Tag Archives: Body Image

Body Weight: Why the Scale Wont Ever Tell You the Whole Truth

Posted on by

Body weight cannot provide a full, accurate picture of your health and fitness

When a Koko FitClub franchisee in California shared these compelling photographs on facebook last week, (thanks Aman,) I knew I had to blog about body weight this week .

We have all weighed ourselves. Some of us make it more of a habit that others and multi-billion dollar companies have built successful business models on having members weigh themselves each week. But body weight and your scale alone cannot tell the whole story about your health and fitness.

For all of the people over the years who have told me they don’t need to exercise because they “weigh the same as they did in college,” a picture is worth a thousand words. And this one speaks volumes. Five women, all with different body mass indexes, different percent body fat levels, different dress sizes (UK size) and even different amounts of muscle, but all with one thing in common…anyone? They all weight the same! They all weight 150 pounds. 150 pounds can mean something completely different for every body…even your own after a couple of decades.

In this photo, for a few of the taller women, that body weight suits them well, while for others – it is too much weight. But stepping on that scale tells you none of the particulars. It tells you nothing more than the fact that you weight 150 lbs.

At Koko FitClub we take a different approach. We don’t want you to focus on “losing weight” as your primary goal. We want to encourage you to focus on getting fit and healthy from the inside out. To focus on building and preserving muscle first.

Why? Because you start to lose it after about age 35. (To the tune of 8-10 pounds a decade!) If you weight he same as you did in college and you aren’t working to maintain your lean muscle, your percent body fat has increased. Your body is not the same.

Building and preserving muscle has huge benefits:

  •  Research has demonstrated that for every three pounds of muscle I can add, I rev up my metabolism by 7%.
  • Muscle tissue burns three times more calories (pound for pound) than fat tissue.
  • More muscle changes the way you look – as you can see with our group of women –  not to mention the way you feel!
  • More muscle  means more independence as you age into your golden years.

The work I’m putting in at Koko now – in my 50’s – is already paying big dividends. And, I’m counting on it to continue into my 60′s, 70’s, 80’s and maybe even beyond.

All it takes for you to reap the same benefits is a little Koko Smartraining – 3 strength and 3 to 4 cardio sessions a week. Are you in?

Michael Wood, CSCS
Chief Fitness Officer
Koko FitClub

Koko FitClub Franchising

Inspired by Koko Nation in 2011!

Posted on by

As we wrap up the year here at Koko FitClub, we have so much to be thankful for. In 2011 we grew to 60 clubs in 26 states, and we were recently ranked for the first time in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500.  But, it isn’t about growth for growth’s sake. We are thankful for this year’s growth because it represents one thing: more lives changed.

In the spirit of celebrating growth and lives changed, I’d like to share a handful of member stories from among the many that helped inspire the Koko team this year. In other words, I’d like to celebrate YOU!

“I am an athlete. I ran track for years, skied, golfed and ran road races. In Nov 2008 I was diagnosed with breast cancer and in 2009 went through 6 months of chemo and radiation which left my body totally depleted and without muscle tone. In comes Koko FitClub. I joined in Dec. 2009, the first member of the newly opened Needham franchise. Adam, Paul and Sara could not have been nicer or more supportive. Paul day after day patiently showed me how to use the machine and I started at the lowest weights. It’s now a year and a half later…. I have improved 100%, have muscle tone, run, ski and golf again. I couldn’t be happier with the program and love the atmosphere and people. Thank you Koko FitClub!” -Sharon G

“In September 2010 I got a virus. Adult Still’s disease! I was in bed and not moving for 3 months… weight went on and [I was] feeling bad. I knew I had to do something quick. At 54 years old I was starting to feel like 80… Then, I was in back of Corrine Murphy’s car and saw the Koko sign. I followed her car [to Koko FitClub]…Oh! It felt perfect, quiet and very Zen like…love it. I have been at Koko almost every day since joining. My joints don’t hurt when I exercise. In fact, I feel great….I hope this explains how important Koko is to me and my husband. We look better and feel better. Thank you”- Suzanne U

“Love Koko! … I’m the strongest 61 year old I know and I’ve kept osteoporosis from creeping in….I just had a bone density test and I have REVERSED my osteoporosis! I’ve been coming to Koko for 4 years and that did it. I am even off Fosomax! I’m one happy customer!”– Nancy C

“3 months with Koko and it has been the perfect complement to my Weight Watchers eating regimen! I have lost that pesky 14.8 lbs., my triglycerides have dropped from 194 to 57 and I am even sleeping better. I have been exercising all my life and was frankly bored with the whole process. Koko takes the guess work out, keeps me on track and lets me look back on my progress. I don’t have to think about anything, I just have to do it! I love the learning portion I get from Michael Wood and can hear his voice in my ear repeating his tips throughout my daily life. I love the different paths you can choose from and know of no other trainers that have that variety. The future of personal training is here and it is Koko. I feel honored to be a part of its ongoing development. I am definitely a Koko Nut!” – Michele S

These stories are just the tip of the iceberg, but a great example of the amazing, inspiring people we have the privilege of hearing from on a daily basis.

YOU are amazing and inspiring! Thank you.

Keep up the great work and keep your stories coming. And, here’s to an even happier, healthier 2012!

Mary Obana
President and Co-Founder
Koko FitClub
Koko FitClub Franchising

Turn Back the Clock to a More Youthful, Fit You

Posted on by

Brrrrr! It’s cold and DARK here in the northeast. And in another week, we will be turning the clocks back. We could very easily go into hibernation mode. Instead, let’s embrace the alternate meaning of the phrase turn back the clock. Reclaim your youth. Koko Smartraining can do just that. Help you turn back the clock...

Even in the “olden days” people wanted to stay young. In 1513, legend has it that Ponce de León landed in what is now Florida, searching for the fountain of youth. The Spaniard had no luck finding the restorative waters, but his name is forever associated with the quest for youth and longevity. In modern times we are seemingly all Ponce de Leóns- seekers of youth who spend crazy money on creams and plastic surgery and antioxidant packed beverages. We are looking  in the wrong place.

One of the best ways to get a body that can hold out against the nastiest side effects of aging is not found in a jar or on an OR table; It’s being active and maintaining lean muscle tissue. Koko Smartraining will help you feel like you’ve turned back the clock by building and maintaining the muscle that slows down the effects of time on your body.

You might not want to hear it, but here are some cold, hard facts about your aging body:

If you aren’t doing something about it, your body loses a half pound of lean muscle tissue every year after the age of 25. This doesn’t mean you are just losing a half of pound of weight each year, (wouldn’t that be great?) your body is losing its most critical mass. Rapidly. This is bad. Lean muscle tissue is what keeps your metabolism high, burning lots of calories, keeping your weight under control and giving you strength and energy to go about your life. As the percent lean muscle in your body drops, you begin to notice a lot of things we write off as symptoms of “getting old.” Middle age spread, low energy, poor range of motion, lack of balance and flexibility; all can be attributed in very large part to diminished lean muscle tissue.

Now the good news: That “if” heading up the last paragraph? It’s a big one. It means you aren’t completely powerless in the face of what the progressing years are doing to your body. Turn back the clock…

With strength training, you can gain back what you’ve lost and rev up that sluggish metabolism. You can also build more lean muscle tissue than you’ve lost. A 60 year old man with the same muscle mass as an average 25 year old, will have the metabolism of an average 25 year old. Isn’t that incredible? Three 30 minute trips on the Koko Smartrainer each week, consistently, is all it takes. All it takes to turn back the clock…

Strength training on the Koko Smartrainer also fights back other symptoms of aging. It prevents bone loss and improves bone density. It 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. You can be the 90 year old no one believes is a day over 70. Turn back the clock…

Isn’t it a great feeling to know that you aren’t powerless against aging and the march of time?  So, don’t just turn back the clock next weekend, start today. At your Koko FitClub.

Mary Obana

President & Co-Founder
Koko FitClub

A well written, informative story on the topic of muscles loss and aging  can be found on NPR at http://n.pr/91aLmm

 

 

Daily NEAT + Weekly Koko Smartraining = Body Composition Changes

Posted on by

Now that you do your Koko Smartraining on a regular basis, no longer do you get dog tired just trying to play with your kids, work in the yard, or climb the stairs. And having energy again? Pretty nice.

Has being fitter encouraged you to be more active outside of Koko? I hope so. Especially if you have weight loss goals. Let me tell you why.

Research by James Levine, MD, PhD of the Mayo Clinic, found that lean people burn more calories than overweight individuals because  they are more active during the day; expending more than 100+ calories per hour simply by moving more and sitting less.

This phenomenon is NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis.) It’s the energy, in the form of calories, that your body uses above and beyond your Koko Smartraining workouts. This can include everything from gardening, taking the stairs at work, navigating through the grocery store, playing golf, cleaning your house or walking the dog.

Let me share a quote from Dr. Levine’s book Move a Little, Lose a Lot that I find especially compelling:

“As a doctor who has spent more than 20 years studying human movement, obesity, and metabolism, I can tell you that the way we are living and the way many of us are going about weight loss is absolutely, fundamentally wrong.”

Dr. Levine is among a growing number of researchers who have concluded that one of the keys to achieving a healthy weight is to move more throughout the day – not  just during your exercise sessions.

Say  you are expending 300-500 calories in a typical Smartraining workout and you’re doing that three times a week. First of all, bravo! You’re  getting major health benefits like loading your bones and strengthening your muscles – including your heart. Not only are you feeling more energetic, but that muscle you are building burns more calories than fat. But the reality is,  if your goal is weight loss, the math still may not be working in your favor.

Those 900-1500 calories  a week may be enough to keep weight in check during the second and third decades of life, when we are typically more active in general, but it’s a whole different story if you are over 40.

Here is another quote from Dr. Levine:

“Our current obesity and related health woes stem from the fact that modern life in the Internet-driven electronic age has increasingly leeched NEAT from our existence to the tune of up to 1,500 to 2,000 calories a day.  And the loss is sucking the life out of us.”

This is a powerful statement. Think about what would happen, with your newfound fitness,  if you consciously return that lost NEAT to your daily life. Seemingly small changes – like parking farther from the store so you walk a longer distance – add up. If you burned those extra 1,500 to 2,000 calories a day, combined with the calories that you expend at Koko FitClub, you’d begin to witness a big shift in your  body composition. (Imagine also reducing your intake – but that’s another post!)

So, take that new-found Koko energy and get more active – everyday. You have nailed the first step: consistently doing 3 strength and 3-4 Koko cardio sessions each week. Upping your NEAT is the second.

One way I like to reinforce and remind myself of this goal is by wearing a pedometer to record how many steps I’m getting over the course of a day. Try it and then challenge yourself  to add an additional 2,000 steps to that base number over the next few weeks. Keep building up to 7-8,000 and set a long term goal of 10,000 steps a day. That’s where I’m at!

Daily NEAT + Weekly Koko Smartraining  =  Body Composition Changes. How’s that for a nice NEAT exercise prescription for you!

Michael Wood, CSCS
Chief Fitness Officer
Koko FitClub

 

8 Ways to Avoid “Creeping Obesity” Like the Plague

Posted on by

Be aware of liquid calories. The average person consumes an extra 450 calories a day from soft drinks, sports drinks, juice, iced tea, alcohol, etc. This can add up to almost a pound/week!

 

We all suffer from portion distortion these days- don’t be a victim! Keep portion sizes no bigger than the size of your fist.

 

Avoid fast food restaurants. A typical lunch time meal at McDonald’s can total a whopping 1650 EMPTY calories!

 

Skip the late night eating. This is a time where many of us tip the scales and exceed our daily caloric needs and after 8 PM, your metabolism begins to slooowwww down.

 

Naturally curb you hunger and cut down on the calories you take in at each meal by first drinking two 8 ounce glasses of water.

 

Limit the sports bars. Some brands contain as much as 500 calories! Or, try eating a half a bar at a time.

 

Eat a healthy high protein breakfast. Not only will it require more calories to digest, it will stick with you until lunch so you don’t fall victim to a caloric snack attack before lunch.

 

Sharing is nice. When eating out – if you can’t skip dessert all together – split portions among your dinner companions.

 

 

Michael Wood, CSCS
Chief Fitness Officer
Koko FitClub