Are you one of those people who want to lose weight and look better but hate doing intensive workouts under the hot sun?
I feel ya. Before I entered the fitness world, I also faced lots of inertia when it comes to exercising. I was unmotivated and constantly wondered why it was so easy to gain weight but so damn difficult to lose weight. If only there was a miraculous solution of making our fats deplete; that would be perfect.
Last week, I was introduced to a 30 minute session at Active Hive Lifestyle & Wellness Hub and it proved to me that you need not go through a long and cardio-intensive workout just to burn calories and fats. Let me take you through my experience!
Active Hive is located at Oxley Bizhub near Tai Seng MRT Station. The location isn't exactly very easy to find so fortunately, there's a video to show you how to get there.
Before you commence your session, you'll have to take your height, weight as well as other measurements such as fat mass, bone mass and muscle mass. This will help you to focus on the areas that you want to work on and make your fitness regime more effective.
So it's not just about losing weight and lowering the numbers on the scale. While I usually have no issues with my weight, I know that I still have improvements to make to my body, such as gaining muscle mass and reducing fat mass. And even though my visceral fat rating is now 3 instead of 4, I am aware that I can still work towards a rating of 1 to 2.
I was introduced to the Active Hive Minus Calories which utilises infra-red technology to penetrate through the fat layers of your body, thereby burning calories and stubborn fats. It also uses an Ionised Air technology that increases your energy levels; improves your respiratory system as well as immunity and reduces insomnia. I was intrigued because I've never worked out using such an equipment before.
In order for the infra-red light to reach more skin areas such as the tummy and inner thighs, ladies are recommended to wear a sports bra and shorts. As for men, they can wear singlet and shorts before stepping into the Active Hive. You'll also need to wear sport shoes. For the ladies, you can opt to apply the Minus Calories Anti-Cellulite and Body Sculpt Cream at an additional charge of $18.
The workout is rather low intensity, unlike the cardio-intensive workouts that can leave you breathless and exhausted after a while. It does not require you to have amazing core strength or remarkable stamina to sustain yourself within the 30 minutes.
In fact, all I had to do was to step and pedal forward as though I am walking at my own pace. You need not pedal as fast as possible too because what's most important is to regulate your heart rate and keep it pumping.
For the fitter customers, the workout can be customized to your fitness level by increasing the resistance so that it creates more challenge during the session.
Are you too busy to work out or just feel like staying home to watch Korean dramas?
Busy or lazy, there's really no excuse when you experience Active Hive Minus Calories because it only requires you to work out for 30 minutes and ... you get to watch your favourite Korean drama at the same time. 30 minutes is suffice for you to complete 1 episode of Korean drama while burning the calories and fats off your body. Best of both worlds!
Another thing I find encouraging is that you get to exercise in the privacy of a room. I have friends who are afraid of being judged for their body by other gym-goers or are worried about falling behind other people in fitness classes. Thus, Active Hive is a great place to start working out by yourself at your own pace and comfort without social pressure.
Just 10 minutes into the workout and I was sweaty and red-faced already!
My back was dripping wet from perspiration and I could totally feel the heat on my thighs and my tummy. The heat and the mad sweating actually helped to improve my blood circulation and push out toxins from my skin. As a result, it gave me a clear and glowy complexion after the session. In fact, my cheeks had natural pinkish hues as though I just came out from an onsen.
When you are sweating like a mad dog, a face towel comes in handy. You are also encouraged to bring along a bottle of water (with minimum capacity of 500ml or more) to hydrate yourself during the workout. It's absolutely necessary to replenish your body with water because you'll lose so much of it when you sweat. I was feeling so thirsty during my workout that I finished my whole bottle by the end of the session.
Look at that! I burnt 947 calories in 32 minutes and covered close to 2.4km.
That was pretty insane, considering that I didn't feel tired at all and I could actually still continue to exercise longer.
I also didn't suffer an aching body or sore legs post-session unlike other fitness activities such as running, gym, dance, yoga and the like. I guessed the term 'no pain, no gain' doesn't apply to this workout. Exercising, sweating it all out and breathing in all that ionised air have also allowed me to feel restful and enabled me to sleep better at night. Evidently, I loved the post-workout effects that this session has given me.
In my next session, I tried another Active Hive Minus Calories equipment for an hour. This equipment was slightly more intense than the one I've tried in my first session but it was still manageable.
Although the infra-red lights were shining in full blast mode on my body, they were switched off after half an hour so there was time for my body to cool down.
This equipment focuses on fat-burning rather than calorie-burning and it helps to train your stamina without the muscle aches. If you're prepping for long distance runs, this equipment will serve as a good training buddy.
In that hour, I worked out diligently and burnt off fats and calories while entertaining myself with a Korean movie called '200 Pounds Beauty'. LOL! How apt!
I sweated a hell lot once again but man.... I felt invigorated and ready to take on the day.
That one thing I looked forward to right after my session - healthy and nutritious post-workout juice! The juice consists of a delicious blend of fruit and vegetables that will give you all the fiber that you'll need.
Thank you for preparing the juice for me!
I was also happy to meet the founder of Active Hive, Agnes who was such a dear to host me during my sessions.
If you're thinking of visiting Active Hive, do note that you will not be suitable for the workout if you are pregnant; have heavy flow of menstruation (especially for 1st 3 days of your period) or have foreign substances in your body such as implants.
Other than that, this workout is suitable for all ages and fitness levels. Be sure to have 6 to 8 hours of sleep the night before and have a light meal with some carbohydrates before turning up for your session.
Interested? Go on and give Active Hive Minus Calories a try!
Readers of my blog can redeem 2 complimentary sessions of Active Hive Minus Calories (worth $38 each) from now till 31 July 17. Both sessions must be done within one week for consistency. Do remember to quote 'Tracy Wong' when you are making an appointment.
You can also head over to Active Hive's Official Website to find out more. Do follow them on Facebook and Instagram too!
Thank you for reading!
Active Hive
65 Ubi Road 1, Oxley Bizhub
#02-88 Singapore 408729
Disclaimer: Review is based on personal experiences.