DUBAI: The Holy Month is almost upon us and if you’re preparing to fast, or are a newcomer to fasting, try these tips to ease your body into Ramadan. Devinder Bains, personal trainer and nutrition coach at Fit Squad DXB, talks you though a checklist to make the transition that much easier. Start drinking more water now In the week or two before the start of Ramadan, up your water intake to get the body into an optimum hydration state. Add an extra glass or two a day to try and lower the level of dehydration the body will face during fasting, particularly in the heat of May. Cut back on your calorie intake Whereas some may be tempted to eat as much as possible now, you should actually be doing the opposite to keep hunger at bay during Ramadan. Extra food now will get the body used to eating more and therefore wanting more. Cut you calorie intake now by swapping high fat meals for high protein options to still feel satisfied. Reduce your daily coffees If you start cutting back now, it will reduce the struggle (and withdrawal headaches) at the start of Ramadan. Begin swapping in a couple of decafs a day, especially during the afternoon when you’ll be pining for that caffeine hit during your fast. If you’re a smoker, start cutting back on the number of cigarettes a day now. Start changing your sleep pattern Set that alarm for a little earlier every day. If you usually get up at 7 a.m. – make it 6 a.m. and then 5.30 a.m. and so forth. Counteract this with going to bed earlier. This small adjustment now will make the early wake up call for suhoor a lot easier to handle. Practice having breakfast earlier too. Cut out all snacks For most of us, our bodies are used to three main meals and the occasional snacks and beverages in a day, if you can remove all snacks and drinks (apart from water) in the lead up to Ramadan, the body will have less adapting to do. During the fast, you’ll effectively just be removing that one main meal: Lunch.