Monthly Archives: March 2010

Koko Nation: Our Top Priority

Posted on by
we love KNCongrats again to Adam Landry, Paul Romeo and their crew at Koko FitClub Needham for the great coverage in last week’s Boston Globe on March. Front page of the business section. A link to the online version is below.

I found the web comments on the article from members and non-members alike particularly interesting. (They are worth a read if you have not see them.) What a great show of support from Koko’s Needham and Pembroke members. Thank you!

I wasn’t surprised to see a smattering of negative comments coming from the traditional health club world. It’s another sign that we are shaking things up in the fitness industry. The old, outdated ways regular gyms do business may work for some, but Koko is blazing new trails for our members. You have come to us because the old ways just weren’t working for you anymore. Our focus is providing an exercise routine that fits your life and that you can stick to for the long haul. It’s no surprise that expensive personal trainers and other gym owners are nervous. Innovation is never welcomed with open arms by the purveyors of the status quo!  

So, I’m sure these aren’t the last self-proclaimed “experts,” who have never experienced Koko FitClub for themselves, who will try to write off Koko as a fitness fad. After all, it is in their interest to keep things just the way they are. Your results and successes, though, are the true measure of Koko. Your opinions matters. So, we will continue to listen to our members and their needs. We are happy that you have found in Koko a smarter, more enjoyable way to exercise that simply works better for you. Just like it does for those folks who commented in the Globe story.

By the way, wouldn’t it be fun to ask those skeptics who doubt the effectiveness of Koko what their Q score is? Or, what their strength gain has been in the last year? That will stump them!

Viva la revolution! 

Mary Obana
President and Co-Founder, Koko FitClub 

The Boston Globe article on Koko FitClub Needham and the comment section can be found at: http://www.boston.com/business/healthcare/articles/2010/03/21/franchise_founders_hope_they_have_a_fit_concept/?comments=all#readerComm

In The News: You don’t need “60 Minutes of Exercise Every Day” to Prevent Weight Gain

Posted on by

kokoeinsteinI am a fitness professional with more than 25 years of experience ranging from nationally recognized personal trainer, to Division I strength and conditioning coach, to researcher at the world renowned Tufts Center for Aging and Nutrition. When headlines like this come out, I feel terrible for people who are struggling to take control of their health and lose weight. Unarmed with the tools to decipher the information, you are left with the media’s interpretation.  I’d like to help.

The hot topic of the moment is research published in this week’s JAMA. Written by Boston area researchers who, after following tens of thousands of women, “living life as usual,” found that the only ones who avoided age related weight gain were the ones who (a) were not overweight to begin with and (b) exercised at a moderate, “brisk walking” pace at least 60 minutes a day. These women made no modifications to their diet, nor did they strength train. The study researchers made no recommendations. It was an observational study.

The typical, oversimplified media take on it has become: “New research suggests 60 minutes of daily exercise necessary to not gain weight!” To me this begs the question, if walking at a brisk pace isn’t getting the job done for the people who need it most, why would we tell them to do more of it? Albert Einstein described insanity as, “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” By that definition, this conclusion is insanity.

Knowledgeable fitness professionals know the real key to controlling or losing weight from an exercise perspective, is not walking moderately at a steady pace. You must build and maintain lean muscle mass through strength training, which raises your metabolism so your body naturally burns calories at a higher rate every hour, every day. And for cardio exercise, it means decreasing time and maximizing calorie burn, during and after exercise, by employing high intensity interval training.

A far more useful, inspiring, and actionable study for men and women alike was publicized last month that showed that the quality of exercise is far more important to weight control than the mere quantity of exercise.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100225/ap_on_he_me/eu_med_intense_exercise.

With time as the number one obstacle to exercise, having a faster, more-efficient way to exercise effectively is something that will positively impact millions more Americans that simply telling them to spend more time exercising. That’s why Koko FitClub is so important to me. Koko Smartraining technology is entirely based on highly-efficient circuit strength training and interval cardio training programs. They both maximize calorie burn in the minimum time possible. This methodology, combined with Koko’s custom guidance technology makes success easier than with any other method or system I have ever seen in the fitness industry. 

So Koko Nation, I’m glad you are here with us, above the insanity and on your way to success!

Michael Wood, CSCS,
Chief Fitness Officer
Koko FitClub, LLC

Goof-Offs, Space-Outs and Time-Wasters Unite: We’re Taking Our Time Back!

Posted on by
Picture2Even though Koko fits into a very manageable 30 minutes, I still have moments when I feel like I just don’t have time to workout. Do you? Life gets in the way, deadlines, picking up the kids, and on…and on. 
 
But there’s another reason we don’t have the time to workout. Truth is, even with the best intentions, there’s a lot of wasted time in everyday life. But, you can make a goal to get your time back and focus on yourself for awhile. After all…it’s only 30 minutes. And just 15 if you do Koko Cardio alone.
 
Here’s my idea: Those countless half-hour chunks we fritter away every day? Let’s snatch one back this week and work in one more Koko session. Then, next week, let’s do it again. If we keep going, we might accidentally make a permanent reclamation of that time in the form of a good habit.
 
We can do this! Just think for a moment where you can reclaim some time. How do you normally goof-off, space-out and waste time? By formulating irresistibly witty status updates for your facebook profile? By spending evenings on the couch watching The Biggest Loser with a bowl of ice cream in your lap? By staring, glassy-eyed, at the Doppler 800 mile map-in-motion at weather.com? (No, I’m NOT doing that. I’m working…) I’m not suggesting we give all this fun up, just one little thirty minute chunk. Just enough to fit in one more Koko session. So, set your facebook status to “I’m going to Koko” and grab your Koko Key.
 
But before you go…share your favorite way to waste thirty minutes. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, it’s a thing of the past. (Well, mostly.) We’re taking our time back!  Be sure to check in and let us know how it’s going.

Koko HealthTracks: Coming Soon to a Koko FitClub Near You!

Posted on by
rxWe are thrilled to announce the launch of Koko HealthTracks. The year-long, progressive strength training programs are designed by Koko Chief Fitness Officer, Michael Wood, CSCS, as a prescription for members with specific health challenges.
Koko HealthTracks, based on the latest medical and exercise science research, are the natural next generation of Koko Smartraining programs. For those struggling with health issues that have affected their functionality, the Koko Smartrainer is ideally suited to the re-introduction of exercise. The safe, progressive strength programs are individualized to the patient’s specific needs, goals and limitations, thus removing the confusion and anxiety that accompanies taking this important step to reclaiming one’s well-being.
Arthritis: Progressive resistance training designed to help improve physical function, reduce soreness, stiffness and painful symptoms of arthritis.
Diabetes: Lose weight, get strong and improve your quality of life with this complete strength and cardio plan for diabetics. Benefits may include improved insulin sensitivity, glucose tolerance and a lowered risk of heart disease.
Men’s Health: A program designed to improve muscle size, strength, functional performance and body composition while reversing the functional declines often associated with men’s health issues.
Breast Cancer: Reclaim and reshape your body with this progressive training program that builds strength while toning and conditioning your entire body, paying special attention to muscle groups of the core and upper body.
Back Relief: Build a stronger back and core to help relieve and prevent back pain by strengthening the muscles involved in the body’s core stabilization.
Through Koko HealthTracks, we want to help our members bridge the gap between a doctor’s recommendation ‘to exercise’ and the actual implementation of a fitness plan to proactively deal with health concerns. If we can do that, then we have achieved our goal: Empowering you to feel better everyday.
For more information about Koko HealthTracks, inquire at the front desk of your Koko FitClub!

Strength Training: The Secret to Aging Gracefully.

Posted on by
KokoZoneChartThere is a piece of misinformation about aging that has been floating around out there forever and everyone believes it: “As you age, your metabolism slows down.” This is inaccurate! Here is the real, physiological fact: “Your body loses a half pound of lean muscle tissue every year after the age of 25.” 
 
Lean muscle tissue is what keeps your metabolism high, burning lots of calories and giving you energy. So, your metabolism doesn’t slow, your body loses the muscle that critical to it’s metabolic “engine” and the result is a slower metabolism. The implications of you understanding this subtle difference is HUGE! You shift from being powerless in the face of what progressing years are doing to your body, to being empowered.
 
Why? Because you don’t HAVE to lose lean muscle mass! With strength training, you can gain back what you’ve lost and rev up that sluggish metabolism. A 60 year old man with the same muscle mass as a 25 year old, will have the metabolism of a 25 year old. Really! We call it The Koko Zone, when your body has reached it’s optimal fitness level. Three 30 minute trips on the Koko Smartrainer each week, consistently, is all it takes to get you there.
  
Strength training also fights back other symptoms of aging. It prevents bone loss and improves flexibility, balance and range of motion in joints and tendons. This leaves you with a much lower risk for falls and injuries and much better mobility and independence as you move through your later years.
 
We all want to age gracefully and enjoy our golden years. Isn’t it nice to know that our fate isn’t completely at the whim of Mother Nature?  So, take charge of your destiny today! Go visit your friends at Koko FitClub.
 
More great information on this topic can be found at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123887823