Peninsula Aquatic Recreation Centre (PARC) staff will be put through their paces as the centre becomes the first in Australia to ensure all fitness staff hold a Certificate of Nutrition in addition to their exercise qualifications.
Effectively positioning Frankston as the health and fitness capital of Australia, the initiative will help members approach their health and weight loss goals with a more holistic perspective and ultimately to achieve better and more long-term results.
PARC Health and Fitness Manager Dan Andrews says he was shocked to read that only 10 per cent of young people in the area were eating the minimum recommended serves of fruit and vegetables daily and was determined to take action.
“In 2015, the Frankston Mornington Peninsula Local Government Areas Strategic Framework for Young People found a lack of healthy eating as a major risk factor for young people in the community,” he said.
“We think that sound health and wellbeing advice should be readily available to all members of the community.
“With the right qualifications our team members are excellent ambassadors to help point all our members achieve their health and wellbeing goals and to also seek additional help if necessary.
“We’ve also invested in state-of-the-art equipment that is usually only available to elite athletes. This includes medical-grade composition scales that take the guess work out of weight losses or gains that might be a result of issues like water retention and can give clients a sense of satisfaction as they see their overall body composition change for the better.”
The new scales will measure body fat percentage, mineral protein and water retention meaning the age-old excuse of carrying ‘water weight’ may no longer cut it.
In addition, all PARC fitness staff are now qualified in the Certificate of Nutrition from renowned nutritionist Kristen Beck, and to celebrate PARC is offering a $0 joining fee and free access to nutrition advice and body scales for all members.
“As trainers we often see people so fixated on weight loss instead of their overall health, and we wanted to shift that focus,” he said.
“By offering nutritional advice and body composition scales we will not only be able to more accurately measure results and progress, but will also be able to more effectively tailor programs.
“We wanted to make a commitment to improving health and wellbeing in the Frankston community. By providing free, qualified nutrition advice for members, our new program is not only extremely beneficial but also accessible.”
As a nutritional expert, Kristen Beck is passionate about changing unhealthy lifestyles in the community.
“PARC Nutrition is such a wonderful program and will definitely help to encourage the local community to lead healthier lifestyles,” Kristen said.
The new PARC offering will include nutritional advice, meal plans and body composition measurements for members, to provide an accurate picture of body fat, muscle and fitness.
The centre’s gym will also get a revamp, now offering high-intensity team interval training classes. Called Powerzone 30, these classes of up to 15 will see people perform exercises from a set program for 30 minutes, utilising state-of-the-art equipment including the individual MYZONE fitness-tracking system.
Adding to the extensive fitness and training facilities are five new Skillmills, making PARC the first gym in Victoria to have so many of these pro-performance machines available for member use.
These hotted-up treadmills will allow members to combine their speed, power, stamina and agility training, and will be the centre point for the new Powerzone 30 program, with classes running three-times daily Monday-Friday, and once daily on weekends.
To celebrate the launch, all members will enjoy free access to nutritional advice, meal plans, body composition scans and Powerzone 30 classes for the rest of 2016.
For more information on the PARC Nutrition program, the Powerzone 30 classes, or to sign up as a PARC member please visit www.parcfrankston.com.au or call 03 9781 8444.
