Health & Fitness Day 4 & 5

It's Friday!!! Which means it has been 5 days since I started this 'No Carb diet'.
I'll be honest, I have not been completely healthy but I have avoided the blatant carbs like white bread, pasta and rice.
My parents live by rice. Apparently, if we do not eat rice at least once a day, we will not be 'healthy' - Dr Parents.

Let me get straight to it.

Day 4 (Thursday)
09.04.2015
Spontaneity is the best way of life. Now that the warm days have arrived it is easier to be spontaneous especially when you have time off. (Like I do from Uni)
Living in London has its perks. Our tourist sights are often a train ride away and although I am a Londoner, I still have so much to see.
So off I went to Tower Hill to enjoy the sun and to sit in a coffee shop to do work. This was a big test as everything was cake, cake and more cake.

Breakfast
After sipping on a toffee cooler at Costa, I was starting to feel hungry. It was only so long that my
breakfast, porridge topped with banana, could last me from 11am to 3pm. Out came an orange, banana, apple and strawberry flakes.
My normal habit is to snack on biscuits, crisps or chocolates and enjoy the few minutes of satisfaction then regret it almost instantly. Not this time! (Just for the record, chocolate is not on the list of food I want to avoid)
Fruits are a good way of satisfying sugary cravings. It is not the same but it does the job.

Lunch
After walking from Tower Hill to Stepney Green, still hungry, I snacked on a peanut bar and a Twister Ice cream. (It was warm and... I actually cannot make an excuse as to why I indulged in this)
Lunch at home was cod fillet fish (frozen) with a side of stir fry, fried in organic olive oil and a side of corn on cob.
Simple and filling.

Dinner
Lunch was a late one so for dinner I was not so hungry but I did get myself a few spoonfuls of Lentil soup (which my mother makes so well) and a few pieces of celery with a drizzle of lemon and Himalayan pink sea salt.
Et voila. Tres fantastique. (I am going Paris next week so it's good practise)

Day 5 (Friday)
10.04.2015
Breakfast

Smoked Salmon, mushroom, cherry tomatoes, spinach, baked beans & avocado. Simple yet filling.











Lunch
The same as yesterday. Fish and stir fry. I am actually starting to run out of things to make.
I was very bad today and consumed loads of sugar. The Egg 'n' Spoon chocolate x2 was not the best way to end a nice meal but I did it. I lost control but by tomorrow, I will be back on track. Let's just call this my cheat day.

After going to Tesco to buy bits n bobs for dinner, I ate two pieces of that new Cadbury chocolate bar. I did not even enjoy it and I felt guilty. This means two more extra sit ups tomorrow as punishment. I struggle to do ten anyway.





Dinner
All those ingredients put together, my sister made an amazing chicken tom yum soup. It was amazing and had all sorts of vegetables.  If you ever have a cold, this soup will do wonders. If you are ever hungry, this soup will fill you up!

5 days done, I have fought temptation, controlled myself and at times I have given in.
But when you are changing your diet, you cannot give certain things up completely. Even carbs, who says they are all bad? Or who says you cannot have it but in a moderate amount. Everything can be eaten in moderation.
2 more days to go on this no carb trend and then I will slowly introduce my body to the good kind of carbs.
Well done to my sister who has been strong throughout and my brother also (he's only had a few pieces of chips here and there and oh pitta bread... but apparently this doesn't really count)

Peace Out

Check out Day 2 & 3
http://salaamsalma.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/health-fitness-2.html

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Health & Fitness Day 2 & 3

I am a night time blogger so when I say I will post something on Wednesday, it will either be in the evening or after the clock has struck past midnight, which means I have actually posted on Thursday.

But it is not a new day until you fall asleep then wake up right?

So carrying on from my Monday post about my 'No Carb' intake. 

Day 3 has just passed and I must say, I have not suffered at all. 

I thought by day 2 I would be having a meltdown, breakdown, mid life crisis, all sorts, but I am glad to say 'I am fine!'

Day 2 (Tuesday)

07.04.2015

Breakfast

After a short jog around the park on Monday I woke up on Tuesday morning unable to move without pain. After all, it has been a long time since I've put any of my muscles to use. The pain was a good kind of pain like a 'pain equals to gain' kinda pain.  

Breakfast

This was porridge with cashew nuts & almonds. 

I attempted a 10 minutes ab- workout but died a little after the first 2 minutes. (I made up for it by cleaning my room all evening)

After this 'workout' I downed a small cup of fruit and veg smoothie: Celery, Cucumber, ginger, lemon, spinach leaves (and a few other things which I have forgotten)

My sister told me as she made this 'it's not about the taste, think of the benefits of it'. 

Smoothie

I was no PopEye but it felt healthy. 

Lunch

A simple tuna salad: Tomatoes, lettuce, spinach leaves, onions, celery, lemon, sea salt and tuna. 

Dinner

When my brother did the meat shopping (The big boy shopping), he bought chicken, lamb and a packet of frozen kebabs in case we had a relapse. 

It was only day 2 but we dived into those kebabs as though we had suffered enough. The sides were not so bad though: Corn on cob, peas and surprise surprise, Salad!!!

Tuna Salad

Nonetheless. Day 2 went rather well. 

Day 3

08.04.2014

Breakfast

More like brunch as I was out in the morning and did not have time for breakfast. 

This was an omelette with mushrooms, onions and sweetcorn.

Lunch 

I decided to walk to Stratford where the Olympic Park is from home. This walk is 2.3 miles (according to google maps). Once we were there, lunch was at 'The Grill'. I love eating out and I always get my main with a side of chips or rice, but not this time. 

Lamb chop, chicken, chicken wing & sausage. Not bad ey? I just watched the people around me indulge in the chips and carb loaded naan bread and not once did I feel tempted. After walking around, window shopping, chilling at the Olympic park it was time for the 2.3 miles walk back home again. 

Once home, I decided to go swimming. After doing a few laps, I felt it was enough and my shoulder blades are actually aching. But the good kinda pain.

Corn on Cob Cake

Dinner

SALAD!!! with Mackerel fish. This isn't dinner material so in came the corn on cob an hour later.

All in all, Day 3 went well. 

11 more days to go... Will I manage!? Next blog post will be on Friday (night)

Peace Out

(And thank you to all those who have been supporting me and advising me. I really do appreciate it and it motivates me to do stay determined and not lose focus on my goals)

Check out my blog post from Day 1

http://salaamsalma.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/health-fitness.html

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SalmaKhatun95

SalaamSalma

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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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

Follow me on:

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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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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