Whenever we introduce ourselves as a wellness website, we’re thought to cover yoga and meditation and positivity, but that’s not wellness – it’s a very narrow area, which has been so commercialized that it distracts from the true definition of wellness: “the quality or state of being healthy in body and mind, especially as the result of deliberate effort”. Not toxic positivity or veganism only, but a realistic balance of activities that satisfy both our minds and bodies.
Mental wellness has us paying attention to our needs and feelings, and physical wellness has us eating intuitively and exercising regularly, but what about sexual wellness? After all, it does involve both our emotional and physical wellbeing. JamuGlo, a herbal beverage brand founded by Atika Suhaimi and her husband, Mohamed, aims to shift the taboo surrounding this dimension of wellness.
What is sexual wellness?
“Sex is not just intercourse to begin with – it is related to our overall inner health. It’s the relationship we have with ourselves, how comfortable we are in our own skin, and a direct measurement of how connected we are to our partners.”
Atika has been an avid jamu-drinker her entire life and wanted to share the benefits she’s experienced from the traditional healing aid, but with a modern twist. The 100% organic, gluten-free juices boost sexual health and highlight the brand’s belief that intimacy starts from within.
“Prioritizing our sexual wellness does not mean you have to talk about sex, immediately have sex, or even be sexually active – asexuals aren’t easily driven by sexual desires. It’s all about accepting yourself, and understanding your own sexual wellbeing.”
How can we break the stigma surrounding sexual wellness?
“In Malaysia, the challenge we have been facing is to educate and create awareness regarding sexual wellness, as well as change the way people see it other than the way sex has been portrayed in the media or pornography.”
Our society fears that sex education will encourage sex, but in reality, the lack of sex education has caused a dangerously innacurate and unhealthy understanding of sex and sexuality. This barrier of shame and embarrassment that exists around sexual wellness has harmed relationships, the overall wellbeing of individuals, and their general quality of life. It prevents people from making informed choices for safe and fulfilling sexual experiences and relationships.
“We are on a mission to push and elevate women’s lifestyles by truly educating and empowering them to embrace their own sexual wellness. This gives them the chance to be enlightened, and hopefully connect better with their loved ones, and even with themselves. We’re doing this by bringing back the traditional superfoods of our ancestors, but for the modern woman – we’ve made it lighter and more drinkable!”
What is jamu?
“Jamu is a traditional medicine from Indonesia for overall health. It is predominantly a herbal drink made from natural materials, like roots, herbs, flowers, seeds.”
What are the benefits of your drinks?
Kencur Juice
- Regulates menstrual cycles
- Alleviates abnormal vaginal odour
- Aids in reducing excess white discharge
- Balances out hormones
- Increases libido
De-tox
- Boosts energy
- Eases digestion
- Reduces bloating
- Nurtures glowy and dewy skin
- Alleviates water retention
When should it be consumed?
“We highly recommend consuming our juices on a daily basis, with De-tox consumed in the morning before or after breakfast (after breakfast if you suffer from gastric), and the Kencur Juice consumed in the evening.
We must stress that it is important to be consistent in your journey with us. Compared to modern medicine, the effects may take a bit longer to show, but their benefits remain substantially longer in your system.”
Who should avoid consuming it?
“Those who are menstruating, pregnant, or hold current medical conditions or illnesses. If you are on any medication, please consult your doctor before consuming our juices as the chemicals may not mix well with natural herbs.”
How should it be stored?
“As all our juices are naturally made, carefully pasteurised, and contain no artificial preservatives, we highly recommend keeping them chilled. They may be kept under normal fridge temperatures for up to 2 weeks (14 days), or stored frozen in your freezer for a period of 3 months (90 days).
A typical jamugloer would purchase between four to eight bottles at a time, leaving their first 2 bottles of Kencur juice and De-tox in the fridge, and the remainder in the freezer.”
Learn more about Jamuglo and join them on their mission to shift the taboo surrounding intimacy by following them on Instagram!
If you’re interested in purchasing their juices, check out their Valentine’s Day promo below:
Buy 4 or more bottles, between the 2nd and 9th of February, to get a free bouquet of flowers! Your package will be delivered on Valentine’s Day itself for the perfect dose of self-love and an opportunity to reconnect with your loved ones. Order now.
When we think of art therapy, we think of creating art – our emotions expressed through harsh brush strokes, the feeling of clay between our stressed palms, being soothed by colouring within the lines. But did you know that simply just viewing art can help us explore our emotions, cope with stress and develop self-awareness? Those who claim not to have a creative bone in their body can now breathe a sigh of relief.
Although art therapy doesn’t require you to be artistic or talented, it is still assuring to know that just the presence of art can contribute to better mental health. Looking at art has been proven to reduce stress levels, and has the brain releasing dopamine – providing the same feeling as falling in love. And like being in the outdoors, exploring an art gallery also helps with relieving mental exhaustion and restoring focus!
As cases continue to rise, we encourage you all to stay at home, but you can easily hop on an online tour with The Art Seni – a virtual experience that allows you to enjoy art, with the artists themselves, without having to leave the house. We asked founder, Aza Iza, how to pick up this hobby.
- When did you become interested in art?
I was exposed to art at a very young age, but didn’t really think it’d be something I’d explore further. I just enjoyed it, that’s it. It was not until after high school where I started doing regular searches of ongoing art exhibitions/ art events for me to explore over the weekend or when I was free. At that time, I felt the need to always explore art. I always made sure I had something art-related to do over the weekend. It sort of became part of my routine!
- We love what you do with The Art Seni! What pushed you to start it?
The Art Seni started when I realised how difficult it was for me to gather information about art in Malaysia. I started getting frustrated with how sometimes I missed art exhibitions just because I had no information about it at all. The only source of art information at that time was the newspapers, magazines and some websites. All of the art information was so scattered. So, if I missed it, I missed it.
- As someone who is making art more accessible in Malaysia, what are the most common misconceptions you have come across?
It is an ongoing misconception all around the world that people think art is for the elite. However, in Malaysia where it is not as accessible, people find it even more intimidating to approach. Another common misconception is that many people think that art is only for art people, and that if they’re not part of it, they cannot explore it.
- Studies have shown that viewing art can have a positive impact on your health and wellbeing – do you find that to be true? How has it helped you personally?
Yes! Art does contribute to one’s health and wellbeing in so many different ways. For me, I think it definitely helped me cope with whatever I was going through throughout the years without me realising. I often find myself turning to art when there’s too much going on or when I just needed to recenter. Art is like my little hideout!
- How can one start exploring art – what do they need to know about the current scene here in Malaysia?
The visual art scene here in Malaysia is growing and has so much to offer. One can start by selecting a few galleries to visit from our weekly “On This Week” postings. People often find it difficult to navigate themselves through art galleries in KL and most of the time, are too intimidated to explore on their own. Alternatively, if they wish to explore art with a friend, they can join one of our art tours!
Something we always tell people since day one is that you don’t need to know art to explore art because it is not only for “art people”. Art is for everyone! Follow us on our social media platforms to stay art-to-date, or to simply start exploring art. We invite just about anyone of all ages and backgrounds to join us explore art!
The new year is around the corner and new year’s resolutions are on their way. Following through with your new year’s resolution of having a healthier lifestyle may seem like a daunting task – it doesn’t help that being healthy is associated with spending a ton of money. But what if we told you it doesn’t have to be that troublesome or expensive?
Try these 6 easy and small swaps to make big changes to your life!
- Swap carbonated drinks for coconut water from Movlah
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In need of a refreshing post-workout drink? Replace energy drinks with Movlah’s 100% natural coconut water made from freeze dried coconuts! It comes in travel-friendly sachets and you only need room temperature water to make them. Coconut water makes a great post-workout recovery drink as it reduces body heat and quenches your thirst.
- Try granola from Naked Super Food instead of packaged cereal
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Ditch the packaged, sugar-filled cereals and replace it with granola from Naked Super Food! Their granolas come in several mouth-watering flavours, contain low sugar and sodium, are a good source of fibre and protein, and have no artificial colouring or flavouring!
- Ditch antiperspirant for natural deodorant from Salt Of The Earth
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Natural deodorants are great for limiting skin issues – they won’t block your pores and promote less irritation! Salt Of The Earth’s natural deodorants come in a variety of refreshing scents, leave no white marks, are vegan society approved, and are not tested on animals. It’s also made free from alcohol, parabens, perfumes, and more so you can have peace of mind.
- Replace pads and tampons with menstrual cups
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Certain pad and tampon brands have harmful ingredients that we should never have near our bodies. Menstrual cups are a great alternative for that because it’s made of silicone or rubber that is safe for the body. It’s also better for the environment because not as much waste is created and some menstrual cups can be recycled!
- Opt for oat milk instead of dairy milk
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Looking for an alternative to dairy milk? Try oat milk! This plant-based milk has a mild and creamy flavour that pairs well with coffee, cereals, and more. It provides more vitamin B-2 than cow’s milk and contains beneficial nutrients, such as protein and fibre, to help keep you full for longer.
- Replace junk food with fruit & vegetable chips
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Say goodbye to junk food and hello to this delicious and healthy alternative – fruit and vegetable chips! You can find plenty of options at the grocery store, kiosks, online, and even make them yourself with an oven or air fryer. Now you don’t have to feel unhealthy when you have the munchies!
Have a healthier new year with these small, easy, and affordable lifestyle switches!
Having Type 1 Diabetes is a full-time job – there are no breaks, there are no off days. When mistakes are made, they come at the detriment of your health, both mental and physical. I’ve been living with this condition for the last 5 years and while I haven’t let it dictate my life, it has been a constant feature in anything and everything I do. It’s sort of this constant hum in the back of your head – what’smybloodsugardidItaketoomuchinsulinmaybeIdidn’ttakeenoughwhat’smybloodsugar? It never really goes away, but you do start to learn how to tune it out so you can focus on living your life.
That’s something that I feel as though I can handle. When it’s just me vs my blood sugars, I’m usually pretty confident that I can come out on top – it’s when I’m around other people that I find that things get a bit more complicated. Because it’s no big deal to inject yourself as many times as you need to when you’re alone, or inhale an entire box of orange juice during a low blood sugar in your own kitchen, but it’s a whole different story when you’re out with your friends and you feel your blood sugars starting to dip.
On more than one occasion, I’ve felt the all-too-familiar signs of a low blood sugar coming on and not spoken up about it or even asked for help. I’d just try to stop my hands from shaking and wipe off the beads of sweat starting to form as I hunted for a source of sugar. If you’ve ever seen me go really quiet on a night out before ordering a Coca-Cola and then chugging the entire thing in about three seconds, I was probably having a low blood sugar (no one’s that thirsty).
I do this quietly mostly because I don’t want to be an inconvenience, or worse still, be seen as overdramatic. People hear the term ‘low blood sugar’ and pass it off as something minor, when really an untreated low blood sugar can lead to you fainting, and even dying in some really severe cases.
I remember being late to a meeting and explaining how I had had a low blood sugar on the way, which caused me to have to stop and pick up a sugary drink from a convenience store. It was 100% true, and I was still trying to recover from it at that very moment, but out of the corner of my eye I caught a couple of people rolling their eyes – as though I was making it out to be a bigger deal than it was. Granted, they probably had no idea about Type 1 Diabetes or low blood sugars or daily injections, about carb counting or glucose meters or test strips, about HbA1cs or the difference between short and long acting insulin.
But that shouldn’t be an excuse. So if you’re going to take away anything from this article, let it be this: If you don’t know the reality of what a person is going through, reserve your judgement. Little interactions can leave a mark and make things even more difficult for people who already have a lot on their plate.
Hear more about Sheena’s experience here.
This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’re collaborating with conceptual photographer, Daniel Adams, to raise funds for the National Cancer Society Malaysia!
Every year, 2.1 million women get diagnosed with breast cancer – putting 1 in 19 Malaysian women at risk.
Daniel has photographed 5 resilient breast cancer survivors, capturing the essence of how they’ve thrived despite adversity as they pose powerfully among petals, representing how much they’ve grown and flourished along the way. These beautiful portraits have been printed on tote bags, stickers and A5 prints to be sold with 100% of the profits going to charity.
Show your support by purchasing these empowering pieces! Purchases can be made here from the 19th to 31st of October.
Don’t forget to check yourself.
During the lockdown, social media became one of the only ways we could connect with each other. By sharing our experiences, we all became inspired to make the most of our time from the bread baking frenzy and TikTok takeover to “Hey MTV, welcome to my workout routine!”.
We loved that – the cyber community spirit brought us closer than ever, allowing people from all over the world to help one another become their best selves. While we showed support from behind our screens, we, too, put in the work and it became so routine that we still try to follow it until today.
Have a go at these workouts we’ve saved on Instagram:
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A crowd pleaser for targeting our favorite parts – this signature Sculpt Club workout will leave you feeling the burn (that means it’s working, woo hoo!). All you need is a mat, a pair of weights and if you don’t have a slider – replace it with a towel. Get sculpting!
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Now that you can enjoy the physical support from a workout buddy, take a jab at this superset – a fitness challenge by PWRHOUSE. Let’s see how many sets you can motivate each other to do.
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No equipment is needed for this complete home workout. Just grab a chair, lay out your mat and getting going with Karen Kho’s simple but effective routine for beginners.
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If where you live has a gym – make the most of it! Brand New Waves Running Club shares how they do strength work, a technique you can master if you’re up for the challenge.
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Stretch it out and release your stress and anxiety with this home flow by Omology Yoga founder, Kylie Denis. With how fast everything has been moving, sometimes we just need to slow down and find our ground.
If you enjoyed any of these workouts, make sure to show them your support by signing up for their classes and joining their clubs. Let’s keep the fitness community alive and well running!
