Ruba Ali Shares The Ramadan Lessons She Always Carries With Her

Ramadan is Sweat trainer Ruba Ali’s favourite time of the year, a time where she has 30 days to reset, reflect and reconnect with her spirituality. And this Ramadan is a particularly special one for Ruba and the Sweat Community as it marks the much-anticipated release of our first-ever Ramadan program, Ramadan Reset. 

During this holy blessed month, Ruba’s number one priority is focusing on her faith and her appreciation for her creator, and she knows everyone’s approach to fitness during Ramadan will be unique. After all, there have been times when exercise has been part of her routine during Ramadan and others where she chose to give training a miss. 

Ruba says she always feels her best after Ramadan and sees the world with more colour than ever, learning a number of important lessons throughout those 30 days that she carries throughout the rest of her year.

Prioritise your faith 

Day-to-day life for Ruba includes her faith, fitness, family and food, and when it comes to Ramadan, putting her faith at the centre of her routine is more important than ever. She makes sure her five daily prayers and setting aside time to read the Quran are non-negotiables - even if it means missing a workout. 

In fact, it was during Ramadan that Ruba embraced her new fitness and wellbeing philosophy, ultimately rethinking the routine that led her to burn out. 

“My faith has helped me understand who I am besides my image, besides what you show people, your title, your career,” she explains. “Faith taught me to connect with my truest self, my soul. When you connect with that, no one can take that away from you. No job, no relationship. When you connect to that you have a level of certainty and a level of peace and contentment that you don’t have without knowing yourself on a deeper level.”

Practice resilience and discipline

Today, Ruba sees so much alignment between her faith and her approach to fitness, saying faith has helped her to develop discipline and an unwavering belief in the unseen.

 “Faith and fitness go hand in hand because despite how we feel, we have to show up and stay disciplined and my faith has helped me build that discipline that I apply to fitness.”

“I get ready for prayer each morning and when your head is on the ground in a state of humility, there’s a level of peace you really can’t explain. That’s what gets me up. We all face things in life, but those five daily prayers, they keep you grounded, they keep you focused on the right things. Life is about developing your mind, your body, your soul and you can’t do that without looking out for your spirituality.”

Set realistic fitness goals 

Ruba is a big believer that every workout has the power to be so much more than just a workout, and fitness should always fit into your life - not be your whole life. And setting realistic fitness goals are more important than ever during Ramadan.

“This month is focused on your spirituality and your connection with God. It’s a detox for your mind, body and soul. You’re detaching from your desires and your daily routine, you’re fasting from sunrise to sunset, you can’t eat, you can’t drink, you have to abstain from sexual activity,” says Ruba, explaining just how important it is to change your approach to fitness during this time. 

“It’s not about hitting one-rep-max, it’s not about losing weight or gaining weight. It’s about maintenance and momentum. Don’t set unrealistic goals, it’s never going to happen during Ramadan.”

Find what works best for you 

Whether it’s the best time of day to train, how many workouts you want to complete each week or what movement means to you during this holy month, every woman’s experience of Ramadan will be totally unique. 

There’s no right or wrong way to exercise during Ramadan, but listening to your body, finding what works best for YOU and not being afraid to skip a workout or dial down the intensity is always recommended.

Ramadan Reset with Ruba Ali 

The Ramadan program you’ve been waiting for has finally landed in the Sweat app. Nourish your mind, body and soul and discover workouts that will meet you where you’re at with Ramadan Reset, a brand-new program from Ruba Ali.