Kaua’i residents ready to be challenged to make 30 minutes a day available three times a week for a healthier life may do so at their own pace. Express Fitness, a 30-minute exercise and weight management center, will open at
Kaua’i residents ready to be challenged to make 30 minutes a day available three times a week for a healthier life may do so at their own pace.
Express Fitness, a 30-minute exercise and weight management center, will open at 4100 Rice St. in Lihu’e, in the annex behind Ace Hardware, this Friday, March 15.
It uses the PACE equipment and system. For those who enjoyed the pop quiz on the front page of The Garden Island recently, here is another one.
The “A” in “PACE” stands for:
a) Aerobic
b) Anaerobic
c) Accommodating
d) Any of the above
e) All of the above
PACE stands for Programmed Aerobic/Anaerobic/Accommodating Circuit Exercise, so the correct answer is e) All of the above. It combines cardiopulmonary exercise, strength training, cross training and circuit training in a lively environment.
The system works every part of the body, and allows participants to customize their own routines to target for improvement specific body areas.
There will be 20 stations to the circuit to begin with, 10 resting and 10 active, with music and recorded instructions for participants to switch stations every 30 seconds, with a cue to check heart rates every seven and a half minutes.
By moving and taking the heart rate into the “target” area where inches are lost and fitness is won, the system uses adjustable hydraulic resistance strength equipment, allowing people to work at their own abilities and paces.
Everything is kept in the heart-safe range. The rest stations are important for people to check their heart rates, increase activity if the rates are low, or decrease activity if rates are high, explained Ruthie J. Yata, owner and manager of Express Fitness.
There will be easy-to-read, optimum-heart-rate charts for all ages and fitness levels, and the PACE equipment as adjustable makes it suitable for children and senior citizens up to elite athletes, she said.
Yata and partners are hoping to create a demand for the 30-minute workout system from folks who lead busy family and business lives, and have a difficult time finding time to exercise.
Walking the dog around the subdivision isn’t going to burn the inches, she said. Aerobic exercises don’t tone. Lifting weights alone doesn’t offer aerobic benefits.
A 30-minute PACE workout, on the other hand, combines the best of all fitness routines, and is equivalent to an hour on the treadmill, Yata continued.
The equipment and system are designed to show results with just 20 to 30 minutes of exercise a day two to three times a week. The PACE workout quickens the metabolism, and while weight loss isn’t necessarily a given, inch loss is nearly guaranteed.
“We stress inches lost, because it will happen,” she said. Tone, endurance and better shape are other benefits, she added.
Anyone who wants to shape up, tone up or slim down is welcome, and the new business is offering free three-day trials for skeptics and anyone else who wants to check out the system.
The partners in the new business are confident that the national desire to lose weight and inches and stay in shape has a local angle. “It’ll work, because PACE works,” said Yata.
Optional stations will assess a person’s percentage of body fat, measure weight and body sizes, and take pictures so people can see their progress.
Initially, the center will be open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week, with Monday, Wednesday and Friday reserved for women only. Hours could be adjusted depending on demand, Yata said.
The PACE system is used in hospitals and in training rooms of professional football teams, with the world-champion New England Patriots installing a system this off-season, she said.
The charge at Express Fitness is $29.95 a month for those who pre-pay for at least 12 months, and $39.95 a month for others. The grand opening special offers a waiver of initiation and enrollment fees for the first 100 members.
Further, incentives will be offered for members who recruit other members (recruit one member, get one month free).
The center is taking pre-registrations via phone, 632-0848, and via e-mail, expressfitness@hotmail.com.
There are no shower or locker facilities, so people should plan on bringing their own towels and water bottles.
As with any exercise program, those interested should check with their doctors before beginning.
