Day 21: A great 'reset'

Throughout Ramadan I have been using quotes from the Quran to further my understanding of Islam and Ramadan. These quotes have also been a nice way to commemorate my experience via my Instagram account, where I post inspirational/motivational/positive quotes on a regular basis. The following post is the long story of what I posted on my Instagram feed yesterday, so sorry if you've read about some of this already!

The full quote from which I created the above post is;

"...and who is more astray than him who follows his desires without guidance from Allah" - Quran, 3:185. I'd like to thanks my friend Zenith for bringing this quote to my attention.

This was the overall message that was shared with me by Jasim Beg right at the start of Ramadan during our Instagram Live chat. Jas told me that Ramadan was a time to reset your habits and behaviours and experience what it's like to be less fortunate, or have less access to the things you need. As I have learnt and experienced first hand for over 20 days now, Ramadan is a process that has allowed me to escape my reliance on many of life's luxuries. Restricting access to things that I am dependent on, and some of which that are arguably unnecessary for me, has created a rewarding 'reset' that Jas told me about. This has a been a really valuable opportunity for me to reflect on what I need to be happy in life, and why I need it.

As I've said on this blog before, I am quite an addictive person and can become dependent on the strangest habits, behaviours or foods/drinks. As well as observing the mandatory fasting protocols during Ramadan, I've stopped consuming number of other things completely, which I'd normally do in abundance, or be quite dependent upon:

• Alcohol: I am not dependent upon alcohol, but I do enjoy it 2-3 days a week usually. As I mainly drink at home and do not currently go to pubs or restaurants, it is rare for me to have more than one drink. However, if I open a bottle of wine to accompany lamb, fish or steak, I promise you that I will finish it that evening. Similarly, if I pour a whisky, it's at least a quadruple measure by your average pub's standards. With only having 4-5 hours to consume water, it is seemed the most sensible thing to do was not to drink alcohol at all during Ramadan. It would only leave me feeling more hydrated the next day! That said, I will definitely enjoy my return to alcohol, probably on the first day that I can. 
• Milk: I have drunk 1-2 pints of cows milk a day for my entire life. This might seem nuts or completely normal to you, but milk for me has been an essential part of my intake. Arguably however, milk probably isn't as good for me as I'd like it to be. I am very sensitive to carbohydrates and my dependency on milk as a substitute for actual food in the mornings has probably been a contributing factor to why I have been maintaining a higher weight prior to Ramadan. Fasting has been the opportunity I'd been looking to break free from this habit and see how it affects me. It is my intention to maintain my abstinence from milk after Ramadan and see if this helps me maintain my consistently reducing body fat percentage since fasting began.
• Caffeine: Coffees and teas have been a major dependency for me ever since I started full-time employment. On a typical day I probably drink 2-3 shots of coffee and at least 1 cup of tea - most of them before 9AM. This is definitely is a dependency and I have found myself addicted to caffeine in the past, to the point where I needed to have a break! I wasn't addicted to caffeine before Ramadan, but I haven't missed it all. The first time I craved a coffee was on my drive to Perth yesterday. Am I off coffee forever? I doubt it. I love an espresso on a Saturday morning after my morning fitness class, often shared with my tall, handsome neighbour Kieran, when he's available to play on the pullup bar with me. 
• Pork: This one is a little different. My primary reason for not consuming pork during Ramadan is because I felt it would be disrespectful to Islam and the whole experience if I was breaking my fast with pork. As most people know already, muslims don't eat pork, and I felt it was important to respect that when engaging in this process. That said, it won't have done me any harm to not eat pork. The majority of pork I eat is highly processed and it does not fit the pure carnivorous lifestlye I want to live by. I will still be eating quality cuts of pork after Ramadan, but I intend to steer clear of the cheap processed garbage that I have been eating far too much of.

As you can see, Ramadan has been a great 'reset' for me, and one that I could not have achieved otherwise. I am definitely feeling that I would repeat my Ramadan experience again next year, as a means of achieving an annual reset that helps me achieve my goals physically and mentally.