The treatment by E-Stretch's Takeaki Fukuhara This is the 11th dialogue-style content. This time, we will be talking with E-Stretch's Takeaki Fukuhara, a famous stretching specialist in Daikanyama. Stretching to increase your range of motion can increase your basal metabolism, prevent you from tripping over small steps, and help prevent injuries. Please take a look!
(Takada) Hello! Today, we have Mr. Takeaki Fukuhara, the manager of e-stretch Daikanyama, which sells Fusubon products, visiting us.
Thank you for taking the time to see me today.
(Fukuhara) Not at all! Thank you very much!
(Takada) First of all, please tell us what inspired you to start working as a trainer.
(Fukuhara) I worked as a model from my teens to my early twenties, so I was always thinking about maintaining my figure.
After that, I worked in sales for a health appliance manufacturer, where I gained experience selling health products. When I was thinking about how to communicate about maintaining one's figure, which was a concern of mine, and about future health issues, the idea of working in the fitness industry first came to mind.
(Takada) The keyword "health" is essential . How did you study to become a trainer?
(Fukuhara) Our company has a well-developed training system based on our own methods, including practical training and classroom learning, so I was able to make my debut as a trainer with a solid training foundation. In addition, I am studying for the qualifications I think I need, and I am increasing my knowledge every day.
(Takada) Although the approach is different, there are an increasing number of fitness-related businesses (especially in the Daikanyama area). What is something that is unique to e-stretch?
(Fukuhara) Our shop name, "e-stretch," is based on the idea that stretching is an entry point for getting a wide range of customers involved in fitness .
Among them, we have many customers who work in jobs that put them in the spotlight, such as models, actors, and entertainers who appear on television and in magazines, as well as people, both men and women, who have set goals for themselves and are serious about designing their body .
There are many different reasons why people start e-stretch, but what makes it unique is that it is supported by many people with a vision.
To make it easy to attend, we do not charge any joining fees and instead ask for payment per session.
I want to spread awareness of the importance of stretching.
(Takada) What are the specific benefits of incorporating stretching?
(Fukuhara) Stretching is very important for developing flexibility and range of motion, which are the foundations of the body .
Not only can it help prevent the risk of injury in everyday life, promote blood circulation, and increase metabolism, but it can also have a wide range of effects, including improving sports performance and shaping your body shape through dieting.
For example, when doing strength training to shape your body, if you do the training while lacking flexibility and range of motion, the desired areas may not be worked on and other parts may end up developing.
This will result in a body shape far from the ideal one you had in mind, and it could even lead to poor posture.
Stretching is the foundation of the body, helping to create a firm body line and improve posture, so I would like to spread the importance of stretching even more .
Let's start with a trial session at E-Stretch.
E-Stretch Daikanyama treatment table
(Takada) As exemplified by Major League Baseball player Ichiro, I personally care a lot about the keyword stretching, just like diet and exercise, and I'm very interested in it. I also try to train regularly, but I don't really understand the range of motion of my own joints (I don't really know if they're stiff or flexible in the first place), so I'm always worried about whether I'm working the places I want to. However, I feel that it would be rude of me to not try it out for myself, so I'm going to go and try it out for myself!
(Fukuhara) Thank you very much. We tried Fusubon and thought it was delicious, so we decided to contact you! We look forward to seeing you!
Not only stretching but also training methods are taught in a practical format
-After completing the 60-minute trial course at e-stretch Daikanyama store-
(Takada) The 60 minutes went by in a flash. We focused on full-body stretching, and I was able to see that the parts of my body I thought were stiff were much stiffer than I had imagined. (By the way, I can touch my palms to the ground when bending forward, and my forehead touches the ground when doing the splits.) However, I learned a lot from the practical lectures on how to improve that and training methods tailored to the level of joint range of motion .
(Fukuhara) The areas around the shoulder blades and hip joints were quite stiff. You can stretch by yourself, but there are some areas that you can't completely loosen up. It's very important to keep doing it. However, we only look at the stiffness of the body, and see what happens after that. Each customer has different goals, such as dieting, body design, muscle hypertrophy, and improving their sports level, but one of the features of e-stretch is that we propose and practice training that makes good use of stretching .
(Takada) That's a great idea. People tend to just think, "The stiff parts have become soft, I did it!" and that's the end of it , and to be honest, I've been like that at one point too. It's similar to when you go on a diet and get excited about "I lost weight, I did it!" and miss the important points (whether your body fat percentage has been properly reduced, etc.). I sometimes play soccer, and I think flexibility is the key word, so how can you turn that flexibility into explosive power and speed, and what kind of training and stretching would be ideal for that? That's been a long-standing issue, so I had a lot of fun just listening to you talk. Going back to the topic, I'm sure there are many people who want to "diet for the summer." What is the approximate age range and gender ratio of people who come to e-stretch, and what are the goals of most of them?
(Fukuhara) The ratio of women to men is 7:3, with most of our customers being women. Among them, the majority are people in their 20s and 30s who are dieting and want to achieve a body like models and other people who appear in the media . However, at e-stretch, we provide training guidance in addition to stretching, so men also actively attend for a variety of purposes, including building muscle strength, improving their sports performance, and improving their future health.
At E-Stretch, our trainers will create and provide you with a customized workout program.
Treatment at E-Stretch Daikanyama
(Takada) I understand that you create menus based on your customers’ goals, but I’d like to hear more about e-stretch’s unique teaching style.
(Fukuhara) We build a foundation for the body through stretching, and then provide training guidance. Each trainer creates a custom menu and provides guidance so that the client can accurately reach their goals . In the midst of all this, the most important thing is to "not harm the client's health."
At our Daikanyama store, where customers are primarily looking to lose weight, we work with a registered dietitian to manage their meals and provide diet advice from qualified dietitians . Rather than focusing on "how to maximize weight loss," we focus on "whether body fat percentage and weight loss are within a healthy range," and provide thorough guidance to help customers avoid rebound .
Set a period and combine carbohydrate restriction with exercise.
Treatment at E-Stretch Daikanyama
(Takada) If you don't get to the root of the problem with your diet, you'll lose weight and then rebound over and over again. By the way, how do you manage your diet with a registered dietitian?
(Fukuhara) Using the dietary advice of industry-leading Rizap as a model case, we provide dietary management/guidance by registered dietitians from affiliated companies. In our specialized diet programs, we not only ask for reports of the meals eaten that day, but also provide mental care tailored to the client's motivation and provide useful daily information.
For clients who have reached their diet goal, we can provide advice on how to prevent rebound and continue to provide dietary guidance from a registered dietitian.
(Takada) Regarding dietary management, what are your thoughts on carbohydrate restriction ?
(Fukuhara) Carbohydrates are one of the three major nutrients and are essential for the body, so excessive carbohydrate restriction for those who do not have chronic illnesses may not be good for the body. However, while the intake balance of the three major nutrients recommended by the Japan Society for the Study of Obesity is 60% carbohydrates, 25% fat, and 15% protein, Japanese people, who tend to consume too much carbohydrate, seem to consume more than 70% carbohydrates.
I think that restricting your carbohydrate intake from excessive to an appropriate level is necessary for your health. It's not just about restricting your intake, it's also a good opportunity to gain knowledge so that you can make better choices about your future meals.
If you are restricting carbohydrates for the purpose of weight loss, I would like you to set a period of time such as two months, take in plenty of fats and high-quality protein, combine it with exercise to prevent muscle loss, and put your health first . After that, do not suddenly return to a diet that involves consuming carbohydrates, but rather return to low GI foods such as brown rice and buckwheat, which have a low blood sugar rise rate, while allowing your brain to remember the weight you have lost and preventing rebound.
(Takada) I see. What are your dietary preferences, Fukuhara-san?
(Fukuhara) In order to prevent a decline in basal metabolism, I make sure to eat three meals a day. The movement of internal organs such as the liver and kidneys is closely related to the energy consumption of basal metabolism, so I advise my clients to eat three meals a day to prevent their constitution from becoming prone to weight gain by activating the movement of their internal organs.
(Takada) It's interesting that e-stretch allows customers to choose a trainer based on their goals. What is your specialty, Mr. Fukuhara?
(Fukuhara) At e-stretch, we value the strengths and individuality of each trainer and assign them to trainers who match the client's goals. https://e-stretch.jp/staff My specialty is "dieting." I hold multiple diet-related qualifications and am also a member of the Japan Diet and Health Association, an association that promotes health and dieting. There is a strong trend of dieting = weight loss, but what is really necessary for dieting? Losing weight is not the answer, but rather we provide training guidance for body shaping with health and correct knowledge, as well as advice on diet and lifestyle habits, and we offer a teaching style that specializes in "healthy dieting."
(Takada) Please give some advice to people who are about to start dieting, people who are not good at exercise, people who are not good at restricting their food intake, and people who can't stay motivated to diet!
(Fukuhara) → For those who are about to start a diet
I would like you to think of health as your first priority, not "dieting = losing weight". Even if you are light in weight, if you look unhealthy, you will not be beautiful. Don't get caught up in the number of weight, but try to improve your body fat and posture and see how much your appearance has changed.
Keep in mind that there is no good in doing too much of anything, so set reasonable goals and work towards them.
→ For those who are not good at exercise I am not good at exercise, but I am not good at exercise either. In fact, there are many trainers in the fitness industry who are not good at exercise. As a trainer who was not good at exercise, I can understand the feelings of those who cannot do it. If you think you are not good at exercise, please try exercising with someone.
It'll be fine as long as you go at a pace that suits you.
→ For those who are not good at restricting their diet Suddenly setting an excessive dietary restriction as a goal will not work. First, try changing one of your daily meals, such as replacing white rice with brown rice, or choose the right seasonings, such as replacing sugar with maple syrup. The secret is to eat "delicious, reasonable meals" by choosing foods with a low GI value, an index that indicates the rise in blood sugar level.
→Motivation for dieting
The best thing to do is to set clear goals and measure your progress towards them. For example, you could take before and after photos regularly to see how your appearance changes. If you just exercise randomly, you will eventually lose motivation if you don't have a goal. Once you achieve a short-term goal, set the next one and update your goals daily. (Takada) Thank you. Regarding Fusubon, which is also sold at e-stretch, how has the reaction been? (Fukuhara) The most popular ones are the salted butter roll and the rum raisin cream cheese with organic coconut . Many people buy them not only for themselves, but also as souvenirs, and there are repeat customers. They are delicious, low in sugar, and rich in nutrients such as protein, so many people eat them for breakfast. We have also heard that they feel uneasy if they don't have them in the freezer . (Takada) Thank you!
Finally, what are your thoughts on the future of the fitness world and fitness gyms, and the future of e-stretch? (Fukuhara) Currently, the fitness population in Japan is very small at around 3%, and only a small proportion of people are involved. We would like to spread this to more people and have as many people as possible become more positive about health. In order to promote health, I feel that the theme of the fitness and health industry is to create a system and environment that is welcoming to everyone. As for the future, we aim to expand the e-stretch brand so that we can approach the needs of many potential customers. (Takada) Thank you for today!
Interior view of E-Stretch Daikanyama
<< Fukuhara Souken Profile >>
Manager of e-stretch Daikanyama Started working as a fashion model and magazine model when she was a teenager.
After that, he worked in interior sales and manufacturer sales before joining a fitness-related company as a manager. He provides stretching and training guidance to customers. He mainly works with dieting customers, proposing healthy diets and receiving more than 50 nominations per month. As a member of the Japan Diet and Health Association (JDHA), he provides healthy diets and acts as an advisor.
■ Qualifications
○Japan Diet and Health Association Diet Certification Level 2 Lifestyle Advisor
○ Japan Diet and Health Association Diet Certification Level 1 Professional Advisor
○ Japan Diet and Health Association Certified Instructor
■Magazine appearances
Sparkle! (kirari)
BiDan (B-ST)
ChokiChoki
CanCam
Smart Special Edition
FINE BOYS Special Edition
YOU SUIT (Men's Knuckle Special Edition)
CUITiE
andGIRL
Men's PREPPY
Over 100 other magazines
Lastly, the stretches recommended by the Fusubon Daikanyama store manager
Stretching from Ichiro's routine
It is commonly referred to as "shoulder stretching" and some people may be able to imagine it as "the stretch famously associated with Ichiro."
Shoulder stretch
The reason why I introduced this stretch is
・Can be done standing up so you can do it anywhere ・Can stretch many areas at once ・Can be done in a fun and continuous manner as it is a typical stretch used by Ichiro
That's it.
For the basic method, I would like to introduce the following video: Shoulder Stretch by personal trainer Somei Kobayashi
Shoulder stretching allows you to comfortably stretch a wide range of areas including your shoulders, back, hips, and hip joints.
The key is to stretch a wide range of areas, so be aware of where you are stretching .
It can be used not only in everyday life, but also as a warm-up for golf, running, and other sports.
You can do this while standing, so try it during your break at home or at work .
Here we have introduced one type of stretching, but stretching has the effect of increasing your range of motion and raising your basal metabolic rate, so why not incorporate stretching into your daily routine and work together to create a flexible body?
You're sure to become healthier by limiting carbohydrates using Fusubon + moderate exercise + stretching!
see you!
