Fasting: Workouts on empty – Business Daily
Posted: April 25, 2023 at 12:13 am
Monday April 24 2023
Despite fasting during the Muslim holy month, Mariam stuck to her intense training for a weight lifting competition several months away
Guess my age? Mariam Gathuo asks after arriving two minutes late for our interview at the Alpha Fit Gym off Ngong Road.
Thirty-seven, I place a bet as we stride across the lawned front yard away from the gym noise for a spot to get candid.
The weight lifter is rocking a black hijab, an oversized white t-shirt branded Uzani Weight Lifting conceals her blue gym tights.
Her face glows like a molten iron rod even with the sweat dripping from her brow.
Mmh! Nice guess. I am actually 42, the mother of five says as we pick our spots under some shade.
Gathuo is training for a weightlifting competition Uzani Power Weekend 5 scheduled for August 19, 2023.
Its been a year since she started weightlifting. The happily divorced -as she puts it, is also a fitness instructor at Alpha Fit.
Mariam Gathuo performs the back squat during her routine gym session at Alpha Fit GYM along Ngong Road, Nairobi on April 2023. PHOTO | WILFRED NYANGARESI | NMG
Despite the competition being miles away, Mariam's training schedule never stopped during the holy month of Ramadhan which came to an end last Friday.
Everybody else is training for the competition, why would I stop? Fasting can never be my excuse not to train or work out. Its all about how you fine-tune your mindset. Once I lock it, I am good to go she says.
I point out to her that staying away for a month to observe the holy month wouldnt do much damage considering the dates of the competition.
Read:From skinny to chiselled body in three monthsIts different with me, I have so much to prove. First I am a Muslim woman and as you know we face a lot of stigmatisation from society. Another reason is that I am a Master (40-year-old plus fitness gurus/athletes).
Mariam Gathuo, an Olympic weight-lifter, performs the clean jerk exercise during her routine gym session at Alpha Fit GYM along Ngong Road, Nairobi on April 2023. PHOTO | WILFRED NYANGARESI | NMG
Most of her Muslim clients shunned the gym when Ramadhan began but she is now expecting them back much heavier than they left.
Ramadhan is the most sacred month in the Islamic calendar in which Muslims restrain themselves from food and drink from dawn to dusk.
The restrictions on eating and drinking during Ramadhan pose a challenge to Muslim athletes and those who keep fit if they want to continue pounding out the weights.
Mariam must eat her Suhoor (meal eaten early in the morning before dawn) before 5:45 am. Iftar (a meal taken at sundown to break the daily fast) comes nearly 13 hours later.
You must eat the right foods during Suhoor to sustain your body during the day. Another important measure is, you need to keep hydrating between Iftar and Suhoor because when you train during the day, you lose the water and wont be replenishing it anytime soon.
Mariam Gathuo, an Olympic weight-lifter, performs the weighted planks during her routine gym session at Alpha Fit GYM along Ngong Road, Nairobi on April 2023. PHOTO | WILFRED NYANGARESI | NMG
During Ramadhan, her days began like any other, kicking the blanket at 3:55 am after six hours of sleep.
Immediately I wake up I drink a litre of lukewarm water to help cleanse my gut and replenish my electrolytes. At a quarter to five, I will do tea and bread, a meal I love so much. The most I can do is have leftovers, mostly when it's rice.
Mariam will then wait for the Alfajr prayers and by 5:30 am she is out of the house. It takes 30 minutes from where she resides to Alpha Fit situated at the tail end of Ligi Ndogo playing ground.
My first client always gets to the gym by 6 am.
She will see more clients up to around 11:30 am and then start her individual workouts which last for an hour or two.
Despite fasting, her sessions are always intense, especially when there is a competition involved such as the August one.
Mariam Gathuo, an Olympic weight-lifter during her routine gym session at Alpha Fit GYM along Ngong Road, Nairobi on April 2023. PHOTO | WILFRED NYANGARESI | NMG
The first week of Ramadhan, you do moderation as your body adjusts to the unexpected stress its being subjected to. Once it settles in, you pick the rhythm and go hard.
During Iftar, Mariam will start again by hydrating and gulping half a litre of water.
Drinking that much water at ago makes one too full and unable to eat. I sip slowly, continuously over a period of time. This way, I drink up to a litre and a half and still eat.
Her balanced diet consists of a lot of vegetables.
Mariam Gathuo, an Olympic weight-lifter, performs the skipping rope exercise during her routine gym session at Alpha Fit GYM along Ngong Road, Nairobi on April 2023. PHOTO | WILFRED NYANGARESI | NMG
Vegetables are very important because the body needs those vitamins more than anything to function so I consume a lot of those. Chicken, rice, ugali are also my favourites but I would also encourage people to eat lots of dates, for energy and fibre.
She has also been taking multivitamin supplements during Ramadhan to supplement those that are fetched from whole meals.
I used to belong to the school of thought that supplements are harmful and shouldnt be taken, but not anymore. If you are doing intense workouts your body will always be deficient in minerals and thats where supplements come in. Besides, how often do you eat chicken or meat, this is where supplements come in to ensure your body never lacks the required proteins and minerals.
The fitness instructor doesnt eat junk of any nature, not even in small quantities.
Those are toxins that will only ruin your body. There is an entire buffet of organic whole meals to choose from. There is also no such thing as cheat days, thats rubbish.
The sweat has now dried up and after 20 minutes of talking, Mariam shows the urge of going back to finish her sets.
Mariam Gathuo, an Olympic weight-lifter during her routine gym session at Alpha Fit GYM along Ngong Road, Nairobi on April 2023. PHOTO | WILFRED NYANGARESI | NMG
How did she start her fitness journey?
Do you work out? She catches me off-guard.
Of course, I do, albeit not as consistently as I should. I told her of how an ex-girlfriend dumped me because I was fat because I couldnt do many things and thats how I ended up paying for my first gym subscription.
Thats sad. My situation is different. Twelve years ago I fell ill and it was found out that I had a problem with my liver which ended up affecting my gall bladder and it had to be removed. To help me improve my health, exercise was then prescribed by the doctor and that marked my journey to fitness which was a struggle in the beginning.
When she gave birth to her firstborn daughter, now 21 years old, arthritis attacked her and exercise was prescribed.
Follow this link:
Fasting: Workouts on empty - Business Daily
- Certified Fitness Trainer Laguna Beach [Last Updated On: May 12th, 2010] [Originally Added On: May 12th, 2010]
- Tangible Tanning & Fitness - Health Clubs Phoenix, AZ 85014 [Last Updated On: May 14th, 2010] [Originally Added On: May 14th, 2010]
- CBS 11/TXA 21 Employee Health and Fitness Day [Last Updated On: May 19th, 2010] [Originally Added On: May 19th, 2010]
- Jim Hazel's Organic Liaison Weight Loss Before and After Video Testimonial [Last Updated On: June 4th, 2010] [Originally Added On: June 4th, 2010]
- Certified Fitness Trainer Corona Del Mar CA Newport Coast Crystal Cove Newport [Last Updated On: June 6th, 2010] [Originally Added On: June 6th, 2010]
- Chef Becker and Dr. Shapiro: Eat and Beat Diabetes - CBN.com [Last Updated On: June 9th, 2010] [Originally Added On: June 9th, 2010]
- Firstfitness Or First Fitness Is Health And More [Last Updated On: June 11th, 2010] [Originally Added On: June 11th, 2010]
- Wilmington NC Health Nuts Hooping Fitness [Last Updated On: June 19th, 2010] [Originally Added On: June 19th, 2010]
- Medical Center Baden, Baden; Health and therapy center: BEAUTY, WELLNESS & ... [Last Updated On: June 20th, 2010] [Originally Added On: June 20th, 2010]
- Interview: U of L Healthcare at WHAS11 Health and Fitness Expo [Last Updated On: July 2nd, 2010] [Originally Added On: July 2nd, 2010]
- WHAS11 Health and Fitness Expo underway! [Last Updated On: July 9th, 2010] [Originally Added On: July 9th, 2010]
- Second Annual WHAS11 Health and Fitness Expo wraps up a successful weekend [Last Updated On: July 11th, 2010] [Originally Added On: July 11th, 2010]
- Wilmington NC- Fitness- Wilmington Health Nuts [Last Updated On: July 20th, 2010] [Originally Added On: July 20th, 2010]
- Fall Back Into Health & Fitness [Last Updated On: September 14th, 2010] [Originally Added On: September 14th, 2010]
- Fat Old Man's Guide to Health and Fitness [Last Updated On: December 27th, 2010] [Originally Added On: December 27th, 2010]
- Discount Health [Last Updated On: September 22nd, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 22nd, 2011]
- TSL - Health [Last Updated On: September 22nd, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 22nd, 2011]
- 80/10/10 raw food fundamentals: Yoga Health [Last Updated On: September 22nd, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 22nd, 2011]
- 80/10/10 fundamentals: Doug Graham's Health [Last Updated On: September 22nd, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 22nd, 2011]
- Shape Ups Fitness Shoes (Diet [Last Updated On: September 22nd, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 22nd, 2011]
- Health [Last Updated On: September 22nd, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 22nd, 2011]
- Exercises to Trim Your Hips - Health [Last Updated On: September 22nd, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 22nd, 2011]
- Kris Cochrane Health and Fitness Alexandria [Last Updated On: September 22nd, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 22nd, 2011]
- Working Out Your Butt - Health [Last Updated On: September 22nd, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 22nd, 2011]
- Help Desk to Health and Fitness - The nail in the coffin 9-12-11 [Last Updated On: September 23rd, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 23rd, 2011]
- Health and fitness trainer, John Reidy [Last Updated On: September 23rd, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 23rd, 2011]
- Youth Study in India on Health and Fitness by Hansa Research [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- Training with Jamie Eason - Bodybuilding.com [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- Be a fitness success story! Fat loss, muscle gain [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- The Ultimate 8-Pack Abs Routine [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- This Week in Health [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- Health Tip: The Benefits of Sweating [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- Mission X Power Training, Australian Institute of Health - Weight Loss Inspiration [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- The Suite Life of Zack and Cody - S02E60 - Health and Fitness part 2 (HD Quality) [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- Post Workout Protein Shake [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- How to Do a Double Arm Superman for the Back [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- How to Do a Lower Body Crawl for the Back [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- Sports Massage Demo 2: Quads, Thighs [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- Live Body Coach - The 411 of Health [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- Sports Massage, Back Pain Relief, Posture [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- Transit TV - Health and Fitness (09132011) [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- How to have Health and Success in your life [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- Lebert Fitness Youth Strength and Conditioning Montage [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- The Shakira Lower Body Workout from Empower Your Body [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- Ab exercises at Oxygen Health and Fitness [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- Working Your Core: Eight-Minute Ab Workout - Health [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- Fantastic Women's Fitness Tips - Helpful Workout Advice for Women [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- My Hair Care Routine [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- CELLULITIS-GYM Health And Beauty Exercises [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- How to Do a Sitting Bicycle for the Back [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- Look AWAKE for School! -- Makeup Tutorial [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- Empower Your Body - How To Get Rid Of Love Handles Using Diet and Exercise [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- The Sarah Fit Show - Fitness: Ski Season Lower Body Exercises [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- Get six pack abs in 6 minutes on your couch. This Works! [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- TRX Full Body Demo [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- Turkey Burgers [Last Updated On: September 24th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 24th, 2011]
- How Much Should We Excercise? Brain Health and Senior Fitness [Last Updated On: September 25th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 25th, 2011]
- Rob Riches - Advanced Extreme Six Pack Abs Exercises [Last Updated On: September 25th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 25th, 2011]
- Empower Your Body - How To Eat Health at a Baseball Game on Empower Your Body [Last Updated On: September 25th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 25th, 2011]
- Before "I Do": MY WEDDING DRESS [Last Updated On: September 25th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 25th, 2011]
- Strong Abs [Last Updated On: September 25th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 25th, 2011]
- Kendall Jenner Inspired Makeup Tutorial [Last Updated On: September 25th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 25th, 2011]
- Empower Your Body - The Best Fat Burning and Weight Loss Exercises For Summer from Empower Your Body [Last Updated On: September 25th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 25th, 2011]
- LA Life [Last Updated On: September 25th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 25th, 2011]
- Crispy Chicken [Last Updated On: September 25th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 25th, 2011]
- Cooking With Carbs [Last Updated On: September 25th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 25th, 2011]
- Get A Killer Butt! Brooke Shares Her Favorite Butt Exercises - Health [Last Updated On: September 25th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 25th, 2011]
- Extreme Urban Workout [Last Updated On: September 25th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 25th, 2011]
- Health and Fitness Channel - Eugene Reyes President of ToGoFit - WILL ToGoFit Evaluation [Last Updated On: September 25th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 25th, 2011]
- Fall Beauty Trend: Teal Eyeliner [Last Updated On: September 25th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 25th, 2011]
- Healthy Hummus [Last Updated On: September 25th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 25th, 2011]
- 4 No Heat Hairstyles in 5 Minutes - Back to School [Last Updated On: September 26th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 26th, 2011]
- Rob Riches - How to get Insane Ripped Six Pack ABs [Last Updated On: September 26th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 26th, 2011]
- Multivitamins - Good For Health And Fitness? [Last Updated On: September 26th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 26th, 2011]
- 5 Minute Abs Workout at Home! | EliKen Health and Fitness [Last Updated On: September 26th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 26th, 2011]
- Shakira Meal Plan to Eating Healthier Empower Your Body [Last Updated On: September 26th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 26th, 2011]
- Rob Riches - Insane Definition for Lower Abs [Last Updated On: September 26th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 26th, 2011]
- Home workout|EliKen Health and Fitness [Last Updated On: September 27th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 27th, 2011]
- MOUNTAIN MEN Richard, Harley and Grant at Yoga Health and Fitness Week [Last Updated On: September 27th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 27th, 2011]
- Hot Springs Health [Last Updated On: September 27th, 2011] [Originally Added On: September 27th, 2011]