Bod Pod challenges Team Goodfellow

  • Published
  • By Kathy Viau, MS, RD, CSSD
  • Health Promotion Dietitian
GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas-- --  Today's to do list: back massage, push-ups, crossword puzzle, power yoga, eat clean, sit ups. What? How? A new Spa on Goodfellow? Negative! These are just a few of the activities that participants of the recent Bod Pod Challenge managed to fit into their work day.

Coordinated by the Health and Wellness Center, here, the Bod Pod Challenge was a friendly competition between four person teams of base personnel, spouses. For eight weeks, Bod Pod participants logged their daily time spent in fitness, healthy eating and stress management activities and were awarded points for their efforts. All participants agreed to be Bod Pod 'tested' before and after the challenge.

Looking like it was acquisitioned from NASA, the Bod Pod is a large, egg shaped device that measures a person's body composition - specifically the percentage of body fat and percentage of fat free mass.

Bod Pod measurements are a great way to track how well a person's efforts pay off when he tries to lose weight - in a healthy way - by losing actual body fat and not just weight in pounds.

A person may be successful at losing weight measured by a scale, but many times that weight loss comes at the expense of fat free mass, mainly muscle. If an individual goes on a diet, cuts back on calories, but does not add an exercise or strength training component to their new regimen, they may lose weight but it may not all be fat. Some of that weight loss may be muscle. That individual would show a total body weight decrease, but their body fat percent would actually increase.

The idea behind the Bod Pod Challenge was to get participants out of their comfort zone in the three components - fitness, eating healthy and stress management . It was left up to the team members to find ways to integrate these aspects into their daily/weekly routines. The participants' goal was not just to win, but to improve their overall health while taking them on a journey they may otherwise not have embarked. The ultimate goal is to make these changes for a lifetime not just a few months.

"I have been trying for years to improve my weight and eating habits and it wasn't until I finally entered a competition that I became focused," said Staff Sgt. Emmanuel Perez, 316th Training Squadron instructor, and the overall male winner of the challenge. "There were times I felt I worked out enough but in reality I did not and therefore I had to overcome my laziness."

Ah, the mindset of a champion.

Rhonda Stagner, a 17th Training Wing spouse, and the overall female champion, had different goals in mind.

"I wanted more energy for my children and to surprise my husband when he returns home from deployment with how much better I feel," she said. "I needed to improve myself; having my family plus a whole team to do this for helped make me a champion."
Ms. Stagner's accomplishment is proof positive that if you want something bad enough you will make the time and sacrifice to make it happen.

This is the second Bod Pod Challenge the HAWC has initiated this year. The fitness and stress management components were self-directed - participants simply wrote down what stress management techniques they utilized, such as deep breathing or bubble baths, and how that reduced their stress. They also tracked how much time they spent in exercise. Completing daily push ups and sit ups to muscle fatigue gave extra points. It is the total team points throughout the eight weeks that contributes to being crowned Challenge Champions.

The healthy eating component was the same for everyone but differed from week to week and became progressively harder as the weeks went on. From drinking only water for their liquid intake in week one, to eating foods with no artificial sweeteners in week five, to eating foods with no added colors, preservatives, or HFCS in week eight, participants were challenged to really think about and examine their food choices. Not an easy thing to do when processed foods are available on a whim and choosing 'cleaner' foods takes a more disciplined commitment to a healthier lifestyle.

This season's Bod Pod Challenge had 22 teams entered and 14 teams finished strong. The overall team winners, calling themselves the "Bod-acious Babes," truly deserved their championship plaques. Each team member lost body weight and body fat - indicating a gain in lean body mass/muscle.

Bod-acious Babe team member Army Staff Sgt. Caitlin Beckles, 344th Military Intelligence Battalion, attributes the team's success to their commitment to the challenge, their commitment to each other and their commitment to themselves.
"I believe our team won because we encouraged one another, had a great leader and we were all motivated," she said. " We all had a goal in mind and for the most part we all met our goals."

Even though the Bod Pod Challenge awarded championship plaques and medals, this is one competition where everyone comes out a winner in knowledge, insight and healthier habits - not just for eight weeks, but hopefully a lifetime.

The HAWC expects to host another Bod Pod Challenge in 2012 and in the meantime, Bod Pod testing is available to anyone, anytime during the day at the HAWC. There are specific instructions necessary for accurate testing so it is necessary to call 24 hours ahead to set up an appointment.

Call 654-3242 for the Mathis Fitness Center or 654-5962 for the HAWC.