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How to have your me time and why is it important?

Published on May 28, 2018

Lifestyle

Everybody needs ‘me’ time. Psychologists say having ‘me’ time helps reboot our brains, unwind, improve our concentration, and make us more productive.
Moreover, ‘me’ time gives us the space for self-discovery while allowing us to think deeply.

Here at KajoMag, we want you to have a meaningful and fruitful me time and these are how you can do it:

1. Unplug everything

Me Time 5 — Unplug everything. Credit: Pexels.

Turn off your phone. Switch off your laptop. Break away from all the devices that connect you to the outside world.
Undeniably, our phones have become our lifelines to the world with the average person reportedly spending 90 minutes a day on them. That amount of time could have been spent recollecting ourselves and just enjoying the time being alone.

2. Craft something

Me Time 4 — Turn to arts and crafts during your me time. Credits: Pexels.

Channel your inner creativity by crafting during your me time.
Paint a scenery, learn some pottery, bead a necklace.
You don’t have to be as good as Van Gogh, arts and crafts is supposed to help you unwind.
So just shut the world out and craft away.

3. Colour your stress away

Me Time 6 — Colour your stress away. Credit: Pexels.

If you really have no idea what to craft, how about grabbing an adult colouring book and indulging in a favorite childhood pastime? A report states that psychologists and therapists prescribe adult coloring to their patients.
It has proven coloring are actually great for your mental and emotional health.

4. Try to journal

Me Time 8 — Jot down your emotions in a journal. Credits: Pexels.

Sometimes when you are alone, that is when all the thoughts (good and/or bad) flood through your mind.
Writing in a journal is one the best ways to confront your problems and clear your mind.
Nowadays, there are so many types of journals to write in, and even bullet journal Facebook groups you can join.
If you’re looking for an out-of-the-box option for a journal, try Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith which encourages you basically to ‘destroy’ your journal in a variety of ways.

5. Take a walk. Alone.

Me Time 7 — Go for stroll along the beach.

You probably have heard of this advice: just walk it off. And to take a walk in a less crowded place actually helps you to feel better.
Just drive to the nearest beach and stroll the length of it alone, feel the wind blowing against your skin and the sand between your toes.
Shut all the noise around you out except the sounds of waves crashing. This is a very simple thing to do at minimal cost to spend your time alone to unwind.
Plus, you can burn extra calories along the way.

6. Go for a drive

Me Time 3 — Go for a drive. Credits: Pexels.

If walking is not your forte, how about going for a drive?
Blast the music in your car, sing your heart out and let the wheel to take you wherever you feel like going.
As long as the fuel tank is full, drive to the nearest town or explore unfamiliar neighbourhood in your city.
If a kid like Dora the Explorer can do it, you can do it too.

7. Watch a movie. Alone.

Me Time 2 — Watch a movie all by yourself. Credits: Pexels.

Watching a movie alone in the cinema is not pathetic. Everybody’s done it at least once in their lives. If you haven’t, go give it a try.
Pick a movie at an odd hour when you know there will be less people and enjoy the movie.
This is great for movie buffs out there because having a fruitful me time is all about doing something you enjoy… just all by yourself.

8. Read a book

Me Time — Escape from your reality and find sanctuary in the pages of your book. Credits: Pexels.

Bookworms and bibliophiles often find peace and solitude in between the pages of a book.
When your daily commitments have distracted you from the love of books, it is time to go back to reading.
Choose a small cafe which offers great coffee/tea/cake but with less of a crowd and sit in a far corner.
Then take out your book and escape from your reality for awhile.

9. Take a staycation

Me Time 9 — Take a long warm bath in your hotel room and don’t you care about everything else. Credits: Pexels.

If money is not a problem, take a staycation in town.
Unlike a vacation, you don’t have to worry about catching flights or following an itinerary.
Check yourself into a cozy hotel and relax.
Take a swim in the hotel pool or binge eat in bed in front of the TV.
Fill the tub and take a long warm bath.

10. Let Mother Nature take you in

Give yourself over to Mother Nature and let her help you relieve your stress.
Climb a mountain, take a hike or swim in the waterfall at any of these nearest national parks.
Scientists found that hiking yields measurable mental benefits and may reduce risk of depression.
But if you are hiking alone, let somebody know where you are going, be prepared before your hike and always stay on the trail.

Myths about blood donation debunked

Published on April 12, 2018

Lifestyle

No matter how long we have been donating blood, (blood transfusions were first introduced in the 1600s) there are still plenty of myths and misunderstandings attached to this selfless act.

Recently, The National Blood Centre of Malaysia (PDN) published an info-graphic to debunk some of the myths related to blood donation.

Here are some of the myths about blood donation and why they are not true:

1. I’m scared that I will gain weight after donating blood!

This is not true. Your weight will not increase after donating blood. You will only be provided with a five-day supply of iron and vitamin supplements after you donate blood. Hence, it will not increase your appetite or make you put on weight.

2. I cannot donate because I’m scared of needles!

Being scared of needles is a common thing. If you are scared of needles or the sight of blood, divert your attention elsewhere. Let the staff know beforehand and you need to distract yourself.

3.What if I lose all my blood after the blood donation?

Everyone has an average of 4 to 7 liters of blood in their bodies. Every donation only requires 450ml of blood. If you weigh between 45kg to 50kg, only 350ml will be withdrawn from you.

4.Donating blood will make my body weak.

Your blood will be back to normal before you know it. Blood donors are advised to have some snacks and drink a lot of water after the donation.

blood 732298 1280 — Did you know that one bag of blood can save three lives?

For those who are living in Malaysia, here are some criteria you need to take into account before donating blood:

1. You are healthy

2. Meet the age requirements:

Must be aged between 18-70 for those who have donated before and be between the ages of 18-60 for those donating for the first time.
Have your parent’s written consent if you are 17 years old.

3. Weigh at least 45kg

4. Sleep at least 5 hours the night before

5. Eat before donating blood

6. Your last donation was three months before

7. For women, you must not be pregnant, menstruating or breastfeeding

8. For non-Malaysians, you must have lived in Malaysia for at least 1 year.

How your daily protein intake can help you lose weight

Published on March 1, 2018

Lifestyle

Protein plays an important role in losing weight and maintaining a great figure.

Overall, having enough intake protein in your daily diet will increase your metabolism, reduce cravings and induce losing weight hormones in your body.

Here is how your daily protein intake will help you lose that extra weight:

steak-2975323_1280 — Red meat is a good source of protein. Credit: Pixabay.

1. Protein reduces loss of muscle mass

When you exercise, you tend to burn fat which subsequently reduces your muscle mass.

You need those muscles because they work like a ‘factory’ that burns your fat.

Protein intake is essential to repair and rebuild your muscle cells which you lose during exercise.

2. It induce hormones which helps you to lose weight.

Taking enough protein will increase levels of the satiety (appetite-reducing) hormones GLP-1, peptide YY and cholecystokinin, while reducing your levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin.

When you are feeling less hungry, you will automatically eat fewer calories.

3. Digesting protein helps in burning more calories

Some calories are utilised to digest your food and this is what they called the thermic effect of food.

Protein has higher thermic effect (20-30 per cent) compared to carbs (5 to 10 per cent) and fat (0-3 per cent).

Having a high protein diet will make you burn more calories compared to a lower protein diet.

In other words, high protein diets have more “metabolic advantage” than low protein diets.

The best part is your body will continue to burn those calories all day long even when you are sleeping as it continues to digest.

4. Your protein intake can help to reduce craving

Having breakfast with high protein can help you reduce your craving for the rest of the day.

Plenty of studies show that by increasing your protein intake, you will start to eat fewer calories.

So having a high protein diet instead will make it easier to cut your calorie intake in one day.

Why not have hard-boiled eggs for breakfast starting today?

Start your day with high protein diet and reduce your craving the rest of the day. — Start your day with a high protein diet and reduce your cravings for the rest of the day.

3 things to cut out of your diet to lose weight

Published on February 27, 2018

Lifestyle

To lose weight, watching what you eat is definitely a must.

However, there are so many things to watch out for like cutting down on carbs, adding more fibre in the form of vegetables and getting enough protein.

While doing that most people tend to overlook the little things they put in their mouths which at the end of the day might not help them lose weight after all.

According to nutritionist Nicholas Alvin George, here are three basic things you need to reduce in your daily meals to lose weight:

1. Fat

food-3167098_1280 — Avoid fried food if you want to lose weight. Credit: Pixabay.

Eating a lot of fatty and oily food will increase the risk of obesity and other problems including heart disease and strokes.

Try to steam, grill or boil your food instead of frying to reduce fat content.

Even if you have to stir-fry your dishes, use oil sparingly in your cooking.

Remember to remove all the fat from your meat or chicken while preparing them.

2. Salt

Canned food usually has high salt content. Credit: Pixabay.

Salt will stall weight loss because it makes your body retain more water.

When you reduce your salt intake, you’ll lose some water retention in your body.

Remember that just because it doesn’t taste salty doesn’t mean the salt content is low.

There are plenty of foods which are high in salt content such as ketchup, processed food such as sausages, nuggets as well as canned food.

Traditional Malaysian fermented food such as budu, belacan and kasam are also high in salt content.

Opt for natural flavouring such as herbs instead of seasoning powder which also has monosodium glutamate (MSG).

We only need less than 5 grams of salt everyday which equals to only one teaspoon.

3. Sugar

Satisfy your craving for sweet stuff with fruits. Credit: Pixabay. — Satisfy your craving for sweet stuff with fruit. Credit: Pixabay.

Cutting out sugar will decrease your risk of obesity and diabetes.

The best way to reduce sugar is to avoid all sugary and bicarbonate drinks.

A can of soda has an average of 8 teaspoons of sugar. A canned isotonic drink and a small packet drink (250ml) may contain 5 teaspoons of sugar each.

Your one cup of 3 in 1 coffee mix contains about 2 teaspoons of sugar.

Malaysians love their condensed milk in their drinks. But condensed milk is not ‘milk’, it is just sugar and fat.

So the best drink out there is just the most inexpensive one, which is a glass of plain water.

If you really need to satisfy your sweet tooth, have some fruit and vegetables instead of cakes and snacks.

Breeze Malaysia brings water relief to Sabah villages

Published on May 18, 2017

News & Features

Breeze Malaysia collaborates with Global Peace Foundation for it’s Water Treatment Campaign to benefit 1,050 people with access to clean water

The happy faces of the Kampung Nalasaran and Kampung Padang kids after getting access to clean drinking water with the new water filters sponsored by Breeze in partnership with Global Peace Foundation (GPF).

KUALA LUMPUR, 15 May 2017: As part of its commitment to sustainable living, Breeze Malaysia is bringing access to clean water to 1,050 villagers in Sabah, in partnership with Global Peace Foundation.

Breeze Malaysia through its Water Treatment Campaign held late last year successfully raised RM50,000 in contributions. For every Breeze laundry detergent purchased, RM1 was set aside.

All funds collected has been used to install new water filtration systems for Kampung Nalasaran, Kampung Padang, Nabawan and a school in the area – Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Sepulut. Over 23 water filtrations systems were installed within these locations which will benefit 385 residents in the villages and more than 700 students of SMK Sepulut.

Students of SMK Sepulut in Sabah having their first drink of clean filtered water at their school.

Vincent Chong, Marketing Director, Unilever (Malaysia) Holdings Sdn Bhd said, “Water is a fundamental need for every human being and it is devastating to see that some people still do not have access to clean drinking water. At Breeze, we want to be able to assist the communities in getting safe, treated clean water which will in turn encourage good health and hygiene practices.

Moreover, the water treatment campaign also stems from the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan, a global commitment made by the company to help 1 billion people to improve their health and well-being by 2020. On this note, we are also grateful to the customers of Breeze and the Global Peace Foundation who shares our vision in making sustainable living commonplace and work together in driving sustainable change for the community.”

Previously, the villagers relied on hilltop gravity-fed water for their daily usage. Water is collected from the hilltop using self-made pipes and on rainy days or wet season, the water quality gets worse as it gets polluted with dirt and other debris flowing through the pipes.

The Sabah villagers helping with the set-up of the water filter. — The villagers helping with the set-up of the water filter.

Meanwhile for SMK Sepulut, the school which has dormitories for its students had to source for water from a nearby river. Due to the lack of treated pipe water, the students had to purchase drinking water from a vending machine at their canteen.

In line with the installation, Breeze and Global Peace Foundation also provided training for the communities on the usage and maintenance of the water filter.

“For people in these communities, they had to make do with the water source they can access to, regardless of quality and safety of the water. Often the women had to carry heavy buckets of water for daily usage. Drinking untreated water carries a lot of health risks such as water-borne diseases like cholera or diarrhea. Thus providing the water filtration system will definitely improve their health and social well-being,” said Dr Teh Su Thye, Chief Executive Officer of Global Peace Foundation.

[Standing] Dr Teh Su Thye, Chief Executive Officer of Global Peace Foundation explaining the usage and maintenance of the water filter provided by Breeze and Global Peace Foundation to the community at the training.

“The water filtration system is simple in design and easy to use. It requires no electricity and comes with an ultraﬁltration membrane cartridge to remove 99 per cent of particles, bacteria and other microbial debris to allow clean, purified water of between 70,000 -100,000 litres to last for several years,” added Dr Teh.

“We have been struggling for years over the issue of clean water. Now that we have the new water filter, we don’t have to worry about this anymore. Thanks to Breeze Malaysia and Global Peace Foundation for their assistance,” said Sidin Andin from Kampung Padang.

For more information, log on to Breeze Malaysia’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/breezemalaysia.

[Middle, seventh from left] Dr Teh Su Thye, Chief Executive Officer of Global Peace Foundation on behalf of Breeze, presenting the LifeStraw® water filter to the villagers in Sabah.

Is your skin at risk of sun damage while driving?

Published on May 11, 2017

Lifestyle

An expert’s advice from Dr Wong Su-Ming, understanding the sun’s effect on your skin

Did you know that the skin uses sunlight to help manufacture vitamin D, which is important for normal bone formation? But, you’re probably more aware that sun exposure or ultraviolet light can be very detrimental to your skin. That said, when thinking about sun exposure, you might see yourself getting a suntan on the beach or exercising outdoors. Little did you know though, that we receive a large portion of our sun exposure when we’re in our cars.

Ultraviolet Rays: Your Skin’s Worst Nightmare

Within the skin’s outer layer (known as the epidermal), are cells that contain pigment melanin. Melanin serves to protect the skin from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays. While these rays are “invisible”, they’re extremely dangerous.

Over time, prolonged exposure to UV rays can burn the skin thereby causing sunburn. Sun damage can also lead to wrinkles, freckles, leathering, sagging, brown “age” spots, and in some cases skin cancer. There are three types of UV rays:

a) UVA are the most constant year-round and penetrates into the deeper layers of the skin. It is responsible for the immediate tanning effect and is also known as “UV Aging rays” as they cause long term skin damage and photo-aging (premature ageing, wrinkles and sun spots).
b) UVB cannot penetrate beyond the superficial skin layers but is responsible for delayed tanning and burning. Most UVB is filtered by the atmosphere and is often referred to as “UV Burning rays”. UVB rays are the common cause of most skin cancers.
c) UVC is the strongest and deadliest of solar rays, however the ozone layer stops these from reaching the Earth.

When UV rays penetrate the outer skin layers and pass into the deeper layers, your skin cells can either be damaged or killed.

Sun Exposure while Driving

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, dermatologists have observed for years now; that patients often have more sun damage on the left side of their faces as compare to the right. Why? Research increasingly points to UVA radiation penetrating through car windows.

UV exposure is cumulative, and research has proven that skin exposed to sun shining through window glass, even in the office or at home, can over time lead to significant skin damage. So, take some time to think about the UV exposure we receive while driving or being in a car. In a research published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, it is found that those who spent more time driving a vehicle had more severe photo-damage on the left side of their faces. Reinforcing this research, in countries where drivers drive on the right side, people tend to develop more sun damage and skin pre-cancers on the right.

Sun Safety in your Car

The best way to protect your skin from the sun is by using products with a high SPF daily. SPF stands for “sun protection factor” and is a multiplier which tells you how much longer you can stay in the sun without burning when wearing a sunscreen, for example. Suppose your skin naturally starts to burn in 20 minutes. When you use a sunscreen with an SPF of 15, you won’t begin to burn for 5 hours – 15 times longer.

While you can choose to apply sunscreen in the car, the Skin Cancer Foundation also recommends window film as the single best safeguard against UV damage. In cars, research has shown that UV damage is more extensive on the side of the body closer to the window but fortunately, there are automotive films that deliver superior heat rejection, with the ability to block UV rays.

About 3M™ Crystalline AutoFilm

The 3M™ Crystalline series AutoFilm features a proprietary, multilayer optical film that combines over 200 layers of nano-technology in a film that is thinner than a Post-it® Note. This unique technology is the reason a clear film can reject more heat than many darker films. Designed to deliver superior heat rejection capabilities, the Crystalline series improves your in-car comfort by rejecting up to 97% of the sun’s Infrared rays and rejects up to 60% of the solar heat coming through your windows.

It also offers sun protection by blocking up to 99.9% of harmful UV rays to provide a total SPF of over 1,000 for you and your passengers. The Crystalline series is a U.S. Skin Cancer Foundation recommended product. The non-metallized window film also allows you to stay connected with uninterrupted mobile service, GPS or satellite radio reception.

About Dr. Wong Su-Ming

Dr. Wong is an accredited physician and dermatologist by the National Specialist Register of Malaysia. She was formally a lecturer and dermatologist at University Malaya for 8 years before going into private practice. She is also a visiting consultant dermatologist at University Malaya Medical Centre.

Dr. Wong is also a member of the Dermatological Society of Malaysia, Academy of Medicine Malaysia, and a member of the Malaysian Psoriasis Workgroup for the development of Clinical Practice Guidelines for Psoriasis.

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