Bod Pod – Body Composition Testing
With this body composition test you will learn the amounts of fat and lean tissue that make up your weight, facilitating sensible decisions regarding nutrition and exercise programs. You will get the "whole picture" of what's really going on with your body, and rationally plan your improvements.
Based on the same whole-body measurement principles as hydrostatic weighing, the BOD POD employs patented air displacement technology instead of a water dunk. Subjects sit comfortably inside the capsule while computerized pressure sensors determine the amount of air displaced by their body. This test is very accurate, safe, and quick, with a complete analysis taking under 10 minutes.
|Bod Pod pricing||Members||Non-members|
|Set of 3 tests||$90||$120|
Why Body Composition is Important
Body Composition is a leading indicator of health. Body composition (percent fat and lean) reflects the results of both physical activity and nutritional practices. Body weight alone can be misleading. The scale cannot differentiate between a pound of fat and a pound of muscle. Over time, people tend to gain fat and lose muscle without any obvious change in their weight. While we do need a certain amount of fat in our body for good health, excess body fat is proven to increase the risk of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. On the other hand, too little body fat can also pose a number of serious health risks, especially for women.
Not All Weight is Created Equal
Our bodies can be divided into two main components - fat and lean mass. Fat comes in two types. "Essential fat" is necessary for our normal body functions. "Storage fat" is the extra fuel we store under the skin and around organs. Lean mass primarily consists of muscle, the major "metabolic" engine of the body, and skeleton. The more muscle in our body, the more calories we burn, even when we are resting. Although we often make reference to being "overweight", having excess body weight and excess body fat are two completely different things. Indeed fat and muscle differ in an important way - muscle is much denser than fat. So a pound of fat takes up 18% more volume than a pound of muscle. Therefore, lean and muscular individuals can have high body weight without any excess body fat.