Salaam Salma

Tuesday, 7 April 2015

Health & Fitness

I am back again!

This time with something a little different. No politics, no poetry, no opinion posts.
I am here with my journey through health and fitness.

Background
Everyone has a relationship with food and fitness. We either love it or we hate it.
As a a child I was really active and ran around endlessly but by 2002 I started becoming a 'chubby bunny'.
I was not lazy but I had a romantic relationship with food!!! I loved it!
I always thought 'When I grow up I will become slim by going to the gym' because this is the change I saw with one of my sister's. I come from a sporty family where all my siblings take part in sports and one is a fitness instructor. But my lack of determination to make a healthy change has got me no where.
Having fast food joints on my way home from school where I would indulge in the deep fried chicken wings and chips did not help! Especially with it being really cheap.

Growing up, I have tried cutting out the junk food from my diet but I could not go on for too long. I was weak! During secondary school I was sporty but hid myself in baggy clothes thinking it would hide the fat. But nu-uh. It made me look bigger.
The only time I lost three quarters of a stone within a week was in 2009 when I had the swine flu. This is when I plucked up the courage to buy my first ever skinny jeans.
Since the beginning of secondary school I have done runs (as I am pretty decent in long distant running) with my first being a 3k kids run which I beat my sister in. I started doing 5ks and by 2010 I had done a 10k.

During college, my fashion had become a little better and I was wearing clothes which fit me. This helped me look a little better. I also joined the gym and was there for two years. Though I had not lost much weight, I saw the change my body had gone through. I was starting to develop a womanly figure. Jumpers which fit me really well during the first year of college started to fit slightly loosely by second year. I even needed belts to keep my jeans up.

First half marathon with the sisters.
(Not the most decent image)

In my second year I did a half marathon (the worst run I have done due to the weather). I ran the first
9 miles without stopping then walked and jogged the rest. I have not done a run since.
After the first year of uni I stopped hitting the gym because I could no longer afford it. I thought I would stay active by doing exercise at home but I had no motivation. I tried doing squats every once in a while but my lazy attitude got the better of me.

I've just come to the end of my second year of uni and I have realised, I have not been to the gym properly since last year July. My bingo wings, third chin, wobbly thighs are making an appearance and I am afraid I will be developing kankles soon if I do not do anything about it.

No Carb diet
I have tried the no Carb diet for a few days before and have seen some changes but I have not carried on with it long enough. I lose momentum really fast.
My brother, sister and I have decided we are going to go two weeks without carbohydrates; the bad kind.
Carbs often turn to sugar and if not used, it stores as fat. Huge intake of carbs can lead to Diabetes (as many Asians can relate to) and heart diseases and often it leaves us feeling bloated or heavy.

We are going to get rid of foods such as: Bread, Pasta, Rice, Cereals, Biscuits, Potatoes and replace these with proteins and high in vitamin foods such as: meat, fish, chicken, vegetables and salads.
Even if I do not see the pounds drop off, I hope it will make me embrace a healthier lifestyle.

Day 1

06.04.2015
Day 1 was not so bad. My day consisted of exercise, eating, sleeping and working.

For breakfast I had a smoothie with: banana, prunes, cashew nuts and almond mik.
I went for a jog in the park doing two laps and half a lap cycling.

Lunch consisted of a salad: spinach, gherkins, olives, sun dried tomatoes, cashew and pistachio nuts and cucumber with a boiled egg.

To end day 1, dinner consisted of grilled chicken breast with mushrooms, onions and blue cheese with a side of corn on cob and salad.

I was tempted to dive into the cake and custard which was teasing me after dinner but I stayed strong. Will power!!!
(To be honest, my weak side got me having the custard but with fruits, so I didn't fail completely)

Only 13 more days to go with a no carbs. (I will try the first seven days then see if I can manage the second week)

Follow my journey through the next two weeks. I will be posting every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Remember one thing, before making changes, learn to love and appreciate yourself.

Peace out!

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SalaamSalma

Tuesday, 24 February 2015

Barcelona!!! (February Blogging Challenge)

This weekend I went away to Barcelona with two of my sisters (who are twins). So for this trip we became triplets. It works better that way.

I am going to use this blog post to show you what I did and what I saw in Barcelona. If you have already been, this may be a reminiscing moment for you and you may be like 'Oh Em Jee, I recognise that place' and hopefully for those who have not been, maybe it will make you want to go.

I thought that Barcelona would be 'just like another European city' and to be quite honest, I was not wrong. The wide streets filled with beautiful artistic buildings, pastry shops, the lively night life... All this was pretty similar to previous places I had been to. Barcelona did stand out more to me though.

I realy enjoyed the different places I went to see, the history behind certain buildings, the wars fought and not to forget THE FOOD!!! the Paella and Tapas. Scrumptious.

Let me start from the beginning. I had to go straight to Gatwick airport from university.

And let me go straight to the end - I went straight to university from the airport once I was back in London in the morning. (Hence why this is a day late... I have had work and sleep to catch up with...)

First Night

We got to Barcelona on Friday night and somehow got lost and walked so far up we managed to move nearly an hour away from our hostel even though it was a five minutes walk from the station we got off at. We were on the right road, just on the other side. Hostels in most places are very nice and clean and this one was very nice. I guess London Hostels are the worse and most grimey. (That is based on one experience)

After finally finding our hostel, a good night of rest was needed.

This trip was relaxed and layed back and we saw what we could. We probably saw in two days what people normally take a week to see.

Day 1

The man himself with my leather jacket on.

Saturday morning we started of in Parc de Guell - a massive park designed by a very famous Catalan artist - Gaudi. I had never heard of him till now.

The famous mosaic Lizardy statue that everyone was dying
to take a picture with. Well here is my selfie.

This is a nicely structure wall which I climbed
into...

And was later told that I am not allowed to do
that

We jump pretty high right?

After walking around and getting up to mischief, we went to see the amazing work of Gaudi again but this time of a Roman Catholic church called Sagrada de Familia.

Sagrada de Familia

We went to see the Arc de Triomf... I think a lot of cities have an Arc De Triomf.

The new trend we try and do... Take Palestine with us
wherever we go...

That same day, even though we were exhausted, we decided to take a route through a fashion district known as the Cosmopolitan route.

It was pretty and cultural. Obviously materialistic (do you get it. Materialistic)

We finally went to have out first Seafood Paella and it was amazing! We were not so hungry after snacking on different food throughout the day but if we were, we would have maybe had two dished.

We decided we would walk it through La Rambla, a street full of hustle and bustle and atmosphere. This got us wide awake and we ended up walking longer than we had planned.

Throughout the day, we were pretty tired and a few things had happened. One of my sisters had falled asleep on a seat on the platform and when the train came, the other sis and I walked on not realising she had fallen asleep. It is only when we turned around to ask her something that we saw her sleeping on the seat whilst we were on the train. Thank God the train was not moving straight away, we actually had time to shout her name out and get her to come on the train.

The weekend was full of stupid moments.

I'll go to the length of embarassing the other sister who was paying no attention to where she was walking that she actually walked straight into a glass window.

And the lack of sleep really got to her that she read 'the countless number of bars and restraunts' as 'the countless numbers of bras and restraunts'. When one is tired, mistakes like these are painfully funny.

Day 2
We had Churros for breakfast!!! It was oily but
when one can have Churros for breakfast, the
opportunity needs to be grasped.

There was a free tour which takes place everyday for the people who stay at the hostel so we used this to its advantage and went along. The tour guide was English, from London, who fell in love with Barcelona twelve years ago when he went with his girlfriend for Valentines. His girlfriend is now his wife and they have a son together and all three of them live in Barcelona. Why am I mentioning this? Well, the UK wants to have firm laws on immigration and decrease the number of people entering because apparently all our good jobs are being taken away and many more reasons. But, British people are allowed to go settle their arses in other countries and do the work that their own citizens can do. It is just a topic which drives me up the wall!
Nevertheless, it was funny to see the tour guide still had British humour and only the three of us sisters understood his jokes.

He took us around the old town with Gothic buildings & mythical story inspired buildings. We went through a Jewish town - Jews were once driven out of Spain and it was thought that they were the cause of the black plague because they were the only ones who were not suffering from it due their high levels of hygiene. But it was pretty sad how they were treated. We saw a castle, saw a pine tree which apparently Virgin Mary was found in during one of the wars. The church that over looks the pine tree (not the actual tree now, its been replaced) was once a mosque. We heard stories about the Ottomans and the Catalans - So within Barcelona there are Catalans who want indepence from Spain. They have their own flag and language and want to be recognised as Catalonia but Spain will not allow them as they benefit from them especially during economic crisises.

We walked through small streets where the architecture was very pretty and was told that the Christopher Columbus statue in Barcelona coincidentally points towards Algeria roughly towards a city called Constantine. It was funny because we had one Algerian guy in the group who was pretty shocked.

On our way to the Old Marine near the water, we came across a carnival with people in costumes. They all looked South American. Each country had its own traditional clothing and dance. Some looked amazing, some scary and some were very under dressed. But it was fun.

The weather was on our side and it was sunny!!! Vitamin D! Unlike the day before where it rained. We somehow ended up on the beach sun bathing and even managed to fall asleep for a few minutes.

In the evening after a needed nap, we went to the Magic Fountains near the Museum of Art but the fountains were not even on. The view from the top was amazing though. We saw Barcelona in the night. The stairs to the top were quite tiring but we 'Rocky'd our way to the top Believing we were the 'Eye of the Tiger'.

After this we decided to end our last night with another Paella then walked it all the way down the long street, through another long street with the most rich and designer shops and actually ended up walking to our hostel.

And that was that. Our last night in Barcelona. It was a good weekend and we fit a lot into it.
I wouldn't mind going back again as every experience is different but I didn't fall in love with Barcelona the way some people have.

The people of Barcelona were very nice and welcoming (Unlike other places I have been to like Greece...) and they always had a smile on their faces. We got told off at one point for being girls from London who didn't know how to speak Spanish. Let me put this in to context. A guy was speaking to us in Spanish, we told him 'no Espanol', he asked us where we are from, we said London. Then he looked disapointed and said, 'you are from London, it doesn't mean you can't speak Spanish'. We were baffled. We told him we are not Spanish hence why we do not know any of it. So basically he thought we were South American girls living in London... We can speak Bengali if that helps.

I hope you enjoyed my weekend. I certainly did. I would recommend Barcelona for a place to visit and the hostel I was staying at, I would go there again. The whole place is very child friendly which reminds me, there were toilets which we came across made especially for children. They were so small. But when nature calls, you use what you find.

If you haven't already, read my previous blog

http://salaamsalma.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/my-daily-uni-life-february-blogging.html

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Wednesday, 18 February 2015

My daily uni life (February Blogging Challenge)

If you are a uni student you may be able to relate to this post.

My daily routine:

So my alarm goes off and after the 10^th time of pressing snooze, I mentally prepare myself and set myself the challenge to roll out of bed within 3 seconds.

Sometimes if I am eager I pass this challenge but often, I don't.

I get myself down the stairs, greet my parents if they are awake, interview whoever is on the other side of the bathroom door - 'Who's in there!!?? How long are you going to be??!! HURRY UP!!!'.

Wait around for a bit then get my turn. (Living with a big family with one bathroom isn't as fun as it sounds). I look at the mirror whilst brushing my teeth analysing my designer eye bags which worsen everyday.

After making myself a cuppa I manage to get myself changed, drink my tea whilst putting on my face for the day and voilà... I am ready and kickin' to start my day.

(Okay, I am not as enthusiastic).

Sometimes, when I have late starts, I find myself rushing because I take longer to get ready, taking my precious time, moving around at a snails pace. Often it is because I rave by myself whilst getting ready and take snapchat selfies. Music and getting ready do not go well together.

After kissing my parents goodbye, I get to the station, get on a train and within the hour, I am at university sitting in a lecture which I have done no reading for.

(Just to note something about me, I cannot leave the house or start a day of well if I have not kissed my parents. It's a childhood habit)

Me during uni:

So I will be sitting in my lecture, copying everything off the board on to my notebook. Everyone else uses laptops but I like it old school. (Feather pen, ink pot and papyrus)

Seminars are the most awkward. Everyone speaks and asks technological questions and by that I mean wordy and intellectual. I barely understand the question they ask let alone the response it receives. And then there's me who asks a question in the most simple vocabulary... 'Why is the media bad?' (I haven't actually asked this before)

I am sure everyone does this - avoid eye contact when the teacher looks at you. Unless you really want to say something.

As interesting as my modules are, (Conflict reporting, Humanitarian communication & Arabic language) I go into uni with one aim. To get through to the end of the day and go home.

Last year my aim was to get through the week to enjoy the weekend. It was a mechanical routine where I was doing something which I hated! This year however its much better.

The days I have long gaps (from 4-5 hours) I spend time catching up with work or watching a film. (Thug Life)

Sometimes I feel like it is like this...

Anyhoo, my journey home consists of me grasping for breath whilst under the arms of sweaty people making their way home after a long day at work. My height is a big disadvantage when it comes to situations like these.

Once at home, my bag goes one way, clothes go the other, hair gets tied up, the fake face removed, nighties on, dinner eaten and the rest of the evening is dedicated to slobbing in front of the TV. Sometimes I have one hour naps which actually last several hours. (This evening was an example of that. 3 hours nap.) (Unless I have last minute reading to do... which I still leave till the morning)

The weekend:

I cannot live without a diary/planner. My weekends get planned weeks in advance and they are what I get through the days for. Family, cleaning up after myself and more slobbing around.

So this is it. The robotic life of this uni student.

This weekend will be different for me... I'm going away for the weekend!!! Wooh!

(This means Friday blog will not be up... If you are following my February Blog Challenge, I apologise in advance. But get ready for Monday's post... All about my weekend trip)

If you haven't already, read my previous blog

http://salaamsalma.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/bless-ignorant-fool.html

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Tuesday, 17 February 2015

Bless the Ignorant Fool (February Blogging Challenge)

When I was a little younger I used to think I was a big shot poet, writing in my spare time, expressing my emotions through poems.

When I look back at them I realise how soppy my poems used to. For a girl who had crushes on boy bands and actors (Wentworth Miller) I used to write a lot of emotional love poems. When I look back at them, I actually cringe.

This poem however is something I've had saved as a draft for quite some time. It may or may not make sense but it's one of those poems that I thought of in the shower and had to write it down quickly.

(My style of poetry may not even be considered as poetry for some of you, some of you may not have a clue what I am on about but maybe someone out there may want to make me famous and help me publish a book... maybe)

Bless The Ignorant Fool

Bless the ignorant fool who knows nothing but the four walls of his house.

Pardon me.

Let me start over.

Bless the ignorant fool who knows nothing but:

the combination to his safe,

the plate number of his Ferrari,

his double glazed windows,

the best type of wooden flooring,

the amount of cash in his bank account

And

the four,
maybe 5, 6, 7 or 8 walls of his house.

Bless the ignorant fool who has been gifted with a brain

but doesn't use it wisely.

Or maybe it is more comforting to be oblivious to the actions of this hideous world,

Especially when the power lies in his hands to make a change.

Maybe it is easier to spend money on weapons to wipe out a race

so there are less people to help or worry about.
Or maybe the lack of education has made him unaware of what happens in this world.

Bless the ignorant fool
and grant him with knowledge and consciousness.
Open his eyes to the destruction he has caused in this world
and make him realise how much of a fool he has been.

By Salma Razia Khatun

I hope y'all enjoyed that and critical feedback will be appreciated.

If you haven't already, read my previous blog

http://salaamsalma.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/lurve-february-bloggging-challenge.html

Follow me on:

Instagram: SalmaKhatun95 & SalaamSalma

Twitter: SalmaKhatun95

Saturday, 14 February 2015

Lurve (February Bloggging Challenge)

(Firstly I apologise for a late blog post. One day late. My first February Blog Challenge fail. Forgive meee!)

Anyhoo, now that that dramatic moment is over...

The topic of today will be LURVE, LOVE, LUV, ELL OH VEE EE, L-O-V-E

Yes, it's February 14^th and everyone is in that lovey dovey mood and for those who are single – a foul/depressed mood. Firstly, if you are single – POWER TO THE WOMEN!!! (and men)

Love yourself. That's more than enough.

For those in love – get a room.

I am actually not a big fan of Valentines day:

Haha. So my sister made me this a while ago (This is a joke)

Because I believe the day of love should be everyday. Why have just one day to show your love and gift your partner?
You are actually getting ripped off. This day is not just about love and affection but a day of economic gain. (I actually think handmade gifts, home made meals, playing games etc. is more romantic than buying the latest Gucci bag or Lindor Chocolates... Though I wouldn't mind the chocolates)
Because Adam Saleh hasn't asked me yet (but that is another matter, he doesn't know of my existence...yet)

Despite not being a big fan of this day, I do go out with my family for a nice meal but to be honest, this is no different to other days. I just classify my four sisters to be my Valentines but they do wish they had a partner to spend it with rather than their sisters. HAHA. There is no escaping Salma!

We just show more love to one another (through violence... I do come from a pretty boy stressed background)

During my school days where I used to attend a girls only school, I remember the exchange of plastic roses, secret Valentines & pretending to be a couple with someone. Those were the days of stupidity, innocence and fun. And not to forget, the heart shaped face paint on the cheeks of every other girl and something red which was worn.

I'd like to see what young girls and boys do now. The time slot from 12pm to 5pm before their parents go out looking for their kids – Does this still happen?

Amateur photography by moi
The rose my pops gave to my beautiful momma

Talking about parents, my parents have been married for over thirty years. Even though my father takes my mother out on dinner dates occasionally (to the local kebab shop) and buys her gifts, today was the first time I witnessed him giving her a rose. SO CUTE!

(And he bought the rest of us crisps. Wooh!!)

I don't think he specifically bought it for Valentines (because he doesn't believe in this day) but rather because he went shopping, saw a pretty rose and bought it.

Either way, I found it beautiful how thirty years later, through all the ups and downs, they are always there for each other and always there for us. They will always and forever be my first true love.

To end this post, I just want to say, don't leave it to one day in the year to show your loved ones how much you love them, use everyday to show your affection. (Use tomorrow to show extra love because all the chocolates will be on sale. Just sayin'.)

Surprise your loved one once in a while with a hand written letter, a poem, a handmade macaroni necklace or something creative. It's not all about the money, its the thought and effort put into it which counts.

This was the Love Guru with the latest post.

Hope you enjoyed it and once again, apologies for the late post.

If you haven't already, read my previous blog
http://salaamsalma.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/what-inspires-me-february-blogging.html

Follow me on:

Instagram: SalmaKhatun95 & SalaamSalma

Twitter: SalmaKhatun95

Wednesday, 11 February 2015

What inspires me? (February Blogging Challenge)

Before I make a start, I would like to make a short comment on something off topic to my post tonight.

I would like to say Rest in Peace to the three students in North Carolina who were shot and I apologise on behalf of the media which makes your lives seem worthless because you are nothing but Muslims. In this world, and the time we live in now, unless you are a Muslim behind a gun or behind a huge terrorist plan, you will not make the headlines.

To the little Moroccan boy who was held down under a security guard's foot whilst he stepped on your head with his military boots in a station in Sweden, stay strong and show the world your faith. Faith makes you stronger.

Today’s aim of this post was to write a few things about what inspires me and drives me out of bed but I felt this had to addressed before I could make a start.

Without further ado...

What inspires me?

They have so little yet smile and run around with eachother on the
streets. (Bangladesh - Chittagong)

Vague question, hard to narrow down but one thing which inspires me is seeing people who have been through a lot in life: challenges, problems, success, everything, but still carry on with life trying to make a better change and successful future. (Especially those who are humble about it)

People who smile no matter the circumstance – this inspires me. Everyday we pass people who smile at us. This could be a cover up of their traumatic life but they still choose to share a smile with us. I admire these people.

My family inspire me: My parents – they inspire me to love. To solve issues before it is too late. To be childish yet take the best care of my children. (Note: I am not married nor am I a mother, but when I am, God Willing, I want to raise my children the way my did us)

My mother inspires me to be a good woman and to be a good wife to whoever my husband may be. My father inspires me with his dedication to his job which he only works to make ends meat for his family. He has given up a lot for the satisfaction of not himself but for his grown ass children. (We vary from ages 32 to 20)

My siblings all come from professional backgrounds and growing up, all I have seen them do is study and learn new things to improve themselves. I have seen them take endless exams to get good jobs and this inspires me to follow the same path.

My friends – My closest friends who have characteristics of their own but all share one common characteristic of faith. When we discuss Islam together, share stories, experiences etc., they inspire me to get more in touch with my Deen.

What makes me go crazy?

When I am explaining something over and over and someone still doesn't understand what I am saying.

People who chew with their mouth open and make the 'chppp chppp' noise. (I have learnt to control my fist in situations like these)

People who leave the door open.

What drives me out of bed in the morning?

Knowing that this day will not come again and I only have one chance to live today as it comes. Everyday is a new experience and I look forward to each day even if it is not the best of days.

The laughter I know I will laugh with family and friends.