As for your question, it’s a good one. I find that when it comes to fasting for any other reason than a spiritual one, it is really difficult to maintain my usual workout routines, but oddly, as soon as I start this fast (for those who don’t know, Baha’is fast for the 19 days preceding their new year on march 21st, eating only before sunrise and after sunset), I seem to be able to carry on with my usual workouts without a problem. I ensure my breakfasts are well balanced with quick releasing carbs as well as slow – say for example having fruits as well as grains, but I ensure they’re low glycemic so their energy lasts me longer, and I always have an abundance of varied proteins, from eggs to beans and legumes to fish and so on. It is always a much larger breakfast than i normally consume but keeps me going all day. As for water, I find it’s easier on the stomach to drink before eating, rather than afterwards when you’re already full, but that could just be my personal preference. If feeling dehydrated when working out, or even just more tired than usual, it’s best to cut back a little, remembering that you are consuming less energy and water than usual too. It can often be a case of mind over matter but we should also not feel beaten if we cannot perform as energetically as we normally do, so as to get as much benefit from the fasting period as possible, physically and spiritually speaking. 
I’d love to hear your experiences! Perhaps you could paste them under the article so followers can comment? Much love and luck! X

That’s a great question. I’m sorry for your loss…i can’t imagine the pain and sorrow you must have gone through in losing your unborn child. When it happened to my brother and his wife, it was indeed devastating. But the blessings that followed that crisis were great – they were able to have another beautiful wee boy who made it into this world, healthy and shining. I’d like to think there is a reason for everything, even if we aren’t privy to the wisdom behind the things that happen in life. Who’s to say what life would have been like for your child should he or she have been born? Did your surgery go well? Was the surgeon able to do his or her job in a way that eased your (physical) pain? In my brother’s family, they felt grateful for the fact that they had had a chance to grow as a couple in the face of adversity and loss, and they felt encouraged at the thought that their little one was in a better place. If we look at life as a series of crises and victories, there will always be hope in the face of suffering, like that old saying “this too shall pass”.

I am grateful to you Sarah for bringing such a stark truth to my reality – i’m sure many mothers have been there before and would love to hear your thoughts on how to cope. What steps have you taken since?

Wishing you an all-abundant life, full of better times.

Okay, weights exercises, well, the best compound ones that you can do are for legs: squats, lunges, deadlifts, leg press, and a host more that i can show you via Virtual PT; and for chest and triceps (push exercises): bench press, one-armed dumbbell press, push ups, tricep dips on a bench (or bathtub or chair in your home!) and so on; and for the biceps and back muscles (pull exercises): lateral pull down, chin ups, one-armed row with dumbbells, upright row and rowing machine, and a bunch more that i can show you later. You don’t need to do all these exercises in one session either, because they work the same muscles, but they are different intensities and styles of working those same muscles.

Thing is to work the muscles to fatigue, but not necessarily till failure (depends on your goals) and you should always do a warm up of each exercise first (for example, by lifting half the weight you plan to lift in your working set), followed by a stretch of the muscles you’re going to work. E.g., for a squat, you might choose bodyweight warm ups or light weight warm ups followed by a stretch of the quads (flex the knee, grab your foot behind you and pull).

Because you are running a race, you would do well to also run as part of your regime. Sprints are brilliant for building muscle and increasing your power and speed, but for marathon style running you want to go for endurance so that you can last the distance. In this case you simply need to put in the distance – simple as that. Increase your distance week by week until you are at the distance you need to be at to complete the race, and once you are there, increase your speed or the incline so that your sessions are a little more intense. That way you can improve on your time by getting faster, and of course this extra speed will increase your fitness.

Does that help? (and i’m pretty sure your last 5km race was completed in about 30 mins, right? – that’s already pretty fantastic for someone who doesn’t usually run!)