Balancing fasting and your sporting activity: Ramadan top tips

February 11, 2026

With Ramadan approaching many of you will be preparing to balance their training, competitions and overall wellbeing while fasting. Swim England has developed guidance to provide planning advice, nutritional support and practical planning to help you or your clubmates to continue participating safely and confidently throughout the holy month.

Training plan

Fasting can affect energy availability, hydration and recovery – all of which influence how you feel in the water. Our guidance highlights the importance of adjusting plans, communicating with coaches and adapting training loads to support you in making thoughtful adjustments during club activities – Training Plan.

Nutrition support

Due to eating windows shifting between sunset (Iftar) and dawn (Suhoor), you need to be strategic about fuelling. Our guidance provides nutrition-focused support to help you to maintain energy, hydration and recovery despite limited eating periods. Here we have Ramadan Nutrition Advice document that will provide you guidance on how to train safely.

Top 5 tips

Keep a large bottle of water or squash with you from Iftar to Suhoor. Make sure to leave it by the side of the bed when you are sleeping and aim for at least 2 litres sipped over the non‑fasting period.
Try to avoid caffeine until Suhoor as this can have a negative impact on the quality and duration of your sleep.
During a competition, avoid any unnecessary periods of time poolside as the building’s air‑conditioning and ventilation system can cause dehydration.
Check the useful food and drinks list in the guides below for after dark, particularly for those growing athletes who need to consume a high amount of energy in a shorter period.
To avoid getting too full quickly at Iftar, start the breaking of your fast with liquids (water, fruit juice, smoothies, soup etc.).

You can view the Ramadan guidance documents below:

Document Library

Key terminology explained

🌙 What is Iftar?

Iftar is the evening meal that Muslims eat after the sun goes down during Ramadan. It’s the moment when the fast ends for the day.

🌅 What is Suhoor?

Suhoor is the early‑morning meal eaten before the sun rises. It helps give energy for the day of fasting ahead.