wholeheartedly that mastery of one?s body comes hand in hand with mastery of ones ego.

I will be posting whatever research I have collected on Islamic traditional martial arts over the next few weeks.

From that, inshahallah, I hope to create a specific plan for Muslim men to follow. Questions and comments are welcome.