Sunday, 15 March 2009

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Review | Sundayobserver.lk - Sri Lanka
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‘Otone’ to make shaping up fun

Otara launches personalised fitness boutique at ODEL:

Providing personalised fitness training to health and body-shape conscious individuals has become the latest project of Otara Gunewardene, Sri Lanka’s celebrity fashion and style entrepreneur with the launch of `Otone’, a personalised fitness training facility.

A section of the Otone Gym

Located at Odel’s landmark Alexandra Place outlet, the new facility which opened on March 6, is designed to cater to the individual needs of fitness seekers of all ages, and is equipped and furnished to provide personal fitness training including aerobics, cardio kick boxing, massage, boot camps and children’s fitness programs.

The training programs at Otone include general fitness, weight loss, body toning, sports conditioning, performance and corrective exercises.

Its group exercise classes include `Otone Kick out’, a high calory-burning total body conditioning workout, `Otone Boot out’, a motivation group workout using simple accessories such as cones, tyres, ladders and obstacles and utilises one’s own body weight, and `Otone Sporty Kids’ to get children out of harmful lifestyles and improve their coordination, flexibility, speed and balance.

“Being fit and staying in shape has always been an essential part of my life. However, I discovered that working out on my own did not give me results. Working out with a trainer with a program tailor made for me was what changed the shape of my body and gave me the results I wanted. This is what I am sure many others realise as well and that is why I have come up with this concept,” says Otara Gunewardene, founder and CEO of ODEL.

“The most important aspect of this facility is its privacy and its personalised services, which are uncommon with other standard gyms”. “Keeping fit can be tedious and boring, but our approach will be to make it fun and unconventional, achieving results together with physical and mental balance”, Gunewardene added.

She said that once it becomes interesting, people will not look at fitness training as a hassle but take it as an enjoyable daily activity which will help them to make a difference to their body shape.

To be run by Ranil Harshana, a highly qualified fitness specialist, the new facility at ODEL which occupies, 2,100 square feet of space, can offer performance training and general or specialised training to adults and children. It also offers group or individual training, covering eight year old children to business executives, college level athletes to Olympic athletes.

Otone uses simple yet effective functional equipment such as medicine balls, speed ladders, tyres, punching and kicking bags, free weights, power plates, speed chutes and other sports conditioning equipment, to achieve results.

Otara Gunewardene, Founder and
CEO of ODEL opens Otone

According to Harshana, Otone will also help people with postural problems and those needing rehabilitation after illness or accidents. “Otone can takeover when a physiotherapist completes treatment and can also provide customers with access to experts in sports medicine as well as Rheumatology,” he said.

Ranil Harshana who has 10 years experience in the fitness industry, possesses a Diploma in Fitness and Nutrition from the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and is also certified in personal training and group fitness, fitness therapy.

He has received specialised certifications in sports conditioning, performance enhancement and corrective exercises from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), National Academy of Sports medicine, International Sports Science Association (USA), and Performance Training Academy (UK).

A former fashion model and the founder and CEO of Sri Lanka’s unique department store ODEL, Otara is also the owner of `Backstage’ and ‘ Six Runs’ brands. Backstage is a brand name encompassing a wide range of trendy ladies jewellery and fashion accessories that has fired the imagination of Sri Lankan women.

Six Runs is a brand for an extensive range of items including sports and casual wear and fun accessories at value-for-money prices.


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