SORANO SPA Manager Hirotaro Fukuhara
“To value not only physical health but also the approach for healing the mind”
After completing the Master’s Program in Health Science at the Osaka Kyoiku University, his over 25-year career includes management of fitness clubs at major hotels, coaching numerous swimmers, and participating in various sports such as triathlons.
In recent years, he has put into practice a program that emphasizes functional improvement and has made every effort to maintain the health and healthy lifestyles of club members.
Preferred sports: Triathlon, handball, golf
EN
The concept at the SORANO HOTEL is Well-being – a wholesome experience to invigorate the mind and body.
An important facility for providing such experience is the SORANO SPA
where our dedicated team offers a variety of Well-being programs.
Kotaro Fukuhara, a professional who holds a Master’s degree in health science, is in charge of this facility. He joined the SORANO HOTEL because his lifework of building healthy minds and bodies perfectly matched the hotel’s Well-being concept.
On this Spa Program page, Hirotaro Fukuhara draws on scientific grounds and his knowledge and achievements accumulated over many years to introduce a personal training program with a focus on functional improvement for achieving a “body retreat”.
SORANO SPA Manager
Hirotaro Fukuhara
“To value not only physical health but also the approach for healing the mind”
The spa that I manage employs professionals from various fields, including physical therapists, occupational therapists, athletic trainers, and yoga instructors.
These experts draw on their specialties to provide lessons and conditioning in the SORANO SPA program.
I think it is important to think about Well-being together with our guests.
The goal is to provide a program that encourages everyone to feel energized in their bodies and minds.
The core program at the GYM STUDIO is the “conditioning program”,
which includes basic physical strength improvement for forming the base of the body, functional improvement for restoring body parts such as the lower back and knees,
and performance improvement of sports such as running, golf, and horseback riding.
I also highly recommend aquatic workouts using the amazing swimming pool on the top floor.
First Program
With the wonderful view and refreshing feeling under the great big sky,
just being at the Infinity Pool on the top 11th floor makes you feel good.
Using this iconic facility of the Sorano Hotel, the first program I’d like to introduce is aqua running and walking.
You can exercise comfortably as if running on a cloud.
These are very simple yet effective exercises that involve slowly running and walking in water.
You can effectively and comfortably increase your muscle strength as water is much more resistant than the air but at the same time does not strain your legs and feet like when you are on land.
This exercise is especially recommended if you are busy or feel that exercising is a drag.
You can expect a host of positive effects from these exercises, which are adopted by many athletes, including world-class athletes.
Although the program is simple, a habitual full body workout in the water has far-reaching benefits.
One of my trainees who continued this lesson twice a week for three years had great success. At one point, this individual developed lumbar spondylolysis and walked with a cane and could not exercise on land. However, doing modified running exercises with thigh-lifts in the water led to weight loss and alleviated lower back pain. What’s more is that this spa member no longer had to have surgery as the doctor said that the muscles of the psoas major group were strong enough to compensate for the damaged areas.
In this way, these simple exercises that do not require complicated skills can be continued without difficulty for excellent results. Please try these exercises for which I provide detailed explanations and tips (sorry for the lengthy explanations!).
Aqua Running 9 Points
Point 1Expected results of doing thigh-lifts in the water
Point 2Exercises that impact the body
Point 3Increasing metabolism for easier weight loss
Point 4Building muscle strength and physical energy
Point 5Tightening up the lower body
Point 6Simultaneously strengthening your upper body
Point 7Benefits of aquatic exercise
Point 8Breathing method
Point 9Detoxing your skin
Point 1Expected results of doing thigh-lifts in the water
Point 2Exercises that impact the body
Point 3Increasing metabolism for easier weight loss
Point 4Building muscle strength and physical energy
Point 5Tightening up the lower body
Point 6Simultaneously strengthening your upper body
Point 7Benefits of aquatic exercise
Point 8Breathing method
Point 9Detoxing your skin
Aquatic running using an “endless pool” is also practiced by a marathon runner who holds a new Japan record.
It is possible to measure muscle balance and develop an efficient running form.
Optimal exercises for adding spring to your body also prevent aging and increase the flight distance of golfers.
Above all, exercises as measures against muscle loss due to aging are necessary for all modern people.
I believe that safe and effective exercises that are done in a short amount of time are perfect for anti-aging.
HOW TO
Enter the pool twice a week and aim for 500 meters each time.
You may feel that it’s hard at first, so gradually increase the distance.
The distance can be short – just try for about 30 minutes.
At first, it’s okay to change your pace by going slowly one lap and going fast on the way back.
Go easy and hard – just continue without straining yourself.
I also recommend you to stay at the Sorano Hotel and try out our lessons.
We also offer group and private lessons and suggestions for combinations with other programs.
Second Program
Takashi Ichimizu
Qualifications
My main focuses – functional improvement and maintenance of a healthy lifestyle – are at the core of the Sorano Hotel’s Well-being concept.
With that said, I would like to introduce “conditioning”,
which is now gathering a great deal of attention for its new concept.
“Conditioning” refers to the entire process and actions, starting with understanding the current physical condition, that lead to the ideal desired condition.
In general, the purpose of personal training is to provide temporary effects such as muscle strengthening and dieting, while “conditioning” emphasizes sustaining an even healthier body. Each person’s objective (e.g, getting in shape, improving body balance, alleviating stiff shoulders and pain in the knees or lower back, improving functions, enhancing muscle strength) is inevitably achieved by restoring the inherent functions of each person’s body. We guide you based on medical findings and cater the program to each person to offer workouts that are effective for everyone from athletes to seniors, regardless of age and gender.
First, a body component analyzer called i-Body (3D body scanner) measures the inside of your body, such as muscle mass, fat mass, muscle balance, and body components (e.g., water, muscle mass, fat mass) that are not visible to the naked eye. Then, the movements of your body in terms of range of motion, stability, and interlocking of joints are measured, and from the results of these measurements, your body is conditioned with exercises proposed to improve individual body balance and strengthen weak areas.
Our trainers are a specialized team of mainly physical therapists. Personal training is available only by appointment.
At the Sorano Hotel, we were able to partner with Mr. Takashi Ichimizu (Representative of Greenfield Tachikawa which specializes in conditioning) and his team to provide personal training for our guests. Mr. Ichimizu is a trainer who is highly regarded as a leading expert in conditioning. He is also a physical therapist who has many internationally recognized personal training certifications. With many invitations across Japan to give lectures, we can say that conditioning is becoming an important aspect of modern fitness and personal training. Conditioning is central to personal training at the Sorano Hotel as well, and I hope that it will help hotel guests and spa club members to maintain their health.
HOW TO
1.
CounselingConsult with the trainer in advance about your body’s problem areas.
2.
3D Body ScanUse the latest device to evaluate body composition including body posture, muscle mass, and fat volume.
3.
Movement EvaluationDo simple movements such as bending forward and extending your limbs for motion analysis and range of motion measurements used to evaluate the habits of your body’s movements.
4.
FeedbackBy finding out your body’s current condition, you can find out what is necessary to achieve the ideal condition.
5.
Corrective ExerciseDo exercises necessary for alleviating stiffness in your body and improving your posture.
6.
Functional TrainingDo a solid workout using your entire body to regain your body’s freedom of motion.
Third Program
Tai chi, or taijiquan, is a health exercise with roots in Chinese martial arts. It is a comfortable workout for the mind and body based on the movements of Chen-style Taijiquan, the root of all forms of tai chi.
Tai chi helps you refresh your mind and body and rejuvenate your body with deep breathing, flowing movements, and occasional powerful steps using your lower body. It is a strain-free exercise that all people can participate in.
Warm
Stimulate each meridian
with each step
Loosen
Twist and massage
your entire body
Balance
Improve your sense of balance
Purify
Detox by shrinking
and stretching your body
Anti-aging
Strengthen your bones
by standing on one foot
Activate
Move your hands alternately
to awaken your brain
Calm
Coordinate your breathing and
motions to relax your mind
●Be conscious of each movement
●Loosen up
●Do circular motions
●Have an open mind
Movements
Movement.1Qǐ shì (起勢)
Movement.2Guān kōng (観空)
Movement.3Tī tuǐ (踢腿)
Movement.4Xià shì (下勢)
Movement.5Yún shǒu (雲手)
Movement.6Báihè liàng zhī yǔ (白鶴亮支羽)
Movement.1Qǐ shì (起勢)
Movement.2Guān kōng (観空)
Movement.3Tī tuǐ (踢腿)
Movement.4Xià shì (下勢)
Movement.5Yún shǒu (雲手)
Movement.6Báihè liàng zhī yǔ (白鶴亮支羽)
Advice for the Movements
●Breathing: Deep, slow abdominal breathing
●Posture and line of sight: Straighten your back and relax your muscles
●Movement and speed: Slow, circular motions
Fourth Program
The SORANO HOTEL is blessed with superb surroundings for experiencing the richness of the seasons, including the vast Showa Kinen Park spreading in front of the hotel.
Taking advantage of this location, I am looking forward to organizing a slow jogging program, inviting guests outside for a comfortable jog.
I believe that slow jogging is one of the most sought-after exercises for cardiopulmonary strengthening.
As boosting immunity has become more important nowadays, it is best to develop strong cardiopulmonary abilities and stronger bodies to increase immunity to new viruses. If infection cannot be avoided, you should make your body capable of recovery and not susceptible to severe symptoms. Exercise makes your body hungry for good nutritious food, which naturally leads you to deep sleep. The first step to take is exercise but not the strength training kind of exercise. What is ideal are full body exercises that help you strengthen your cardiopulmonary system – exercises like slow jogging and slow swims, which are slow, gentle on your body, and done over some period of time. They are low-impact aerobic exercises that do not produce active oxygen. Please join us early every Sunday morning as I teach you the ideal jogging form and tips to make slow jogging easy on your body. (This program is exclusively available to hotel in-house guests.)
Please contact us if you have any questions.