Category Archives: AFT Reviews

Babel Fit KLCC – A secret review

First of all, under no circumstances was Asia Fitness Today paid to do this review. In fact, Babel Fit did not even know we did this. During the launch of Babel KLCC, one of the goodies we received was a month-long pass which we utilized for this review.

Babel seems like the perfect gym for all of us. The gym features top of the line equipment and amenities. Sounds too good to be true but with plush towels that’s softer than your moisturizing conditioner hair, one can’t complain.

Your first impression of Babel KLCC is its entrance. It looks posh, to say the least. Second, there is this pleasant aroma that wafts through you as you walk in. This aroma is all over the gym too. I don’t know what this is but it made me feel relaxed and energized at the same time whenever I go to Babel.

On my first day at Babel, I went at 8 am and did the registration. I registered for the HIIT30 class straightaway by Evon, scheduled at 10 am. I had two hours of free time until the class so I decided to do some warm ups in the training room.

Babel KLCC access card

Obviously there is a lot of the latest equipment provided there but what caught my eye was the sheer number of actual living plants there. My photos do not do them justice. They just look like plastic plants but, trust me, they are as real as you and I. The plants made me felt as though I was being given extra oxygen during my warm up. According to Babel, they have an in-house botanist that helps them maintain these plants.

Be surrounded by real plants at Babel KLCC

Then it was time for HIIT30. For the uninitiated, HIIT30 is a class where we push ourselves to reach our limit in 30 minutes. So, four different exercises for four rounds with just one minute of rest in between. It was really tough for a newbie like I am. But did I feel good? I obviously did.

After my class I decided to pamper myself at the infra-red sauna. It looks as though it is based on Japanese design but I can’t be sure. Well, it doesn’t really matter because as soon as I entered the sauna, I was able to relax and calm my mind. I might have even fallen asleep in there!

I didn’t manage to go to Babel as often as I would like to as work had me bogged down but after a week I went there as soon as I was done with work. I felt as though I needed to recoup the days I missed so I did it by deciding that it was a good idea to attend three classes in a row.

My obvious first class back to the gym is my now all-time favorite, HIIT30. There are no words that can describe how much I enjoy this class at Babel. As soon as I was done with this, I went for Slo Flo Yoga. Led by Tony, I found the class quite relaxing and personally I enjoyed the stretching after the vigorous HIIT class. It’s best said now that this was my first yoga class ever. I learned to control my breathing and didn’t drop a single sweat during the class.

Slo Flo Yoga

I had a 30 minute break from yoga to my final class. This would be the first time for me to attend an RnR class and luckily I was met with a familiar face by way of the trainer. I’m pretty sure you can guess what kind of class this is solely based on its name. So yes, we do some more stretching but it wasn’t as gentle as Slo Fo Yoga though. I ended feeling sore despite it supposedly to be a relaxing class as well. Despite the soreness I actually liked this class as I did not feel tired out from it and completely understand why it was slotted as the final class of the day.

Before I left Babel KLCC, I decided to utilize the Bad Lab products available in the men’s locker room (Good Virtue’s Co products are featured in the women’s locker room). It was not bad and made me feel pretty good for the trip home.

Words cannot express how much I love doing HIIT at Babel and my final HIIT30 class was scheduled at 6 pm. This time I had a new trainer – Jean K. It was a great experience as she’s quite energetic and she would be shouting words of encouragement at us so we would be able to keep up and moving.

However, unlike the other HIIT30 classes I’ve attended, we didn’t have any simple warm up at the beginning of the class. Jean began the class with a really challenging warm up. Another difference is that there are eight of us in this class. There were two to four people in the other HIIT30 classes I’ve attended. This surely proves Jean’s effectiveness and popularity. I was seriously exhausted in her class but keep moving as she constantly encourages us to not give up.

Babel KLCC

Ok, maybe I should’ve tried more classes but I got hooked on HIIT. But this is what I have to say about Babel KLCC – you have to see and experience it for yourself. At Babel KLCC, seeing is barely believing thus you would have to go for some classes to fully immerse yourself with the Babel experience. I give them 10/10 for overall experience, classes offered, amenities and location.

JacSport – The Energy Drink with Physta® Tongkat Ali

Physta® is a patented extract from the Malaysian plant root, Tongkat Ali. The water-soluble extract has been through numerous clinical studies to determine its impact on the human body including, but not limited to, strength, performance and overall health.

Using natural ingredients, the JacSport’s secret weapon is Physta® Tongkat Ali. Whereas most energy drinks come in cans, the drink is available to consumers in easy-to-carry sachets to mix with a recommended 250ml of warm water. The FDA approved pre-workout and recovery drink promises to give more energy and shortens recovery time after a workout.

Some of the studies on the extract have shown that, compared to other extracts of Tongkat Ali, Physta®  has proven to support energy and recovery from fatigue, and shown improvement in muscle strength and size in both men and women. It was also shown to maintain normal levels of the stress hormone cortisol and a healthy high levels of testosterone for overall anabolic muscle state during intense endurance exercise tested on mountain bikers.

JacSport is 100% safe with no long-term side effects, this whey-protein-chocolate malt drink is also able to promote blood circulation, and boost a lethargic body and mind.

Leave your gym. Indoor skydiving is the new workout.

AirRider is the first ever indoor skydiving in Malaysia and is now ready to thrust you into adventure. With their 12 foot (diameter) and 10-meter high flight chamber, this tunnel can accommodate two flyers at a time. The tunnel operator, who is located right next to the tunnel, will adjust the wind speeds based on each flyer’s weight and skill level. The indoor skydiving technology serves for punters at all level to flaunt their skill. The vertical wind tunnel set up a stable and super safe suspension for flyers. Worry not, for beginners the instructor will assist you in the tunnel. So, fly and show off your invisible wings!

Entrance to AirRider

 

The writer testing out the AirRider

Indoor skydiving is indeed fun but let’s not forget about the hidden health benefits behind this exciting adventure. My first experience of 2 minutes and 30 seconds flight was more than enough to activate my overall body muscles at once. The moment I stepped into the tunnel, I was airborne and I tried to stay in the position that the instructor had taught us beforehand: be a banana! The 250 km/h wind speeds were vigorous that it even blew my cheeks up and made me looked like a clown who had just fallen into the tunnel. Apart from the storm-like wind, the thrill was a slight floating and falling on the mesh wire trampoline floor. Hey, the adrenaline rush is good for your heart! When you fly up in the tunnel, your heart will pump harder than the time you met your first love. The overload adrenaline kick will also trigger the release of serotonin, the happy chemical, to improve your mood and live in your fantasy.

 

 

Strike A Pose!

One flyer’s motion in the tunnel is very much depending on the flyer’s position. For example, if you drop one shoulder while floating, you will spin around. While pulling off your impressive Superman pose in the tunnel, you are also burning more calories than jogging. But, I don’t think you can strike a pose while jogging isn’t it?

 

Indoor skydiving is the future in terms of workouts and is certainly a good exercise to activate one’s overall muscles as there is no way you can master it if you don’t muscle your way through! So, when someone says indoor skydiving is the unexpected fitness fad that burns more calories than jogging, you will have to agree to it.

AirRider @ 1 Utama offers exclusive yet affordable adventure. A variety of packages awaits you to serve your occasion. The team caters to individual, groups, corporates, schools as well as kids’ parties to enjoy the fun in the transparent tunnel. Packages starts at only RM89! It is never too late to start skydiving and make it your sport of choice with AirRider’s support.

Check out a video of Asia Fitness Today’s editor trying out the sport here.

HUMAN, a truly inspirational movie about our species

There’s no other way to describe this project than pure love. We believe, it is from that space, of wanting to share the beautiful sounds to depict our human species, that both filmmaker Yann Arthus-Bertrand and music composer Armand Amar have produced this magnificent film. Although released back in 2015, the film isn’t dated at all, nor is the music.

This also links us to Asia Fitness Today’s research and interest in the topic; Humans, Rhythm and Movement. Movement is essential to human evolution and a key element in survival.

Intrigued and curious, we visited their official website: http://www.human-themovie.org to discover more about the film. And it was a delightful treasure trove that we delved into!

We also selected this Making Of Interviews, video to share, just to show the magnitude of work, number of hours put into realising this project.

Since a young boy, film director Yann Arthus-Bertrand had used a camera to document his observations and accompany his writings. The turning point, was at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 when Yann embarked upon a major photographic project about the state of the world and its inhabitants. It was titled Earth From Above and the book sold more than three million copies. Years later, Yann created the GoodPlanet Foundation and the non-profit organization has been investing in educating people about the environment and the fight against climate change. He was appointed United Nations Environment Program Goodwill Ambassador in 2009 and that year, he made his first feature-length film, HOME, about the state of the planet. This movie was seen by almost 600 million spectators around the world.

“I am one man among seven billion others. For the past 40 years, I have been photographing our planet and its human diversity, and I have the feeling that humanity is not making any progress. We can’t always manage to live together.
Why is that?
I didn’t look for an answer in statistics or analysis, but in man himself.”

Yann Arthus-Bertrand

“It is too late to be a pessimist. Taking action builds happiness!”

Yann Arthus-Bertrand

Regardless of our condition or situation, every single one of us can play a role and contribute to a fairer and more harmonious society. Whether we are male, female, young, old, married, divorced, single, orphan, poor, rich, disabled, our opportunities to act are endless. Whether it is through associative work or simple actions, there are many simple gestures to take and stories to live to help us fulfil ourselves and build tomorrow’s humanity.

Enjoy watching HUMAN, the movie.

This article has been edited for Asia Fitness Today from the official website.