Day 1: I feel great!

Today got off to a bit of a dry start...

Last night I went to bed at midnight, having eaten a fat and meat heavy second dinner at 1130PM. I set an alarm for 3AM to help me get up and drink as much water as I could before 'Sehri' ended (and my fast began) at 339AM today. 

Sehri, or 'Suhoor' as it is also known, is the meal eaten during Ramadan before fasting begins. For those who practise prayers, this meal is eaten before 'Fajr', one of the five mandatory prayers in Islam.

However, my alarm went at 3AM and I must have swiped it off as quick as possible and gone back to sleep! Luckily I had finished a pint of water at 2AM before topping up again, but I was still a bit annoyed when I woke up that I'd missed a chance for more valuable hydration.

I actually got very little sleep throughout the night. I think I had been experiencing some anxiety and doing some overthinking about whether or not I was going to cope with my first fast. When I woke up properly at 7AM, with thanks to Junior, my mouth was so dry! This was probably due to my highly salted meat intake the night before. It wasn't pleasant and I immediately had concerns about how I was going to manage another 13 hours without water.

However, as the morning progressed I actually started to feel very comfortable in what I was doing. Within an hour of waking I could feel my mouth keeping itself salivated without having a drink - I constantly sip water through the day and would never leave myself thirsty. I was also so fortunate to receive a beautifully presented 'Ramadan Survival Kit' from my friend Zenith - thank you so much again, Zenith!

By 10/11AM I was completely at ease with the prospect of fasting until 828PM and did not experience any difficulties carrying out my work for the day in and out of the house. I had deliberately set up an easy day and avoided engaging in any exercise above walking pace. At 1PM I actually felt great and mildly boasted on Instagram that I was finding things surprisingly easy?! It felt like it shouldn't have been that way, but it was.

Throughout the rest of the afternoon I found things just as easy, although I must confess to three instances of harmless swearing outloud, although not directed at other people! I've been told this is fine, but I'll still be trying to control my language during fasting hours each day.

The only time I really felt like I wanted to eat was preparing James Junior's dinner of roasted duck and chinese pancakes...even uncooked, this really made me excited for 'Iftar' tonight. 

Iftar literally translates to English as 'break fast'. Typically Muslims eat dates served with yoghurt and fruit, and also some people will also drink a special water (ZamZam) originating from the ZamZam well in Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia - one of the holiest places in Islam.

After a nap and a relaxing evening reading books and stretching (to make my mind off clock watching mainly) I was able to break my fast with the best Iftar I could cobble together, with dates, fruit and yoghurt, and a few delicious sweets provided by Zenith!

Obviously, drinking water was so luxurious. I hadn't felt thirsty really all day, but my lips were quite dry and I knew I was ready to hydrate! It was a real treat and I can honestly say I haven't appreciated drinking water like that ever in my life. The rest of my evening will involve training, hydrating and eating again before bed. I'll be setting two alarms for my 3AM drink!

If I learnt anything from my first day of Ramadan, it was definitely that the simple things in life can be cherished just as highly as the fancy and sublime.