Preparing for Ramadan in 10 Ways! Preparing Your Mind, Body & Heart!

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Ramadan 2023 will be my fourth Ramadan and my third Ramadan as a Muslim alhamdulillah. I’m working on some Ramadan preparation to help prepare my body and mind before the month of fasting starts. 

Here are ways I’m preparing for Ramadan and I hope these Ramadan preparation tips help you too whether you are a new revert Muslim like me getting ready for Ramadan, or just need some inspiration to make this year even better than last, inshallah!

Ramadan Preparation

1. Start Fasting Before Ramadan

It’s Sunnah to fast on Mondays and Thursdays so I try to fast once a week in the leadup to prepare my body and mind for Ramadan.

I knew I wanted to start fasting in the Winter to take advantage of the short days in the UK which slowly extend my fast by 20-30 minutes each side as the days got lighter before Spring and Ramadan finally came around.

As a new revert Muslim, this has been so so helpful! I couldn’t imagine not fasting at all and then suddenly fasting from 5:00 am to 8:00 pm in the UK with no practice!

So, if you haven’t been fasting in preparation for Ramadan yet, I suggest you start now! Ideally, Monday and Thursday as it’s sunnah but squeeze the days in wherever you can!

Each day fasted before Ramadan will help your fasts during Ramadan, inshallah!

2. Get Your Prayers in Check

If there’s any time in the year to make sure you are praying all 5 prayers a day. Ramadan is it!

Another way to prepare for Ramadan and all of the Ramadan prayers is to make sure you are trying to pray all 5 prayers a day leading up to Ramadan if that’s something you usually struggle with or are just getting used to if you are a new Muslim.

If you can’t keep track of the prayer times throughout the day, there are many apps that send you reminders.

I use Muslim Pro as the prayer time is very accurate I find and the notification can be silent or use a simple beep.

If you are struggling to get up for Fajr, this is one of the good pre Ramadan preparations so getting up for Suhoor is easier, watch my YouTube video here with tips on how to get up for Fajr prayer.

Be sure to follow me on Instagram here during Ramadan so we can support each other in fasting!

3. Get A Ramadan Planner for Ramadan Preparation

There are so many Ramadan planners and Ramadan Journals available, most of them created by Muslim women running their own small businesses.

I think buying one of these and adding this to your Ramadan preparations checklist is a good idea if you felt your faith or motivation was a bit low last year and you hope to increase it this year, inshallah!

I love making lists and ticking things off, so having my Ramadan goals in a journal with additional prompts is a great idea. Maybe you want to read all of the Quran so you can use a journal to split it into sections.

I used this Quote Lovin Ramadan Journal last year which I loved, it’s super colourful with beautiful illustrations and great prompts and diary entry space.

Here’s a dedicated post I wrote with 10 Ramadan Planners To Help You Fulfil Your Goals & Intentions!

4. Cut Down on Caffeine

One of the best Ramadan preparation tips I got from my lovely followers on Instagram is to slowly cut down on caffeine before Ramadan.

This way our bodies will not go into shock when we suddenly stop drinking caffeine on day 1 of Ramadan.

From what I’ve heard, and experienced myself, a headache is usually the result of sudden caffeine withdrawal and that’s not a good way to start this spiritual month!

One of the ways I’m preparing for Ramadan is buying some decaf tea bags because I find that I tend to drink tea and coffee during the day (especially on cold days) through comfort and habit rather than always needing a caffeine hit.

This way, I can still get my warm and comforting drinks, but I’m getting my body off as much caffeine.

I’m planning on starting this 1 month before Ramadan starts as part of my Ramadan preparation, inshallah!

5. Re-Organise or Add in an Exercise Routine

This might not be something everyone is doing when preparing for Ramadan but it’s been on my mind for the last 3 Ramadan’s so I’m going to mention it!

I work out in the mornings straight after I have woken up and right now I’m in a really good workout routine and I don’t want to stop it and ruin all the progress I’ve made by not working out and exercising during Ramadan!

Last year I joined the Modest Fitness Ramadan Program set up by my friend Abdiya and only available to women! It gave us regular fasting-friendly workouts to do before Iftar which is the prime time to exercise when fasting! I loved having this regular movement throughout the month and after the workout I felt so revived and energised again which was perfect as it was then time to start making Iftar!

I’m not 100% sure if this program will continue this year but stay updated by following @sistersgetawayofficial and myself @_equinn on Instagram.

If it doesn’t, still think about fasting-friendly workouts you can do during Ramadan like slow yoga flows at home.

Related Post: Join a Muslim Women’s Retreat that Abdiya & I set up!

6. Join a Community!

If this is your first Ramadan or one of your first Ramadans then joining a community is a really good way to help give you fasting advice, support, and encouragement.

I am a member of The Revert Channel which is a lovely platform set up by a 10-year German revert now living in Portugal. As part of the monthly membership, I have access to self-development courses to do with Islam, weekly zoom coaching calls, and a private WhatsApp group with many ladies from around the world, and we all have being a revert Muslim in common!

The founder Marilu will be offering even more support, coaching sessions, and ways to connect with the other Muslimahs throughout Ramadan and beyond, you can join me on The Revert Channel here!

8. Stock Up on Essentials

-Painkillers, Coconut Water & Dates

Talking of headaches, when I fasted for a week last winter to make up my fasts from Ramadan, I ended up with a terrible terrible headache and I had no painkillers in my house!

This year, I’ve already purchased some regular Panadol and caffeine Panadol so I’m ready for any headaches that start at the start of Ramadan.

I don’t usually like taking painkillers, especially when I have no pain but it’s also been recommended to me to take some painkillers in the morning with Suhoor, especially on the first few days of fasting incase any headaches creep in mid-morning. I have tried it and it seems to help!

Coconut Water is a great drink to have in the mornings with Suhoor and at night.

Coconut Water has natural electrolytes which keep you hydrated and it’s much healthier than having a hydration drink like Gatorade. So be sure to stock up in advance as I found the supermarkets lacking in Coconut water during Ramadan!

During my first Ramadan in 2020 I was in Indonesia so I was able to have a fresh coconut off the tree each night but alas, Coconut water from Asda or Tesco will have to do this year!

There are many different foods associated with Ramadan but the main Ramadan food you need to get is dates!

If you don’t know, it is sunnah to break your fast eating dates, an odd number to be precise. 

Dates are extremely nutritious and give us energy. A lot of people have told me to eat dates with Suhoor as well as eating them when I break my fast.

Another food that is recommended to eat for Suhoor is Bananas to keep us fuller for longer so be sure to get some of these in before Ramadan starts!

9. Ramadan Food Prep

It’s probably unrealistic to prepare what you’re going to eat for Suhoor and Iftar for the whole of Ramadan in advance but I definitely recommend preparing the first few days / 1 week.

Firstly, food shopping and deciding what meals to eat whilst you’re fasting isn’t a good idea in my experience. Food shopping when I can’t eat makes me more hungry and deciding on food when I’m hungry leads to poor decisions!

Plan out what you’ll eat for the first week so you can go food shopping before Ramadan starts to help you with the first week of fasting at least.

Also, be sure to look into what goods are good to eat when fasting! Having salty food at night for dinner/Iftar will make you very thirsty the next day which isn’t nice. Plan healthy, fresh and hydrating meals.

If you need help with cooking meals during Ramadan and you live in the UK, have a read of my Halal Fresh Recipe Delivery Box Review!

10. Watch a Pre-Ramadan Series

If you want a spiritual and educational reminder on Islam and our faith as Muslims then I recommend watching some content online prior to Ramadan.

I really love Yaqeen Institute and last year I watched their 30 day Faith Revival series for Ramadan Preparation.

They have a few different series on offer to help with preparation for Ramadan and you can view their website here to see their pre-Ramadan prep page where you can sign up and they will send you email notifications each day so you don’t forget to watch an episode!! 

I hope these tips have helped you in your Ramadan Preparation!

Be sure to follow me on Instagram here during Ramadan so we can support each other in fasting inshallah!