Rebuilding our Health – Inspired by Islam!
What is health?
- Physical health
- Social health
- Spiritual health
- Emotional health
- Mental health
All the different domains of health (above) should ultimately be aimed towards spiritual health
Health: A dynamic process that changes throughout our lives and has many components.
We need to change from health to wellness.
Wellness: The search for enhanced quality of life, personal growth and reaching our full potential through positive lifestyle, behaviours, and attitudes.
‘Afiyah
- The total wellness in this life and the next = Afiyah.
- Abdullah Ibn Umar narrated that the Prophet (ص) said: “Allah has not been asked for anything more beloved to Him than being asked for ‘Afiyah (in this world and the next).” [Jami’ at-Tirmidhi].
- Anas Ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Ask your Lord for forgiveness and wellness in the world and the Hereafter. If you are given forgiveness and wellness in the world and the Hereafter, you have succeeded.” [Source: Sunan Ibn Majah 3848; Grade: Sahih]
In search of Afiyah (state of wellness), we should aim to read the following Dua in the morning and evening Adkhaar:
This Dua covers the Dunya and Akhirah, and covers all aspects of health (physical, social and mental).
Health is all linked e.g. neglect of physical health (lack of exercise decreases mood) leads to being irritable with parents – This, in turn, affects our relationship with family (social health) ⟶ leads us to suffer mentally so exams go badly ⟶ leads to not performing salah (spiritual health).
This is why you need to check all these domains in life; keep an eye on these areas, because if we’re lacking in one, it might be that we’re lacking elsewhere too, given they’re all linked.
Reasons why health should be a priority
- Prophet (ص) emphasised health
- Morning Duas support spirituality
- Physical health affects spiritual capabilities
- Your body has a right over you’- Hadith
- How you treat your body now is foundational for how you will be later in life
- Strength of Prophet (ص) – He was described as one with healthy physique; he would climb Mount Jabal Noor, Mount Uhud
- Companions and Scholars understood the link between physical health and spiritual health
- Female Sahabah were strong in Eman but also physically – Surviving in dessert required lots of physical strength
- Many female companions would ask to accompany Prophet (ص) on expeditions
- A legacy of strength
- As Muslims we should be strong and physically capable
- Culturally not the norm for women to be doing exercise and moving around – Reflect on Prophet (ص)’s tradition and legacy of strength from female companions
- Study of religious vs non-religious exercise regimes – Muslims 3.6x more likely to be overweight than non-Muslims
- We must have discussions to shift away from those trends
- To be the best worshipper, you should be physically healthy
- We need functionality – 3 out of 5 pillars require physically demanding tasks
- Establish healthy habits for later ⟶ help our health not deteriorate
- Taking care of health can be worship
- Actions judged by intention
- Rewarded for working out if intention is there!
- Multitask and hack workouts by making intention before
- Change in ummah starts with you – (change in rates of obesity etc)
- Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves (13:11)
- Once we change others will also change e.g. our family around us
- We must break the pattern of unhealthy habits in culture
How do we bring fitness into our lives
Components of a good workout routine:
Cardio-respiratory/vascular – Running, boxing, skipping; anything that gets heart pumping, makes you breathe heavy, makes heart stronger, decrease resting heart rate (observe heart rate if you have a fitness tracker).
- Decreases risk of heart disease (high rates in Muslim community)
- Improves cardiac output
- 4 to 7 days a week i.e. do something that makes your heart pump every day
Muscular training – Any exercise that causes resistance, so muscles have to get stronger to do them ⟶ don’t need weights for resistance on muscles, calisthenics, plyometrics, movements that force body to get stronger, make muscular power stronger, amount muscles can contract ⟶ important to include in workout routine ⟶ as we age bones get weaker/brittle which could have negative effects ⟶ this training helps bones get stronger.
- Start now to get your body stronger – best time
- Body has muscular memory
- Puts muscles in positions where muscles have to break down and get stronger
- Don’t focus on only cardio – We can’t neglect muscular capacity (many exercises do come under both)
- 2-4 times a week
- Improves joint strength & posture
Flexibility – Improving it reduces risk of injury, want to do this on top of other 2
- After workout ⟶ good time when muscles are already warm from cardio etc so do a few stretches, e.g. after leg workout stretch leg muscles,
- Not most effective to do before i.e. before running it is better to warm up to get blood flowing
- 4-7 times a week pair with other workouts
Aim for 100-150 active mins per week ⟶ good cyclic pattern through all muscles groups, can do different splits i.e. lower, upper, core, full body
If fatigued, do lower intensity, have variety of training, both low and high intensity reduce fatigue symptoms and increase energy levels by up to 20% (University of Georgia), so push yourself but then also recognise when your body is tired and you need to do lower intensity.
Walking/increasing steps helps with mobility and for healthy weight management and keeping energy levels high, more NEAT movement = more calories burnt in the day, on rest days keep up NEAT.
Don’t eat while on staring at a screen/doing other activities!!! – Distracted, don’t realise etc, gratitude not gluttony for food!
Slowing down, saying Bismillah, connect with food as blessing, rewiring how we eat, see it as a blessing and as fuel, what are you eating and how much of it ⟶ practise mindful eating!!
