Freedom Aquatic and Fitness Center Attack the Fat Challenge has participants competing, laughing, joking
The Freedom Aquatic and Fitness Center’s Attack the Fat Challenge is teaching participants that the weight loss process can be fun. Program Director Robin Frey says the team aspect of the program allows them to approach weight loss from a new perspective.
While Attack the Fat participants go into the program expecting to lose weight, what they don’t expect is how much fun they’re going to have doing it.
“They have fun because they’re connecting with each other,” Frey said. “They’re laughing and they’re joking.”
Participants form teams that record group weight loss numbers in order to compete with the other teams.
Frey says that this forces members to encourage and help teammates follow their weight loss goals. She adds that the team aspect means trainers must also develop new ways to approach participants.
“Instinctually what happens when you get a group of people together, you’re going to see different personalities evolve,” she said. “And as a trainer they have to take each person even though it’s a group and individually get the best they can.”
Frey says that she tries to explain to people that there are different types of fitness programs and that Attack the Fat is a weight loss driven program.
“This is specifically for anyone who has a desire to lose some weight,” she says. “We try to look at it as a long-term process where we’re going to affect their health and their wellness and get them in a pattern of understanding the importance of exercise and how to fit it into your lifestyle, how to make it part of your life long term.”
The weight loss focus and group dynamic gives the program a reputation, Frey says.
“We have a lot of people that repeat it. Not necessarily because they can’t lose weight but because they lost and want to maintain or they have a lot of weight to lose.”
The Attach the Fat Challenge runs for eight weeks. Contact the Freedom Aquatic and Fitness Center for more information.
