Richmond defender Bachar Houli is feeling great in the first week of his month of fasting for Ramadan.

As part of his Muslim faith, Houli started Ramadan last Saturday.  He will forego food and water, from dawn to dusk, for the next month.

Houli feels it is helpful that Ramadan, which is determined by the Islamic lunar calendar, has fallen during winter, as there are fewer hours of daylight than the summer months.

This year, Houli’s dietary habits have changed slightly. He’s eating more carbohydrates in the morning before fasting starts, and larger portions of food when fasting breaks for the day.

“It’s important to keep hydrated throughout the night, too, so I focus on drinking plenty of water and energy drinks,” he said.

In terms of training, Houli said that regular communication with the Club’s fitness staff is the key. They allow him to do what he thinks is best, and he reports to them daily on how he’s feeling.

“At times, training is modified for me as an individual, but I generally don’t like taking short-cuts while everyone else is doing extras,” he said.

Houli is grateful for the opportunities that AFL football has given him to not only continue practising his faith, but also educating others about his culture and religion.

“If anything, practising my faith (while playing football) has made me a better person, as the religion teaches me to be disciplined and professional in whatever I do in my life,” he said.

In preparations for this Saturday night’s game against Carlton at the MCG, Houli will fast until 5:30pm, when he will have a small meal and drink plenty of water and Powerade.

Rather than being a hindrance to his playing performance, he believes that he should be feeling “light and bouncy” during the game.