Alia puts spirituality before technology for Ramadan
Fitness instructor’s ethos finds focus and time for God
DUBAI // Ramadan is a time for more spirituality, less technology and more physical exercise for Alia Sulaiman. While timings may change and routines alter slightly, Ms Sulaiman says her life “doesn’t change too much”.
“I just automatically become more spiritual and feel closer to God during Ramadan,” the 25-year-old Emirati said.
At the end of last year, Ms Sulaiman left a stable job at Emirates airline to pursue her dream of opening a fitness studio, Rise Fitness Boutique, which she runs with her sister, Hind.
Keeping fit is more than just a passion, it is a part of Ms Sulaiman’s life that she will maintain during Ramadan.
“Usually I break fast after I work out. I increase my cardio training during Ramadan to about an hour or an hour and a half because I feel it gives me the optimum energy and helps me burn more. I sometimes do yoga if I don’t feel as energetic, but I force myself to do something.
“Just because you’re fasting it isn’t an excuse to stop being active in your daily life.”
Ms Sulaiman learnt this philosophy from a young age and from an important role model.
“People tend to use Ramadan as an excuse, but I’ve always done this and learnt it from my mother.
“I see her work out in Ramadan as if it’s any other day. You just take it to lower intensity so you don’t get thirsty. People just need to know their limits.”
Coping with the unique challenges of exercising during Ramadan is all about finding the right mindset. “In terms of energy, I think it’s all psychological.
“If you tell yourself you don’t have energy, your mind will tell your body you don’t have energy to do anything.” For Ms Sulaiman, Ramadan is a time when she feels “calmer, dedicating more time to God”, a time to think before she speaks, to think of those who are forced to go without food and water because of poverty.
“We shouldn’t use feeling tired or sluggish as an excuse not to exercise, because people with much less have to just get on with their daily lives,” she said.
“There are people living on the streets, people who work all day in the sun and they don’t complain, so why should we complain when we have all these daily necessities? “Ramadan teaches us to be grateful for all this.”
Ramadan is a time when faceto- face connections become more important and common.
“You forget the phones, spend time with the people who really matter, your family, reconnecting with old friends,” she said. “In daily life I think people forget to have real conversations and technology is a daily distraction.
“Ramadan is, for me at least, a time spent farther away from social media, away from the phone and technology and instead spending more time reading the Quran.”