Is body composition impeding your performance goals? Find out with the Bod Pod!

By Causenta Wellness

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Nearly two decades into the 21st century, it is widely accepted that technology makes life easier, better, and more fun. We can communicate in more ways, globally, and literally at the touch of a button. We can stream our favorite shows from basically anywhere. We can even participate in a conference or class taking place across the country!

Medical technology has also made leaps and bounds and has a variety of uses in diagnostics, treatment, and maintenance for people looking to improve their health.

Dr. Tom Incledon, Founder & CEO of Causenta, is always on the hunt for state-of-the-art technologies that will help his patients live their best lives. And, he often uses himself as the guinea pig – so to speak – before he brings a tool to Causenta.

“I like to know that what I am telling my patients I can truly verify and speak to what they will experience and the results they can expect,” he says. “Obviously, each person is different and has a unique genetic makeup that will make things differ, but I want to be able to say ‘in my experience. …'”

We Treat the Unique You

One critical fact about the process at Causenta is that our team looks at each individual and creates a customized treatment plan that will best achieve their wellness goals.

That can vary from a pro athlete looking to bolster his stamina and reach top performance goals to a cancer patient wanting to decrease the side effects from chemotherapy and boost the quality of life.

When we meet with patients, we really listen to their concerns, understand the steps they have taken before coming to us, and then perform any necessary tests to get a baseline from which we can begin making recommendations for that person.

One such tool that might be employed in the discovery stage is the Bod Pod. It might look like a spaceship, but it actually helps measure body composition or the amount of body fat someone has

Why does that matter? Knowing the amount of fat in someone’s body can actually help Causenta’s holistic team of care providers develop diets and exercise plans that will be best suited for an individual’s health and performance goals.

This core understanding of your body composition can also help us measure the effectiveness of an exercise regimen, nutrition plan, or other treatment strategy.

How does the Bod Pod work?

The Bod Pod uses extremely advanced technology to combine specific measurements of your weight and volume to determine body composition. The egg-shaped chamber uses air displacement technology to calculate volume.

It is fast, easy, noninvasive, and is considered very accurate with results within 2 percentage points. The Bod Pod can be used for a variety of patient types, including children, elderly, obese, or disabled individuals.

The standardized scale, which you step on first, is connected to the Bod Pod and gives the first data point.

Then, the cylinder, which is standardized to measure volume, comes into play. The cylinder is attached to the Bod Pod and, once you are inside, determines how much space you take up in the chamber.

The weight and volume measurements are then calculated to determine body composition or the amount of body fat you have. Because of the quality of the machine and its measurements, it provides excellent repeatability and tracking, especially for those looking to reach performance goals.

Why is body composition an important measurement?

Body composition is one of the best indicators of overall health. This is true for those looking to reach performance goals or simply to prevent disease and maintain overall health.

And, just because you’re skinny, doesn’t mean you have a healthy body composition, which takes into account the percentage of fat compared to fat-free mass (muscle, bone, and water) in your body. What you want is to have a healthy fat-to-muscle ratio.

Having a normal or healthy amount of body fat can decrease your risk for certain diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, metabolic disease, and osteoporosis. A healthy body composition can also:

• Decrease stress
• Increase energy levels
• Improve cognitive function
• Enhance the performance of day-to-day activities

Body Composition and Nutrition

For patients looking to lose weight, understanding your body composition can help our team of nutritionists design a meal plan for you that will help you efficiently achieve your goals.

“In general, I recommend people eat a diet full of colorful fruits and vegetables, paired with lean proteins,” says Incledon. “But, the number of calories per day, as well as how those are broken down into proteins, carbohydrates, fat, and fiber will vary from person to person.”

Body Composition and Exercise

Most of the time when you lose weight, you don’t only lose body fat, you also lose some muscle. This can be problematic for athletes who are trying to reach certain performance goals.

When our team understands your body composition, we can help you design an exercise regimen that will help you achieve your performance goals while maintaining as much muscle mass as possible.

We will also recommend additional sessions in the Bod Pod to ensure you are keeping a healthy body composition.

“We believe in measuring the effectiveness of the technology tools we use,” says Incledon. “Before and after various strategies are employed, we evaluate every patient to determine if what we are doing is working for them. We never want to have someone performing certain exercises that are unnecessary and not helping with their overall health and performance goals.”

Take control of your health!

By being proactive and taking control of your wellness, you can decrease your risk of developing diseases and make it easier to achieve your performance goals.

Understanding your body composition and how it relates to your overall health can be a key step toward long-term health.

If you are interested in learning more about a customized wellness program, including access to our state-of-the-art technology tools such as the Bod Pod, schedule a complimentary 30-minute consultation today. Our caring team is looking forward to helping you achieve your performance goals and feel your best!