PROTECTING THE PLANET THROUGH MOVEMENT: Health Coach Ai Lee Syarief

@chopsueylee

About me:  I have a lot of energy and I am very positive, with a strong personality. I’m a compassionate person who loves movement and motivating people to reach their goals. I’m Lead Master Trainer at Strong Nation, a Health Coach, and founder of Planet MOVRS.

My fitness journey

I’ve always loved fitness. I used to ride horses and take part in tennis and gymnastics. Then, I discovered martial arts and competed in the Swiss Championships as part of the national team. Later, I went on to compete with the Malaysian national team in the World Championships.

I became a fitness instructor and then specialized in Zumba, because I love dancing so much. I co-founded the Zumba Strong Nation program 5 years ago. I’m their lead master trainer and dedicate most of my time to the program. In addition, I teach in-person classes and run my own health program. It's focused on movement and being healthy in a sustainable way.

 

A holistic approach

I don’t create a specific nutrition plan, although many of my clients are initially focused on the number of calories they are consuming and burning. Instead, I provide a holistic approach focused on what makes clients healthy and what doesn’t. The 3-month program is educational. Participants learn what is good for them and each day they have an educational video and accountability assignment. We do a lot of work on the basics: breathing, water, sleep, and nutrition. A lot of people are focused on looking good and getting a six pack, but the focus should really be about being healthy and happy.

"I founded Planet MOVRS because I wanted to use my platform and influence for something that I'm really passionate about."

Planet MOVRS

As I helped people on their health journeys, I realized how the environment is a big part of these journeys. I founded Planet MOVRS because I wanted to use my platform and influence for something that I'm really passionate about. Right now, we are a team of seven women based around the world: Switzerland, Germany, Costa Rica, Mexico and Luxembourg. We focus on creating environmental awareness through movement-based online activities using all sorts of virtual tools, such as Zoom and IG lives. We want people to feel motivated to move and to collaborate with their donations to support organizations already working directly for environmental causes. We use movement to make things fun and get people involved with environment as individuals and as a community.

"We focus on creating environmental awareness through movement-based online activities."

The first organization we worked with was  OceanCare. They do a lot for the planet, protecting marine wildlife, and they are consultants on marine issues for the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. Our launching event was a movement-based virtual event with different activities while participants sent their donations. All proceeds went to the organization. During the event, we spoke about the environment and gave participants fun, actionable tips. Our second action with an organization was an 8-week challenge with  Coral Guardian. Even though all were movement activities, we always seek to integrate some environmental awareness through them, sometimes aided by technology. For example, we used an augmented reality IG-based game filter that participants could use to lead an animated character while holding their breath because oxygen is as vital for us as it is for corals. As the conditions allow us,  we are also starting to do in-person events to create more awareness about Planet MOVRS. We have to make things fun, so people will participate no matter their age. I want to involve kids more, since they are the future generation that will be caring for the planet.

Get involved

We are a nonprofit and we invite you to become a member! Connect with our Instagram  @planetmovrs and join our challenges and activities. We want to create more environmental awareness in schools, too. We’ll be doing more movement-based events and also having some fun screenings on Zoom where we watch environmental content together.

All about my skin

I have dry skin with an oily T-zone. Sunscreen is a must for me and I love  PROTECT ME. I also love all the refreshing sprays. After I sweat, I use  REFRESH ME or  I AM JOY. And I definitely enjoy a good cleanse with  CLEANSE ME, it’s a wonderful, clean product. I also adore  I AM PURE. Soap bars are fantastic and traveling with  I AM PURE is super easy.

"The DETOX ME mask—it’s my absolute favorite! It really cleans up my skin."

I also love the  DETOX ME mask—it’s my absolute favorite! Because of my sweaty skin, I usually don’t wear much makeup, except for interviews and workouts. But I need something that helps me clean up afterwards, and  DETOX ME is perfect for drawing out the impurities. It really cleans up my skin.
 

Sustainable skincare

The skin is the largest organ on the body, and it absorbs everything! So it's not just what you put in your mouth that affects your health, what you put on your skin affects it, too. So many products are full of micro plastics and chemicals that can cause nasty reactions. It’s essential to choose clean brands that are vegan and cruelty free. It's not okay to exploit animals to make ourselves look and feel better.

Sustainable packaging is a must. There are enormous amounts of waste in our world. People are not aware of how much waste they create. I live in Switzerland, but I just got back from Miami and the volume of packaging used there is shocking. We need to be more minimalistic and buy higher quality products that last. We should always buy what we need and recycle what we don’t.

I love that FRÉ cares about the environment and planting trees. I love that the packaging is becoming more environmentally friendly and the company is improving its environmental actions every day. I would love for all the products to be 100% clean. I love the product information available online on the benefits and clean ingredients. I know making clean skincare is difficult and this is especially true with formulas like SPF, but FRÉ is definitely heading in the right direction with its ingredients and packaging.