KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- The Health Promotion Flight has a new Bod Pod that can provide more information on body fat and metabolic rate to help Team Kirtland stay fit.
Health Promotion Manager Guy Leahy said the new Bod Pod can store data electronically in case someone loses their results and track trends for people who have multiple Bod Pod tests. Plus, it provides more accurate measures of resting metabolic rate, which indicates how many calories the body uses at rest, and has a new, special equation to give better results for African-American people.
It’s also easier to calibrate.
Anyone with base access can schedule a time for the Bod Pod test. Leahy said he allows 30 minutes for each test, but the person would spend about five minutes inside the pod.
“It’s a quantifiable way of being able to assess where you are,” he said.
Base dietitian Kirsten David said people could have a normal weight and still have too much body fat, making the Bod Pod more accurate than a scale. Leahy said it’s a better measurement than waist size, too.
The Bod Pod can also tell if someone has too little body fat, which can be dangerous.
If the test reveals a problematic body-fat percentage, Leahy and David can provide advice on fixing it. Both are certified to run the Bod Pod, and they plan to train two more people in the medical group to do so.
“We encourage everyone who wants to get their bod in our pod to talk to us,” Leahy said.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact Leahy at 846-1186 or guy.d.leahy.civ@mail.mil, or David at 846-1483 or kirsten.m.david.ctr@mail.mil.