BANDUNG, unpas.ac.id – Covid-19 pandemic makes most people spend their time at home, resting and doing less activities. Although it limits interaction and mobility, the pandemic should not be used as an excuse to be lazy.
Reducing some activities during Covid-19 pandemic, especially in Ramadhan, is certainly not good for health. It was stated by Unpas Health Express as well as Vice Dean III Faculty of Medicine, dr. Trias Nugrahadi. He also stated that doing sports need to always be done so that the body will remain healthy during fasting.
When fasting, doing sports will be much effective if they are done after Subuh Pray because the body still have the energy left from the food eaten at sahur. The doctor suggests to do the low-impact sport, such as jogging and simple exercise, in order not to waste too-much energy.
“Avoid doing the heavy ones [sports], the low-impact should be enough. Avoid doing sports that has a partner; it will probably be tiring since it usually creates an atmosphere of competition and winning. The low-impact sport can be done after Subuh Pray, because we still have the energy from the food left at Sahur,” he said at Unpas Campus V, Jalan Sumatera No. 41 Bandung, on Tuesday (April 20th, 2021).
If the food we have consumed has already fulfilled the nutrition balance, therefore the energy we have at Sahur will last up to 8 hours. After 12 o’clock in the afternoon, our body takes the energy from the fat. Right at this time, fasting is suitably considered good for losing weight, cholesterol and reducing heart-attack risk.
Other than sports, eating/ dietary habit is also part of the main focuses during fasting. If the food and eating/ dietary habit are not well organized, it will cause the “yoyo-effect” which means that we lose our body weight easily and also gains it back quickly, even more drastic.
“At the first week of fasting, we can lose our weight around 1.5 kg because our body digestion rest at all. The next week, we lose it slower, around 1 kg. The third week we can lose it 0.5kg. At the fourth week of fasting, our body has already found fasting adaptation, so there are no weight-losing. After fasting ends, our body could gain more weight because we cannot control our eating/dietary habit. This is what we call the ‘yoyo-effect’, we lose it a little but we gain it a lot much,” he explained.
After Ramadhan ends, we need to control our eating/dietary habit back; one of which is by doing Syawal fasting for six days. The fasting is supposed to let our body and eating/dietary habit adapted and balanced.
“We still need to adapt to our body health. We could not withdraw. If we do the fasting, the weight-losing will happen gradually, so the eating habit will not change directly into a burden for body digestion,” he said.
It is necessary to make a diet and maintain food intake so that the body is not surprised by more severe biochemical changes. Errors in eating habit after fasting result in weight gain and the potential for cholera, dysentery, diarrhea, even stroke and heart disease.
According to dr. Trias, what is most important, apart from doing sports and maintaining eating/ dietary habit, is to keep happy. The feeling of happiness will create endorphin that it will give a good impact for metabolism.
“Fasting is considered favorable if it is followed by proper and maintained sports activities and eating/dietary habit. It makes our body metabolism maintained and balanced. Therefore, the balance itself should always be the main focus, especially during Covid-19 pandemic,” he ended. (Reta Amaliyah S)*