When I decided to have a healthier lifestyle, I signed up at Fitness First Mall of Asia branch. This was in late 2016. I went with a friend who was already a club member there. I was surprised to find that the new membership rate was affordable enough. See, that wasn’t the first time I signed up at Fitness First Mall of Asia. I was already a member back in 2011 but I never utilized my gym membership. Maybe only once or twice and never came back. Mainly because I wasn’t signing up for the right reason back then. I just wanted to spend time with my friends who were busy at the gym back then. LOL!
My fitness journey finally started and continued on my return. I had the right mindset this time around. Plus this time, I had a fitness buddy. My best friend, who was also a former club member, decided to sign up with me.
I have reached many fitness milestones since signing up and many of those milestones were achieved at Fitness First Mall of Asia.
My Fitness Journey
One-on-One Training
When I started at the gym, I was truly unfit and scared to try out workout classes. You’d probably only have found me on the treadmill. Good thing my membership came with three free Personal Training sessions.
For someone like me who’d never worked out in her life and an uncoordinated person, having a personal trainer was a big help in kickstarting my fitness journey. Of course, I was scared at first. What would my trainer ask me to do? What if I couldn’t do it? Luckily, my trainer was a very patient guy, and he took it slow with me. And because I had a positive experience with our free sessions, I continued training with him. He’s also easy on the eyes. 🙂
Fitness Classes I Took
For a time, 1 on 1 training was the only thing I did at Fitness First Mall of Asia. But slowly and with the encouragement of my fitness buddy and best friend, I opened myself up to trying out the workout classes offered by the club. I recall hesitating to join Freestyle Group Training (FGT)classes even when my best friend kept telling me I could do it because I was already doing 1-on-1 training which was an hour-long session and FGT was only thirty minutes. I saw him get dizzy when he tried out the class so that discouraged me. Ha ha ha!
Another friend at the gym convinced me to try out Pro 45. This is a 45-minute indoor cycling class that consists of sets: power, endurance, speed, strength, and finally the race. I enjoyed cycling class so much that I even attended class marathons whenever there was one.
Lastly, I tried out Body Jam class It’s a fifty-minute-long dance workout. As an uncoordinated person, I definitely struggled with this class, trying to follow the choreography. Actually, I still get confused to this day! Ha ha! But I keep at it anyway. And yes, this means attending countless Body Jam marathons and launches in FF MOA.
The People of Fitness First Mall of Asia
Aside from the workout classes, what made me love workouts at this club are the people. When you spend time in a place often enough, you’re bound to see the same people over and over again. They’re the people who made going to the club an enjoyable thing to do.
I no longer see some of the people in the photos at the gym. Some left for various reasons that took them far away from FF MOA and some I no longer saw when I came back to the gym once the COVID-19 pandemic became less scary. And some I might not see as often again or never again for that matter. It’s sad but as the saying goes, some people come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. But no matter what, they all contributed to my wonderful fitness journey at Fitness First Mall of Asia.
End of an Era: Fitness First Mall of Asia Doors Closed
My passport membership allowed me to visit and workout at other Fitness First clubs. So at times, I would go to other clubs to attend classes there or do 1-on-1 training. But whenever I returned to FF MOA, it always felt like coming home.
It never crossed my mind that it would close. But as we all know, a lot of businesses were badly affected by the pandemic and unfortunately, my beloved home club could no longer afford to stay where they were with the rising cost of rent.
Fitness First Mall of Asia permanently closed its doors last August 31, 2024. It’s sad to say goodbye to a place that’s been a health and comfort space for me for years. But that’s the way life goes. And so again, I say goodbye to my beloved home club, Fitness First MOA. I’ll always remember the good times at the club.
