tedi k wardhana

Ramadhan, the arabic-calendar-month, is almost over.
During this 29/30 days, believers of Islam, don't eat and drink from sun up until sundown. That is approximately 12 hours.
Any moslems in this commuting forum who still commute by bike while fasting?

And if you were a moslem, would you still bike commute?
If there is any medical doctor here in this forum: would you discourage bike commuting during fasting?

(The majority in Indonesia are moslems. As I was asking some local bike-to-workers here, some younger rides say they still ride! When I asked would they ride slower than usual, the answer was no, they ride as fast as when they are not fasting. I hope they are not bluffing..
Some others stopped riding during the whole month.

I, myself, since I work on a loose schedule, only tried several days, taking my son to and from school, 15km round trip. Tried to pedal slower tha usual. But, hey, how still thirsty I am................. )

Travelin' Jack

Personally I would be very hesitant to do anything overly physical if you don't have the ability to rehydrate. Perhaps you should wait until the end of Ramadhan to cycle during the daylight hours.

SimonEd

I used to share an apartment with a Moslem from Senegal. We both worked at the same factory in Utrect in Holland. He would have his coffee and breakfast around 04:50 with me and we would cycle to work. It actually didnt seem to bother him much at all. Mind you, Holland is a lot cooler than Indonesia, so hydration wasnt such a big issue. We made quite an odd couple, he was huge and black as the ace of spades and I looked like a Waffen SS poster boy! Good job it was Holland

jyossarian

Hakeem Olajuwon, the center for the Houston Rockets used to play full games during Ramadhan when he was still in the NBA and he fasted the whole day. The broadcasters commented on their amazement that he could play 40 mins. and not drink water at all. I don't know how he did it, but it can be done.

chephy

Hey, it's fasting - means you go fast, right?

To answer your question: a lot probably depends on the individual's body. I do not sweat much, do not get very thirsty and am generally able to tolerate lack of food well - so I'd continue to cycle. Especially since I could get up before sunrise and eat and drink whatever I wanted. Would take my commute slower than usual though unless it was very short. But for some people riding over a mile without water would be suicide since they sweat a lot and dehydrate a lot. Those folks might consider a mode of transportation that is not so taxing on the body.

Also if, say, your workday ended closer to sunset, you could stick around there for an extra hour or so just so that you could ride home hydrated.

krazygluon

You can't even drink water? wow. I could go without food between daylight and dark and still bike, but riding dry would be a bit difficult.

mmerner

sorry to nit-pick but it's Muslim, not moslem.

HardyWeinberg

Is that in Arabic script or Indonesian?

SingingSabre 

Depends on where you're writing it at.

Same with Chanukah/Hanukka (I'm Jewish and people tend to ask me how to spell that quite a bit).

mmerner

Until the late 1980s, the term Moslem was commonly used. Muslims do not recommend this spelling because it is often pronounced "mawzlem" /mɒzlɛm/ which sounds somewhat similar to an Arabic word for "oppressed" (Za'lem in Arabic).[citation needed] The word is pronounced /muslem/ in Arabic, but often /mʊślɪm/ in English. The word is now most commonly written "Muslim".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim

caloso

Not a Muslim but a Catholic who has commuted on fasting days. I just made sure to eat well the night before. Remember that our bodies are hard wired to get us through some periods of fasting. It's uncomfortable (that's the point) but it probably shouldn't be debilitating.

Lossy

So... you are quoting a piece of a wikipedia article, that needs citation, to someone who apprears to actually be muslim/moslem?


strange. Picking at small things like this really are not helpful.

kemmer

I used to be Mormon and lived in Mexico as a missionary for two years. We fasted at least once a month for 24 hours straight and our only mode of transportation in some places was a bicycle. It was very hard in August when the temperature was over 100, but we did ok. On of my companions got dehydrated once, but it was nothing too serious. He had to break his fast, and I don't know how serious that would be for you, but there is a chance you will have to for health reasons if you aren't careful. I guess it depends on how difficult your ride is and how hot it is, but if you hydrate well at night, you should be ok. Take it easy at first, and see how you feel. Bump it up a few notches if you feel ok about it, pay attention to your body and you should be fine. Oh yeah, if you aren't peeing clear in the AM, you aren't drinking enough. (weather you're fasting or not)

moxfyre

Likewise. I'm Jewish and for the last couple of years have ridden my bike to and from services on Yom Kippur (Jewish day of atonement, 25 hour sundown-to-sundown fast). It's about 4 miles each way, and didn't really have a problem doing it. I actually find it easier to ride than to walk when I'm feeling weak and hungry.

I imagine fasting for 12-15 hours a day for a whole month is harder on the body. I have a Turkish co-worker and he's definitely seemed a bit tired lately, and of course he wants to rush out and grab some dinner as soon as the sun has set

banerjek

My commute is pretty long and I'd feel lousy if I couldn't eat anything, but I'd do it.

There is no way I'd attempt it if I couldn't have water, even in the winter. Chances of not making it back would be too high. I think you should base your decision on your commute.

oboeguy

I suppose it depends. I wouldn't go on a 40 mile ride on Good Friday but a short commute, maybe.

capejohn

This stuff makes me shake my head, because I used to do things like that. There are lots of diet and religions that suggest this type of starvation. I guess it can have some benefit if your fat. But any other reason is beyond me.

kemmer

I'm not really sure it would benefit a fat person more than a thin person. The health benefits come from allowing your digestive system to rest. A one day "diet" isn't going to help anyone. Neither is eating only at night. If anything eating at night will just help you get fatter since you'll be hungry at sundown, eat a bunch of food, and go to bed where your body won't use much of the food you just ate.

Besides that's not the point, it's a spiritual thing, duh.

krazygluon

Plenty of reasons.
-Fasting means you aren't taking in any additional preservatives/toxins/etc and gives your body a chance to work on the excess levels of these that builds up.
-Taste undergoes systematic desensitization, so fasting allows you to regain some sensitivity there.

In general, people who fast or have gone through some kind of starvation tend to appreciate every meal.

Especially in Judaism/Christianity/Islam traditions, you're dealing with the religion of people who underwent some kind of starvation at least once a decade and who might not have had a steady year-round food supply. Food is borderline sacred in such cultures, and sometimes a temporary absence of it helps followers to see its importance through contrast.

SingingSabre 

Ah, to respond to the OP:

I used to fast when I was practicing my Judiasm, but have since turned agnostic.

I learned that I don't like to fast. It hurts my body, at least it did when I was younger. I could probably pull it off these days, but I wouldn't commute more than 8 miles round trip to do it. Not being able to drink water would make it very, very bad for me.

That said, Judiasm does state "take life above all else" or something to that effect. In other words, don't do something that will hurt you. If you need to drink water because you're dehydrated, break your fast and drink it. If you need to go to the hospital Friday night, blow out your Shabbat candles so your house doesn't burn down. Stuff like that.

caloso

I'm curious how the difference would be between a 24 hour fast like for Good Friday versus a 12-hour but daily fast like for Ramadan. Even if you ate well each night, I imagine it would start to wear you down towards the end of the month.

moxfyre

Yep, absolutely. Pregnant women, people who are ill, small children... they aren't supposed to fast on Yom Kippur. And farmers are supposed to violate the prohibition on work to milk their cows on Shabbat so that the cow doesn't feel pain

Alloy Addict

I used to work at an University Ag Dept. farm. One of the grad students I worked with a lot was Indonesian and Moslem/Muslim (words originating in languages that don't use the Roman alphabet tend to vary in spelling quite a bit). He nearly passed out on us a couple of times. The prof he studied under finally convinced him to take it easy until Ramadhan was over. He was a good student and hard worker so it was hard for him to do, but we explained that it was easier to pick up a little of his slack than constantly check to see if he was standing.

Another guy I worked with there was from Iran, and I don't remember him ever having a problem. I guess it depends on the individual. If the commuting makes you feel dehydrated, as you mentioned, I think I would forgo it until Ramadhan ends.

Bikepacker67

Heathens!

Everyone knows you're supposed to refrain from consuming pasta!




RAmen.

blickblocks

There was someone here who fasted for Yom Kippur, and I believe he pulled a century.