[REVIEW] Anytime Fitness Puchong

I've recently checked out Anytime Fitness for some serious #backday workouts with my buddy Kumaran. haha. It was a intense session i must say. But all in all, im sure you want to know which fitness centre i went to right? Well, here's a new discovery, and thanks to Kumaran for introducing to me on Anytime Fitness.

First Floor Equipment.

I have been to gyms before, and i think im very particular when it comes to the environment. When i exercise, i like the temperature to be easy for me to sweat, without having the music too loud. Another thing im concern would be the convenience of parking. Like, parking can take you more than 30 minutes during peak hours, which basically at the end of the day cuts down on your work out session if youre on a busy schedule.

A loyal member working out.

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Anytime Fitness has provided a fitness centre by making sure that there is a balance of convenience and culture. Did you know that they open 24/7 so that you can work out at anytime you want? INSANE! Definitely not leaving you a reason to miss out on work out sessions. And what about the culture? Well, people who go to Anytime Fitness are really down to earth people who respect your space, as basically keeping their eye on the prize of keeping fit! Here's a video on how they work:

Managed to pay a visit to Anytime Fitness in Puchong, which just recently opened a year and 4 months ago, so you can say that its still pretty new! I love the fact that they had over 50+ private parking lots for their customers which makes it so convenient to go exercise! They even have security to ensure that the premise is constantly safe which is a bonus to making sure that your car is safe while youre working out at the gym. YAY!

1st floor: Cardio machineries

2nd Floor: weights

Studio for group classes.

3rd Floor: Kickboxing.

The building has 3 floors in total, where the 1st floor are mostly are machinery's to focus on specific muscle area, and the 2nd floor having a mix of machines, barbell's, cable pulleys and more. Not forgetting the 3rd floor, where they have a studio for group fitness classes like zumba, body combat, yoga and body balance.

Complete set of Precor equipment available.

I must say that their equipment are the highlight of the fitness centre as i could tell that most of the machines and equipment are VERY new and are well taken care of by their maintenance manager. Machines available at Anytime Fitness are by Precor, and Lifetime Fitness which were imported all the way from the states. Very high end and one of the latest equipments available in the market which wont disappoint.

Group Fitness Classes anyone?

Other than that, they also provide services like Personal Training, Muay Thai Personal Training, Small Group Functional Training, Group Fitness Class base on request. A great variety of options to choose from. I observed a personal trainer training a lady and i was rather impress that all the focus was going to how far the lady he was coaching wanted to go. No pressure, and it felt like they were sincerely helping their customers to lose some weight, while building some muscles.

The latest gadget to measure your BMI

A personal trainer coaching.

Well, i think i said everything that i had to say in general. If youre interested to sign up as a monthly member, you can call 1-700-818-823 for enquiries. Psst, GOOD NEWS! If you have signed up as a member for over a month, you are automatically upgraded to a worldwide membership! And yes, it means that you are free to be at their 10 other clubs in Malaysia or their other 2967 across the globe. So you wont have to worry about missing out on your deadlifts or cardio's even when youre on vacation.

Spot the security camera's

Monthly membership fee's includes the usage of the gym, and also for free access to group fitness classes. Whereas if you request for a personal trainer, you might need to pay additional fee's. Prices are kept private due to some reasons, but i can assure you that they charge at a reasonable price for the facilities that they provide. If youre really interested, you could also get a 1 week free trial to test the facilities yourself. ;)

The girls changing room. Clean with individual shower rooms and changing rooms.

For personal security. *This is new*

More information on Anytime Fitness.

Thats all for now, cause i am dead tired after my workout today. hehe. Be sure to visit www.anytimefitness.my or their official facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/anytimefitnesspuchong for more information. You can also call 1-700-818-823 for faster response to your enquiries. Thanks for reading and everything stated in this post are based on my personal experience and opinions. Do leave me questions below, if you have any other questions, as i would love to revert to you ASAP. hehe.

Much love, 

Sara xx

aQu; Malaysia Made Skin Care

Im proud to share to you guys about what i found out today! I recently attended the official launch of this Malaysian made skin care brand, and it was great to be able to be there to be the first few to discover their existence in the market. Fountain of Healthy Sdn Bhd managed to introduce this product to be affordable and accessible to consumers, so yay! More reasons to be happy about. hehe

The complete set of aQu products.

So, lets get the details out shall we? Im pretty sure when it comes to new brands in the market, especially when its a skin care range, it is a concern when it comes to how suitable the skin care is to suit our Malaysian environment and asian skin. What makes aQu stands out, would be that this product is a water based skin care product which consist of natural plant and fruit extracts. The formula has been carefully formulated based on the latest biotechnology advances and caters to every youth and young executives needs.

Carey Ng, aQu's official ambassador.

The ingredient was specially chosen to be gentle and suitable for all skin times. The ingredients which made this product a masterpiece of its own would be,  aloe vera, jojoba oil, vitamin E, chamomile and sunflower seed among many others.

From Left; Tengku Mudzaffar, Cery Ng and Adura Kamarul.

Present at the launch was Adura Kamarul Zaman, who is the marketing director of Fountain of Health Sdn Bhd. She was very proud to announce that aQu will be available at Watsons as they see their target markets preferred Watsons as their health care store. She also added " In this day and age, confidence plays a number one role in our lives and often times this can be affected due to unhealthy looking skin as we are always on the go and working to meet deadlines. " Couldnt agree to it more, as i do believe having confident skin does bring out the confidence in you. Their tagline basically explains everything where it says ' Keep Cool and Use aQu - Its me represents confidence '.

Proudly launching the occasion by presenting the entire range.

General Manager of Trading Watsons, Caryn Loh even had a say that Watsons has always associate with product innovation so that their customers are diversified with choices of products to choose from. Caryn Loh said "And with the launch of aQu, its me skin care products, and its exclusivity at Watsons, we will always stay ahead in the business to cater the needs of our customers today."

Some information on aQu.

With its price ranging from as low as RM20 to RM35, and RM132.90 for a complete set of 5 products, aQu is without a doubt an affordable basic maintenance skin care range. Personally i cant wait to give their protective complexion corrective cream (CC cream) a go, which also contains SPF 35 which helps protect your skin from the sun.

Mandatory photo with the backdrop ;)

Well, thank you to Fountain of Health for having me at your launch, and i'll be honest to say that i cant wait to try this cool product! aQu is exclusively available at selected Watsons outlets nationwide, and has ensured that ingredients used are certified as HALAL by the department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) and also certified by the Ministry  of Health (KKM).

I guess what needs to be said, has been said. I'll try my best to give you a review of my thoughts if you would want me to do it :) hehe. For now, if you have any other hesitation on the product, why not check out their official website at www.aqu.my to get yourself more information on it. Thanks for dropping by ze blog.

Sara xx

KL Tower ; A must visit when youre in Kuala Lumpur

How was your weekend? Cause i really cant wait to tell you about mine! I was given the oppurtunity to check out the KL Tower, which has evolved so much since my last visit. I dont even know where to start! hehe. There were so many attractions and things to do when youre around the KL tower, from visiting their mini zoo, check out their forest reserve,  get a taste of Malaysia, F1 Stimulators and more! Tourist and visitors would be spoilt with choices while theyre there.

Entrance to KL Tower's Mini Zoo

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As i reached the KL Tower, we were given a stroll around their KL Tower Mini Zoo which had a variety of rare animals like Meerkats, Racoons, Falabella's and more! This was my first time here, and i was impressed to be able to catch animals that i've never seen before. Here are some photos of the animals that i managed to captured.

The variety of animals you can spot at the Mini Zoo.

Spotted some feathery animals looking happy.

Spot the Bat-eared fox. hehe

Get up close with squirrels and other furry creatures.

Ella, a blogger happily feeding a bird.

9 months old babies.

And this i presume could be the father of the birds. hehe. (looking fierce)

Dont you think they look happy being in their own natural habitat. You would definitely not regret walking around this mini zoo which can easily take up to 1 hour of your time to enjoy the animals running around freely, wanting to be pet by visitors. hehe. A great place to bring kids too!

The Longkang Fishing Pond

Trying my luck to catch some fishes.

The outdoor seating are to enjoy nature.

They even had a Longkang Fishing pond, where kids can try their luck to catch a fish, and they're able to bring the fish home if they catch any! I tried to give myself a go, but i must say that it was rather challenging to catch the fishes :( So no luck! But it was a lot of fun trying to catch them. hehe

Entrance to The Blue Coral Aquarium

There's also a souvenir shop!

Next stop, the Blu Coral Aquarium which was great stop right after visiting the mini zoo. The mini zoo was a great way to enjoy the humid weather here in Malaysia, but cooling off in an air conditioned environment would be great to get rid of the sweat. hehe. Here are some photos of what you can find when youre at the Blue Coral Aquarium:

The pathway in the aquarium.

Underwater creatures spotted.

From tiger fishes, sea cumbers, corals, and more, you will definitely learn a thing or two about underwater creatures of the sea. And do not worry if youre not a fan of sea creatures, but youre interested to know about them, each aquarium will have a description of the species and where can they be found. A great entertaining visit to expand your knowledge. hehe

Descriptions available.

Once thats done and over, now for the real deal! hehe. How can you visit KL Tower and not be in the KL Tower itself right? If youre there for the view, well you have 2 choices of how you would want to enjoy the view. Its either you decide to visit their Open Sky Deck or their Viewing deck.

Open Sky Deck

Well the Open Sky Deck is literal being out in the open, and it felt like you could be on top of the world. But please take note that if you have kids with you, they need to be above 12 years old to be able to visit the Open Deck. I absolutely love the scenery. And despite the haze, i could still see everything! Its amazing to see my own country has gone so far with evolution.

Playing around with their 3D art.

Enjoying the scenery.

Managed to enjoy their 3D interactive art while enjoying the breathtaking view. Dont you think the view is just stunning?! Its a really nice spot to enjoy Kuala Lumpur by being away from all the traffic, the chaos and the busy city life. Next stop, the viewing deck.

The Viewing Deck

The viewing deck is a more safer side to enjoy the scenery and its exactly 276 meters above ground level. If you dont like being in high places, well, this would be the option for you. Theres souvenir stores, photo spots, information of towers all around the world and more!

Souvenir store available.

Some comparison with other Towers at the rest of the world.

Trying my luck to spot a handsome man on the street. (no luck tho) hehe

After enjoying the panoramic scenery, we decided to head down to another tourist location which just recently launched 3 months ago, called the Flavours of Malaysia. After a long morning walk around KL Tower, that really build myself an appetite, and favours of Malaysia sounds pretty good for lunch to me. hehe.

Flavours of Malaysia

The entry price.

Flavours of Malaysia is basically my last stop of the day and to my surprise, i found that there's a little mini exhibition of all the 'village' houses from all the different states in Malaysia. But since i was hungry, i decided to have a yummy Malaysian Buffet lunch.

The entrance to the restaurant.

Nasi Lemak, Roti Canai and some desserts.

The variety was not bad and i absolutely the love the taste of the dishes! Im not too fond to spicy food, so despite having sambal and other malay cuisines, its rather surprising that they were edible compared to when i eat out at other places. The menu of the day was serving, Satay, Nasi Lemak, Ulam, Bubur kacang, Roti Canai and more! So, if youre not a fan of spicy burning cili, this is a must try, especially if youre foreign and you want to our Malaysian food. Managed to talk to the chef as well, and he said that the dishes are well catered to international tastebuds which is GREAT! :D

Performance by the Semia Orang Asli

We even had a special presentation by the Semia Orang Asli who performed us some traditional dances and music while we enjoyed our food during lunch. I was told by the manager that they came all the way from Pahang, and they were previously performing for the Sultan's of Selangor. Talk about a Royal presentation. It was a privilege for me to meet Indigenous people, and see them perform live in front of my eyes. Not a chance to be missed.

Village house replica's

Village house replica's, a goat and a visitor playing traditional games

Once lunch was done and over with, i decided to discover the traditional village houses that are available in different states in Malaysia. I never knew that the houses traditionally can be so detailed in different ways! There were even ducks and a goat in the area to make it seem more 'aunthentic'. Its like seeing the whole of Malaysia without having to travel to different states in Malaysia. hehe.

A tourist feeding a baby monkey at the park.

There is no doubt that theres a lot of things to do while youre at KL Tower. So many things to see all in one day. It definitely created memories to me. hehe. Its great to know that KL Tower has improved SO SO much from my last visit 10 years ago. And im thankful that i was given the opportunity to visit KL Tower again.

Well, i dont want this post to be too long, so i'll be ending it here. For more information on KL tower, do visit their official website at www.menarakl.com.my. Hehe. Do leave me comments below if you have any other questions which i may have not answered :*

Love,
Sara xx

BMS Organics ; Chef Wan wants Malaysia to Eat Healthy

Having a healthy, balanced diet is an essential part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. But i have to say that it becomes very challenging to eat healthy, when we have tons of variety to choose from. I was so happy to find out that BMS organics has recently open their doors at Mid Valley right next to Daiso, to encourage Malaysian to have a healthier eating lifestyle, and thus i decided to be at their launch earlier this month. This also marks BMS Organics 34th outlet in the country.

Present at the launch was Chef Datuk Redziawan Ismail // Chef Wan, who is on a mission to encourage Malaysians to eat healthy and dispel the misconception about healthy foods. And by looking at Chef Wan, he looks like he's still young. I guess its proven that your diet does determine on how you look. hehe

Mr Terry Lee, who was the COO of BMS Organics said " BMS Organics and Chef Wan share a common vision―to help Malaysians eat healthy and lead a wholesome lifestyle. By harnessing Chef Wan's culinary passion and expertise, we can create delicious, nutritious Malaysian dishes by using our organic, eco-friendly produce and products."

With Chef Wan as their special guest, its no doubt that passerby's were willing to stop and watch him share his secrets in cooking. In this collaboration, Chef Wan and BMS Organics gave a twist to 3 Malaysian favourite dishes, from Nasi Lemak, Organic Soya Milk Curry Laksa and Asam Laksa Vermicelli Soup.

Asam Laksa Vermicelli Soup

Nasi Lemak

Organic Soya Milk Curry Chicken

"We Malaysians love our lip-smacking cuisines, especially curry and meat, but our passion for flavoursome food has become increasingly unhealthy. As a chef, I take it my calling to help Malaysians develop a healthy eating culture," said the internationally renowned chef. I was shocked to find out that BMS has a tiny cafe in store, where people can decide to dine in, just to prove to you that healthy meals can be as delicious and yummy too.

According to a 2013 study by UK medical journal Lancet, Malaysia has been rated as the highest among Asian countries for obesity. Compared to global rates of around 30%, nearly 45% of Malaysian men and 49% of Malaysian women are overweight or obese. Obesity is known to be one of the risk factors of diabetes and heart diseases―the number one silent killer in Malaysia. YIKES! Better check on your diet guys. Im thankful that my mom is a doctor, so she constantly reminds me to eat a balance diet of vegies and fruits. 

"It is generally known that our daily diet tends to lack wholesome fibre. That's why in this quest for a healthier Malaysia, I have given our most-loved dishes extra fiber power by choosing fresh organic vegetables and products from BMS Organics," said Chef Wan. He also shared his three recipes during the cooking demonstration held  after the opening ceremony of BMS Organics store in Mid Valley Megamall.

Less Meat. Better Health.

In fact, many leading health organizations in the world now encourage people to cut down on their meat intake to promote overall well-being. A 2010 study by Oxford University’s Department of Public Health discovered that eating meat no more than 3 times a week could prevent 31,000 deaths from heart disease, 9,000 deaths from cancer and 5,000 deaths from stroke. A study by American Diabetes Association found that people following a meatless diet had a decreased risk of Type 2 diabetes too.

As organic foods are rich in fiber but low in sugar and fat, they help to reduce the risk of high cholesterol and high blood pressure caused by unhealthy diet.Certified organic produce and products are free from pesticides, artificial flavours, colours and preservatives. As such, they also help lower exposure to chemicals that are harmful to our health. 

In line with the increasing awareness of the health benefits that accompanies the reduction in meat consumption, a movement popularly known as Meat-Free Monday is now growing across the globe. It encourages people to skip meat on Monday to improve their health and the health of the planet. This is because meat production generates nearly 20% of man-made greenhouse gasses that accelerate climate change and consumes 20 times more fuel to make feed for beef than plant-based protein.

"Our collaboration with Chef Wan is part of our initiative to promote Meat-Free Monday. By skipping meat on Monday every week or once a week and substitute it with tasty, healthy meatless meal, we can make a world of difference to our health and the planet," said Terry Lee.

The three wholesome organic recipes by Chef Wan will be made available on BMS Organics' official website at www.bmsorganics.com. 

Sara xx

Photo Credits
+ Isaac Tan