Thinker Belle

As thoughts grow in time

Fitness: How Impulse Asia Help Me Feel Good About Myself


*Trying out an obligatory post-workout pose, please ignore my octopus face*

Wow, I can't believe that it's been three months since my first gym session at Impulse Asia. Up until now, I still can't really grasp the fact that I have successfully been through 10 hellish training sessions there; which also means enduring the never-ending muscle pain afterwards. The number might seem minuscule to some of you but for someone as unfit as I am, that is actually a really huge accomplishment. *patting myself on the back*

I have never been a 'sport' person and I mainly prefer indoor activities over outdoors most of the time. To be honest, I hated Physical Education classes in school and university so much that they actually stressed me out. Maybe you can call it a self-esteem issue that stemmed from peer pressure (or maybe it's just me) but I always have this insecurity about working out or playing sports in public. There were some people with better fitness levels who kept putting me down and making me feel bad about myself and that caused me to withdraw more from doing any sport. Who wants to join when all you hear every time is 'you are too slow'? Don't get me started on their judgemental look.

After I started working, I always wanted to enrol myself on a gym. I tried to look for places that might suit me, but there is always something that hinders me from proceeding. For example:

1. I hate working out in public in front of random strangers.
2. I want to find a place that is easy for me to go back and forth to.
3. I need someone to coach me. I won't go anywhere by figuring out things by myself.
4. I need a training buddy. I won't be as disciplined and committed without one.

So, in the end, nothing works out. I can't find anywhere suitable. I ended up forgetting about it in the midst of work and life; until I stumbled upon this unconventional gym training at Impulse Asia and decided to give it a go. Let me tell you, the first two training sessions were just so torturous. Despite being a 20 minutes workout per session, I surrendered halfway through the first time I tried it. Oh my god, their routine is just so intense for a fitness newbie like me. I thought my gym future just went bleak. Thankfully I keep on going to one session after the other; mainly cause I have two gym buddies that keep on pushing me on my low days, so thank you, Sydney and Mira!


What makes Impulse different?


'Suit Up' image credit: @hellotammylim

First of all, they save a LOT of your time. Each session consists of only 20 minutes of workout using different sets focusing on mainly three different aspects; which are cardio training, core and strength. What makes it special is that Impulse studio uses a technology called Electric Muscle Stimulation (EMS) in order to increase workout efficiency to help you get fitter. The EMS technology impulses 'are generated by a device and delivered through electrodes on the skin directly above the muscles to be stimulated. The impulses cause the muscles to contract, so the result is similar to the actual movement of the muscles. That is why even with no actual heavy weight lifting, 20 minutes workout with EMS brings the effect of working out for four hours in a conventional gym. Isn't that amazing? In order to have the electrical stimulation to take effect, we have to 'suit up' on every session before the workout starts and underneath the suit, there are electrode pads that are used to stimulate the muscle on different parts of the body such as your thigh, shoulders, chest area and back area. The suit kind of makes the workout looks cooler too. Plus, no more headache of buying new training outfits and shoes because everything you need will be provided there. From the outfit, towels, etc.


Before your program start, your body will be analysed by their 'fitness machine' in order to determine your overall health condition like your weight, height, skeletal muscle mass, and percentage of body fat. This is crucial for the trainer to know which program will suit you the most and will also be used as the benchmark to monitor your improvement. The same weighing session will be done every four sessions to see how the training is working on your body (and of course for the trainers to see if you are dedicated enough to be controlling your weight too). Thankfully after the first four sessions, I actually lost about 2 kg of my overall weight and by the eighth session, my muscle mass has been increasing positively while the percentage of body fat has also gone down as well. Please note that all of these happen with a very minimal diet. I might lose more if I didn't go to all those buffets, food reviews and gatherings with friends. *minus 10 points for Gryffindor*

'Workout station' image credit: @hellotammylim

Impulse Asia studio offers four different workout program depending on your body needs and mine is the first one out of the four below:

Weight Loss
To decrease body weight resulting from voluntary diet and exercise. It also helps to reduce back, knee and shoulder pain.

Slim, Shape & Tone (Women)
To lose fat, build strength, and look sexy. It also helps to reduce back, knee and shoulder pain.

Body Sculpting (Men)
To reduce fat. improve or maintain the body definition and strength in less time compared to conventional training. It also helps to reduce back, knee and shoulder pain.

Sports Performance
To increase speed, power, and endurance for any kind of sport. It also helps to reduce back, knee and shoulder pain.

What are the changes that I feel after 10 sessions of Impulse training?



First of all, my outlook on what is healthy is now totally different. I was less bothered by how 'big' I looked at the moment as I know that I am slowly making progress toward a better and healthier version of myself. I find myself putting more emphasis on how fit I am than on how slim I am, and I am also more conscious of what I am eating. I still eat normally but now I am taking note of the type of food I am having. I tried to cut down on unnecessary carbs and sugar, consume more vegetables, fruits and proteins, and also make sure that I drink plenty of water daily. 

After around the fifth session,  I also realised that going up a long flight of stairs is less tiring to me, and I find myself not breathing and panting hard as much too. Going up a building by two levels using stairs is now less torturing. My asthma is currently under control too and I found that my antibody is getting stronger too ( I tend to get flu very easily, but lately I haven't gotten any. Yay!). Another thing that I found is that my sleep schedule has become increasingly steady. No more insomnia!

A photo posted by anis farhana. 아니스 (@anisfarhanaaliman91) on

Although I can't totally kick the habit of being overly conscious about my look away, I am now more positive and realise that I can do it too. Impulse studio offers a very private training session and where I am training at in Impulse Studio Platinum Sentral, there is a maximum of four people allowed to train at one time (since we only have 4 machines to use at one go). So, it doesn't overwhelm the 'introverted' side of myself. Each session is usually done by pair so it's such a great way to motivate each other every time too. My trainer also knows how to motivate us the right way, not being too lenient or too pushy. He never let us go weak but he also knows our limitations. Gahhhh, the torture of planking, is making me shudder every time.

*Yup, that is the planking I am talking about. I was smiling happily but yeah that is a lie.*

image credit: @hellotammylim

I am so glad that I took the leapt of faith and decided to try out Impulse Asia. The program has been helping me to get on the better side of a healthy lifestyle, both physically and mentally. Now, instead of just a flabby calf filled with fats, I can actually have some muscle game going on there too! I just can't wait to improve more and see how many changes it would bring to my life in the future.

If you are keen to join this unconventional gym, visit their website on impulse-studio.asia or Instagram on @impulse_asia for more information.


Till next post, toodles~! ♥ミ

4 Comments

  1. YAS HONEY WERK THAT BUTT OFF <3 You and Mira are the best gym buds ever. (Y) Build up that self confidence and stay on track babe. You can do it! Cheers to a healthier lifestyle!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yesszaaaa. of course bb girl. ;)

      Delete
    2. we miss you guys too! thank you for impulsing with us

      Regards;
      Jinie Kamal-Impulse Studio

      Delete
  2. I know it doesn't seem like a ton, however muscle is 3 times more metabolically dynamic than fat. 1 pound of fat melts away just 2 calories for each day. workout equipment

    ReplyDelete

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