By Nancy Edwards
A new Fishers fitness club provides a solution for busy professionals with families that don’t have enough time in their day to exercise.
Koko FitClub, which opened its doors in March, includes exercise equipment to give members the benefits of a 90-minute workout in just 30 minutes. The idea for the franchise began in 2008, when Mary Obana, president and co-founder of Koko, began to start a family with her husband, Mike Lannon. Obana and Lannon were time-crunched executives looking for a way to continue exercising after the added responsibility of having children.
The couple contacted Michael Wood, chief financial officer for Koko, about creating strength and cardio programs for the club and conducted fitness research through Tufts University. In 2009, Koko began its first franchise. Today, the gym has 120 locations in 30 states, including Noblesville and Fishers. Carmel will be the third location in Hamilton County, opening in mid-May.
The club’s advantages, besides saving time, include a wide variety of customized workouts to prevent boredom. Besides the Smartraining 30-minute strength training machines, there are 15-minute cardio machines; each programmed workout targets a specific muscle group, such as calves, buttocks, hamstrings and lower back. A HealthTrack, or progressive training program, is geared for an individual’s chronic condition that may include diabetes, arthritis, breast cancer recovery, back pain and men’s health issues such as prostate cancer recovery.
“We see the most dynamic results in our diabetic patients,” said Meghann Wilson, lead operator for Koko FitClub in Fishers. “You can see a total change in their personality – that’s pretty significant.”
Additional benefits for members include an individualized nutrition plan and their own web page that keeps track of their goals and progress.
Koko FitClub is supporting Relay For Life in May by challenging its members to accumulate 500 points by using one of their machines for 15 minutes between 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 4 and 8 p.m. on Sunday, May 5. The goal across the country is for members and their friends and family to accumulate 5 million total points so that the American Cancer Society can distribute a total of $20,000 to all its local ACS locations. Each nonmember who exercises on one of Koko’s machines for 15 minutes is awarded a free 15-day membership.
For more information about Koko FitClub or participating with its challenge to benefit the ACS, please visit www.kokofitclub.com.