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BodPod challenge a success

  • Published
  • By Brandice J. O'Brien
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Success! The Health and Wellness Center's first BodPod challenge was a hit. Nearly 40 participants tested themselves in a 12-week body composition and weight loss challenge. On average, participants lost 2 percent body fat, which is the equivalent of 8 to 16 pounds.

Introduced in early March, the challenge encouraged anyone with access to the base to have their individual lean muscle mass, body fat percentage and weight calculated. Last week, the measurements were recalculated allowing participants to see a change.

"More people came out than I thought would," said Chris Millsap, 72nd Aerospace Medicine Squadron Health and Fitness specialist. "And, we were able to direct people who needed further help to our classes and to the exercise physiologist, the exercise pro."

The BodPod is a 6-foot high and 4-foot deep machine that displaces air from the sealed pod to calculate an individual's lean muscle mass, body fat percentage and weight. The test takes roughly 15 minutes, which includes calibrating the machine to an individual and taking out the estimated weight in bones, so that the machine only recognizes the soft tissue -- muscle and body fat. A person needs to sit in the actual machine for only 90 seconds.

To sit in the machine, appropriate clothing is required. For women, it is a Lycra sports bra and spandex shorts or a one-piece bathing suit. Men should wear spandex shorts. Both genders were also given a swim cap to wear in the machine.

"I actually lost 9 pounds of lean body mass but my waist measurement stayed the same. I went up by 1.5 percent of body fat, but it was winter time and I knew there would be an increase," said Staff Sgt. Jordan Fitzgerald, of the 3rd Combat Communications Group, who was one of the challenge's 36 participants. "I'm indifferent to my results. I was expecting worse; if anything, it motivated me to push myself and clean up my diet and my lifestyle and get back on track. It showed me how my slacking on my diet and the effects of alcohol and poor training has affected me over time."

Sergeant Fitzgerald, a bodybuilder for the past three years, said he participated in the contest because he wanted to see how the effects of his diet on his lean body mass and overall body composition and how to tweak his diet for competition.

"I like the tracking. In bodybuilding we track absolutely everything and the BodPod is the best way to track your results," he said. "It also gives you good information like basal metabolic rate so if you do 'calorie counting' or diet planning it's really the most effective tool."

The sergeant said he intends to participate in the next challenge and hopes to lose more than 5 percent body fat.

While the BodPod performed an important part of the challenge, the responsibility of achieving individual goals fell on the participants.

"I tried to get them to go to the energy balance class. It's easy to exercise. Eating is the hardest part for most people," Mr. Millsap said. "You can undo an hour of workout in no time with just the wrong soda choice; or choosing soda over water.

"It's amazing, some people still think they can go to the gym and just work off their meal, but it's not like that," he said. "If you don't have the diet part down, you're just spinning your wheels."

Mr. Millsap said overall the challenge went well. But, by the next one, which starts in mid-June, there will be more emphasis on the classes. They include fitness and nutrition, weight loss and energy balance. During this cycle classes were offered once at the midway point of the 12-week period. Next time the classes will be offered once a month.
Mr. Millsap also said he anticipates the HAWC will host a BodPod challenge every 90 days.

For more information about the BodPod challenge, call 764-5660.