Welcome Back Ramadhan!

Assalamualaikum wbt.

Hai Hai.. Wassup?! Hurmm.. Well this Thursday will officially be the first day of Ramadhan. It also mean all the muslim all over the world will start fasting to please Allah. So the question is are you ready? Actually to be honest I didn't know what will this year of Ramadhan will be?

I got a new job (just got it today! Haha..) Anyway I feel grateful, it has been almost a year that I didn't do anything, ever since I've finished my diploma. It was so stressful to sit at home and just do nothing for almost a year! Just you know that and I hope that you got the feeling.  However, the good side of it, its made me remember my long forgotten blog! Oh I'm so sorry my blog, I didn't mean to forget you, anyway I've give you a full makeover so don't be sad okay!

So for this year's Ramadhan let hopes for a better one! Here I would like to share things to be avoided during Ramadhan (it was from whatsapp group, but I've added some of my own opinion) hopefully it will benefits us all!

1. Don't sleep during the day and pray all night. By doing this you are converting the day into night and the night into day, which is not the purpose of fasting.
2. Avoid being lazy and inactive during the day.
3. Don't waste time playing games during the day. Rather, please Allah by increasing in your worship of him.
4. Avoid (If you could) having Iftar parties. Ramadan wasn't meant to be a food extravaganza. (Or maybe could just doing it in the simplest way, to get more barakah)
5. Don't ask your wife to spend Ramadhan in the Kitchen. Eat something light and quick - she isn't Briyani woman.
6. Spend the last 10 days worshiping Allah rather than trying to prepare for Eid! (Yea, you should've complete your Eid preparation by this time) A day that is better than a thousand months is in these last 10 days. You can't afford to miss this.
7. Don't stay awake the full night. Your body has a right over you, and when it wants rest, then rest.
8. Avoid excessive socialising after Taraweeh. (Just go home and sleep!)
9. Avoid shopping a lot in Ramadhan. (If you don't want to get exhausted and make it as an excuse to not fasting or to skip worshiping Allah at night)
10. Don't eat the whole night. (It'll make you become fatter! Lol. I mean if you did these you will not get the benefit of fasting you know)
11. Don't loiter around at night other than worshipping Allah.
12. Eid doesnt require loads of preparation. Dont fall into this trap! Keep it simple, and it will be blessed. (Yes, totally agree!!)

May we witness this forthcoming Ramadhan with sound health. Ameen.

Common mistakes in Ramadhan:

1. Drinking

Milkshakes made with syrups etc on a daily basis

- Why: It contains high amounts of sugar, additives  and colourants

- Solution: If you have to, drink it twice a week maximum

2. Drinking large amounts of water at iftaar time

- Why: Filling the stomach with water is more strenuous to it than with food. 

- Solution: have a few sips at iftaar then a glass after every two hours.

3. Exercising directly after iftaar.

- Why: the body's blood flow is concentrated around the stomach at that time.

- Solution: Exercise after two hours of eating to ease digestion.

4. Chewing and swallowing food fast.

- Why: chewing food slowly can speed up digestion and help maintain your weight

5. Having dessert directly after iftaar

- Why: they make you drowsy and sleepy 

- Solution: leave at least a two hour gap between iftaar and dessert to stay fresh and awake for ishaa and taraweeh prayers

6. Consuming foods with high amounts of sodium

- Why: Sodium triggers thirst through out the fasting hours of the day

- Solution: instead, eat foods that are high in potassium, they retain water and supress your thirst.

# Bananas are high in potassium. A banana at Suhoor time can control your thirst level through out the day.

# Best sources of potassium for Suhoor time: 

- bananas

- milk

- dates

- avocados

- dried peaches

- pistachios

- pumpkin

- peas

- dark chocolate

# Worst choices for Suhoor: 

- briyani

- kebab

- pizza

- fast food in general

- cheese

- haleem

# Best choices for Suhoor: 

- potato

- rice

- dates

- whole grain bread

- banana

# Drinking lots of water at suhoor is important, but not as much as drinking it through out your non-fasting hours.

Hope that we can get the best of Ramadhan this year. Ameen! Selamat berpuasa everyone! Love you muah ciked! Hurmm.. I kind of wandering how does it feel at my first day of working, since it is my first time working during Ramadhan!