Nazia Khatun a Muslim, Bangladeshi Former Boxer and Fitness Specialist has a lot to celebrate, she has just won the title ‘Sports Woman of the Year ‘ by the Baton’s Awards, which celebrates women of BAME backgrounds who are pushing boundaries in all walks of life. Nazia received her award at The Houses of Parliament on the 29th November 2018.
Nazia won the award for helping women gain confidence and self- esteem via her fitness programme which uses neuro science to recreate the way females view them in a society that defines beauty standards. The way she does this is by speaking to her followers about self love on social media practically every day, her tag line I AM ENOUGH is practised by her followers from different parts of the world. People and especially females are always messaging Nazia about their transformations due to her educational impact via social media.
Nazia is no stranger to depression, low self-esteem and self-loathing and it all started whilst she was at college. She found herself comparing herself to her peers, she felt she needed to keep up and her appearance became an obsession, before she knew it Anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorders became part of her life and carried on into her twenties.
Being a boxer super fit and healthy made no odds she was always looking for that validation and acceptance from her peers and family. She found herself to be very toxic and in turn she was attracting toxic people. Despite her appearance Nazia was fooling people into thinking she was this confident and positive person. The healing process of her condition and issues came down to one thing …she had to learn to love herself and her own company. It was a long process that took time and practise and something that should be taught to everyone at schools and higher education.
Nazia says…
‘Having gone through this journey myself I discovered there are certain stigmas and negative views out there when people do things by themselves…I want to challenge these views and break down barriers, which I have done via my instagram platform’ Fitnessrebornuk1’ creating a movement which is called ‘Dating Yourself’ .
This involves me spending 3 days all by myself, doing things such as eating alone, going to a museum alone or the movies even spending a night in a boutique hotel alone and quite simply just enjoying my own company for self- care and mental well- being!’
She goes on…
‘I am not your normal fitness coach I like to do things differently and stand out from the crowd. I wanted to offer my followers something unique and unorthodox….my method creates sustainable results and gives my clients the drive to go out there and achieve their goals even if it is not related to sports and well- being. I want to show how we can use fitness as a tool to create a strong future.
Being a former boxer Nazia also feels it’s her responsibility to be a role model by educating people from her own background and beyond. She wants people to understand the impact sports has had on her in the most positive way but also discuss sensitive topics and challenge ideas rather than brushing them under the carpet.’
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