BodPod
 Body Composition Tracking System

What is the BodPod?
The BodPod Body Composition Tracking System is based on the same principle as underwater weighing, the accepted gold standard for measuring body composition. The only device of its type in the world, the BodPod uses a patented air displacement technology to provide highly accurate results more quickly and easily than the dunk tank. Best of all, no one gets wet! 

The BodPod test
A BodPod test is quick and easy. First, the person is weighed. Then he or she enters the BodPod and sits comfortably during three brief forty-second measurement periods. The BodPod uses computerized pressure sensors to determine the amount of air displaced by the person's body (larger people displace more air than smaller people). This is repeated to ensure accurate results. A complete test, with printed results, can be done in less than five minutes. Best of all, it's so easy for the person being tested!

Why use the BodPod?
Many methods, including bioelectrical impedance and skinfold calipers, have reported error rates of up to 8%. What this means is that if you have a body fat level of 20%, an inaccurate method could indicate your body fat as low as 12% or as high as 28%. It's no surprise that methods such as these can provide inaccurate and misleading information. Although no body composition measurement method can offer 100% accuracy, the BodPod Body Composition Tracking System provides accuracy within 1 to 2%. So whatever you do, be sure to select a method that will provide you with the accurate information needed for your good health.

Safety
The BodPod is the safest and most client-friendly of all methods used to measure body composition. There is no risk associated with underwater submersion, x-rays, electrical current, or pinching. Just sit inside the comfort of the BodPod while measurement takes place. It's that safe and easy.

Weight loss vs. Body-fat reduction
Americans have been watching their weight for many years. In fact, many millions have watched it go down and back up many times. We have grown to view the scale as the barometer of our appearance. In reality, the scale has nothing to do with the way we look. The only reason we use the scale is that it is the only way that we have to be able to check our progress in the war on weight.

Weight is not the issue. Your weight on the scale has nothing - absolutely nothing - to do with the problem. Is it weight you want to lose or is it fat you want to lose? Would you want to lose muscle that burns calories making the metabolism work more efficiently, powering the immune system, preventing osteoporosis? Is it water weight that you want to lose? Is it much needed bone tissue that should be wasted away? The answer is a resounding NO.

You wake up. Within thirty minutes you are on the scale weighing yourself. It is the same routine for many Americans. People are weighing themselves because of a misconception that weight indicates fatness. Anyone who is dieting in an effort to lose weight is actually interested in the reduction of body-fat. It is the fat that makes us too large.

Weighing ourselves is the misleading manner by which we gauge how fat we are. When you weigh yourself you way your hair, your bones, your teeth, your muscles, and your organs. In no way does your body weight reflect how fat you are. A loss of a pound may indicated less food in your stomach, less water retention than yesterday or it may be the loss of a pound of muscle because you starved yourself. It certainly does not mean you are any less fat.

Why measure body composition?
Body composition (percent fat and lean) is one of the best indicators of health - reflecting both physical activity and dietary practices. Over time, people tend to gain fat and lose muscle without an obvious change in their weight. Only by accurately measuring body composition will one learn the amount of fat and lean tissue that makes up their weight, enabling sensible decisions to be made regarding diet and exercise programs. Regular, accurate measurement of body fat and lean body mass can provide the feedback necessary to stay on top of what can be an ever-changing situation.

Our bodies can be divided into two main components - fat and lean mass. Although we need a certain amount of fat in our bodies to insure good health, excess body fat has been found to increase the risk of diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Lean mass, primarily consists of muscle, the major metabolic engine of the body. The more muscle in your body, the more calories you will burn (even when resting!).

With this in mind, it's considerably more important to measure body composition than weight. Whether you wish to improve health and appearance, measure the impact of weight loss/gain regimens, or fine-tune for top athletic performance, the BodPod can be the cornerstone of your program. The BodPod provides the concrete information on body fat and lean body mass that leaves the guesswork behind. No other method provides the combination of accuracy, speed, and safety found in the BodPod.

Preparing for your visit:
It is ESSENTIAL you wear form-fitting clothing during your measurement for accurate results. Ideally, a spandex, Lycra or other Speedo-type swimsuit is recommended. You may also wear spandex or Lycra compression shorts and lightweight sports bras. Since the BodPod is measuring the amount of air the person displaces, it is important that minimal clothing be worn.

It is recommended you do not exercise within two hours, nor eat or drink just prior to your BodPod measurement. Use the restroom, if necessary, before testing begins.

Privacy
When you visit our office for your BodPod testing you will be instructed by a staff member on the correct use of the machine and they will be available to answer any of your questions. You will then have the privacy of changing into appropriate clothing and performing the test on yourself. The BodPod computer will again instruct you on what to do to make sure that the test is performed correctly. Your results will show your fat percentage, fat weight, lean percentage, lean weight and total weight. These results will be printed for you to take home.