Many of us will medal in sloth during the Ramadan Olympics
by ALI KHALID
Summer in the UAE. Scorching temperatures. Air conditioning at full blast. Marathon sessions of Game of Thrones. Whinging Facebook statuses. And, above all, a desire -no, an Olympian determination – to accomplish as little as possible between June and September.
Inactivity reigns.
That Ramadan, this year, has landed almost right in the middle of the summer will certainly not help matters; fasting and workplace efficiency have never been good business partners. Indeed, many movie fans suspect the decision to delay the UAE release of the summer’s most eagerly anticipated film, The Dark Knight Rises, is hugely influenced by the fact that profits would have taken a hit because of fasting hours.
But wait, it gets worse.
A recent report by the US web security firm Blue Coat Systems predicts that media streaming of the London Olympics by employees will result in wasted bandwidth, decline in employee productivity, lost revenue and increased IT staffing levels across the Middle East.
“Using workplace computers or mobile devices, employees will be watching live video of their favourite sport competitions and playbacks of the events they missed,” said Dave Ewart, a director at Blue Coat Systems. “This will lead to lower network utilisation, misallocation of budget and capacity, slow or unresponsive applications and – importantly – end-user performance complaints”. This is technospeak for “nothing will work”.
The National for more
Many Muslims gain weight during Ramadan fasting
LOS ANGELES TIMES
CAIRO — The sun slips beyond the Nile and the fast is broken. As they have done for centuries during the holy month of Ramadan, Egyptians hurry home through the twilight to eat and drink after a long, scorching day.
Fasting renews the spirit but it often does little to trim the waist line. What happens between dusk and dawn can endanger health: Feasting, inactivity and disrupted sleep -– Muslims often stay up until 4 a.m. to eat a last meal before sunrise — can add weight in a population already struggling with one of the highest obesity rates in the world.
“Unfortunately, many Muslim patients, and Muslims in general, tend to overeat upon breaking their fast, and usually the meal involves heavy, fatty foods that are high in calories,” Dr. Al Madani, head of Emirates Diabetes Society, told TradeArabia, an online news site.
The breaking of the fast usually begins with fresh dates and lots of water, followed by soups and juices, including a popular one made from berries and topped with pine nuts. Soon after evening prayers, a large meal called iftar is shared. Poor people are not left out: They dine under tents called “God’s tables,” which are donated by the wealthy and dot the neighborhoods of this sprawling, ancient city.
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But sweets are also to blame. A fasting brain prefers high-calorie carbohydrates above all. Scientists in Ajman, the United Arab Emirates, observed that more fats and sweets were consumed during Ramadan.
Of 173 families interviewed in Jidda, Saudi Arabia, two-thirds reported weight gain among some or all of the family members after Ramadan. Many pointed to the rich food and lack of exercise.
Sleeping through a fast may sound inspired, but it sabotages good health in several ways. First, more time is spent awake during the feasting hours. And disrupted sleep cycles affect hormones that act on metabolic rate and appetite. The body responds by eating more.
Los Angeles Times for more
(Thanks to Robin Khundkar)