New year new bod...pod

As the new year approaches, the Body Composition Machine, or Bod Pod, is a tool that can be utilized to begin a new fitness journey or validate results from an on-going one. 

Located in the Health Promotions office at the Peterson gym, the Bod Pod gauges body composition more accurately than just a scale. It uses air displacement to differentiate between fat and other mass such as muscles, organs and bones in order to calculate your total body fat. The entire process only takes about 10 minutes. 

“The Bod Pod is a great tool,” said Samantha Nielsen, Peterson Health Promotions registered dietician. “It can be a great motivator, or it can be used as a guideline. It’s completely up to the individual.”  

During their visit, customers change into the appropriate attire before stepping into the Bod Pod. Women must wear compression shorts and a sports bra and men must wear compression shorts. A one-piece swimsuit is also acceptable. A swimming cap will be provided by the technician. 

Next the participant steps on a scale to get their base-line weight. During that time, the Bod Pod will be calibrated to ensure the most accurate results possible. After two or three 45-second readings the customer will receive their printed results to review with a technician. 

Technicians recommend no smoking, eating, drinking or working out three to four hours before a reading in order to accurately estimate a resting metabolic rate.  

For more in-depth advice, one-on-one nutrition appointments can also be made with the Health Promotions office. 

Any DoD ID holder can utilize the Bod Pod as often as they’d like. The walk-in hours for the Bod Pod are Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:15 – 9:15 a.m. and Thursdays from 3:30 – 4:15 p.m.  

For more information on the Bod Pod, contact the Health Promotions office at 719-556-4292.