My InBody Experience
By Dena Boucher
The new year is approaching, thank goodness. For many, this is a time to assess the past year and look ahead to the goals we wish to achieve in the next. I’m not one who typically makes New Year’s resolutions beyond my two ever-present goals of correcting my posture and finding more opportunities to wear leather pants. That said, I’m always trying to improve my physical fitness. The new year is a perfect time to recommit to my fitness and nutrition goals.
I should point out that I am a data geek. I love science. I love evidence-based programs and practices. I count macros and weigh my food. I track workouts and lifts. I could tell you exactly how much I weighed on this day twelve years ago. I like data and all the ways to measure and track it. I recognize that these practices are not feasible for everyone, but they seem to suit me.
Last week I had the opportunity to be measured by the gym’s new InBody scanner. I will just say, uncoerced, that we are incredibly lucky to be members of a gym that recognizes the importance of investing in state-of-the-art equipment for the benefit of our community. The InBody scanner truly raises our gym and nutrition program to the next level. You’ll be hearing more about it in the weeks to come. In the meantime, I wanted to let you know a bit about my experience.
Being the data geek that I am, you can be assured that I have a body fat scale at home. It has been reasonably helpful to me as it relates to watching the changes over time. I’ve never been under the illusion that the body fat percentage it gives is accurate. I’ve taken the approach of watching the trends rather than taking the number as the gospel truth.
When I scheduled my InBody scan, I was surprised by how nervous I was to see the real numbers in black and white. Guys…this thing is incredible. It can tell you how much your right arm weighs to within one one-hundredth of a pound. Seeing my body fat in both pounds and percentages as well as the location on my body of said pounds was a bit terrifying to me. Still…it’s data and I had to have it!
The scan itself is super easy. There’s no need to strip down with the exception of socks and shoes. Your height will be measured. You’ll wipe your hands and feet with a moist towelette (I recommend doing it in that order) and then you’ll step on the scale. There are sensors for your arms which you’ll hold out away from your body. The whole thing takes about fifteen seconds which gives you an opportunity to check out Alex’s firefighter calendar photo on the wall. It’s a rather pleasant experience all around.
The results are immediate and you’ll definitely want to utilize the knowledge of the nutrition coach in reviewing your first scan. As I mentioned, there’s a great deal of information to go through and decipher. I won’t bore you with all the details of my results, but I will say that my apprehension was unfounded. I think that many of us, when we think about the scan, are mostly focused on the body fat numbers. Certainly that is an important component, but the scan has so much more to offer. In addition to the body fat breakdowns, it also shows your muscle mass in segments which can help you identify imbalances and weaknesses. It quantifies your body water balance which can help you see if there is inflammation that needs to be addressed.
Probably the most interesting component for me was the basal metabolic rate. This is the number of calories that your body needs to simply survive at rest. Online calculators give you a guess based on height and weight, but this machine can find your true BMR based on your unique body composition. The bottom line for me was that I was not eating enough to keep my body functioning at its highest level. Armed with this new data, I was able to adjust my macros to more appropriate levels without feeling guilty.
I highly recommend that everyone takes advantage of this incredible resource we have available to us. I know that it can be daunting, but if you go into it with the mindset that your first scan is a baseline, it can be very useful. If you’re new to CrossFit, this is a perfect time to see where you stand. A rescan in a few months will be an affirmation that your hard work is paying off. If you’ve been an athlete for some time now, a scan can help you assess your current level and help you tailor your exercise and nutrition going forward so you can reach new goals.
Let’s enter 2021 equipped to make it the healthiest year yet. We have the resources, expertise, and support within our gym walls to achieve great success in our health and fitness journeys. I can’t wait to see what milestones we all can reach in the new year.