24 Hour Fitness holds the “keys to success” for helping employees of Orange County businesses improve their health and achieve their fitness goals. Through the “24/5” program, 24 Hour Fitness offers individualized plans and a positive personal touch that really encourages achievement.
Participants experience improved health, increased energy, decreased body fat, more confidence and greater productivity on the job.
“24/5” Program
“24/5” is the most comprehensive, body alteration program in the industry, designed by leading industry professionals in exercise physiology, nutrition, biomechanics, and certified personal training.
“24/5” identifies five key components proper food intake, cardiorespiratory activities, food supplementation, resistance training, and professional assistance as the tools necessary to achieve fitness goals.
Component 1 Proper food intake addresses the body’s need to maintain a balance between intake of calories and expenditure of energy. What happens when that balance is interrupted is the basis for weight gain and loss. If the goal is to lose body fat, more calories must be expended than are consumed. With the help of a certified 24 Hour Fitness “Fit Pro,” emphasis is placed on developing an individualized food plan, establishing calories and staying within proper percentages and caloric allotment.
Component 2 Cardiorespiratory activity stimulates the body with an activity that helps maintain the caloric deficit, resulting in weight loss. The ultimate goal is to have as many large muscles as possible working continuously to burn the greatest number of calories during and after exercise.
Component 3 Food supplementation gives the body nutrition it needs without adding calories. It is virtually impossible to consume all the nutrition your body needs from daily food calories allowed and still support fat loss. Without proper food supplementation while the body adapts or while participating in an exercise program, working and changing muscles become undernourished, causing the body to shed muscle it can’t feed.
Component 4 Resistance training is an important component when trying to lose body fat while maintaining or increasing muscle. It increases activity in the nervous system and muscle proteins and provides the body with an “after-burn” that continues for days while muscle proteins adjust to the stimulus. Not having to reduce food intake while continuing to lose fat is a major benefit of safe and effective resistance training. Proper weight training also strengthens the muscles as well as supporting structures around the joints, enabling the body to comfortably perform activities of daily living.
Component 5 Professional assistance is key to the success of any fitness program. This is the job of the 24 Hour Fitness Fit Pro. As the body changes, its job is to adapt. The Fit Pro helps individuals avoid plateaus by providing motivation and guidance to keep the body working in an adaptation mode until fitness goals are achieved.
Both genetics and lifestyle are barriers to successful body change. But growing evidence shows that genetic inheritance plays a particular role in the body’s pre-disposition to weight gain. The “set-point theory” the approximate weight and fat percentage at which the body settles comfortably during adulthood explains how the brain actually “chooses” the amount of body fat it considers ideal and works tirelessly to maintain that level. Although some people are satisfied with their set-point and can eat whatever they want, many struggle all their lives with constant dieting.
Why diets don’t work
Many people assume the weight lost from dieting is stored body fat.
Actually, weight loss comes from both muscle and fat tissue. The goal of “24/5” is to ensure fat loss, not muscle. Muscle tissue is where the body burns fat for energy. With a decrease in muscle comes a decrease in fat-burning machinery and overall metabolic rate. This situation forces the dieter to continually consume fewer calories in order to lose weight, leading to continuous hunger and cravings. The question is, can the set-point be lowered? The answer is yes, with small changes in daily routine staying within a daily caloric allotment without being hungry and enjoying workouts without over-training or getting injured.
Surprisingly, the least amount of work combined with the most amount of food will yield the greatest and longest lasting results. This is what the “24/5” program is all about.
The long-term success of any program used to alter body composition will depend on behavioral as well as psychological changes. Those who are most successful use modified eating habits and exercise to maintain their new weight. The 24 Hour Fitness 24/5 program seeks to minimize the physiological reasons for increased hunger or decreased energy, while modifying behaviors to favor healthier lifestyle changes.
24 Hour Fitness is the world’s largest privately held and fastest growing fitness chain. Company founder, Mark Mastrov, remains committed to his original goals of pairing fundamental fitness needs with excellent services and facilities that fit any schedule and any personal or corporate budget. 24Hour Fitness welcomes the opportunity to introduce Orange County businesses to the 24/5 program.
For further information, please contact the 24Hour Fitness Corporate Wellness Division at (949)851-3828 ext. 219.
