Bod Pod

Getting prepped

Every once in awhile, I do some things that even I think are a little odd. So what did I do this time? Well, my friend Emily sent out a message about the Bod Pod. It’s one of the two options the Powder Blue folks had suggested doing to really, accurately check your body fat. Doing weight/height ratios work okay, but they don’t take into account being a woman or the fact that muscle weighs more than fat or any number of other items. This magical egg shaped machine does all of those things.

Ready to go

So, when Emily sent out her email saying that she was going to do this, did anyone else want to go, I jumped at the chance. I scheduled a dentist appointment and then set about to try and find this building. It worked out well because you aren’t supposed to eat or drink for about two hours before the test starts. It’s in a building on the Bozeman campus that is hard to find and was made even harder by road construction. Then, you go into one of the older buildings on campus, down into a basement with no windows and freaky pipes that run across the ceiling (perfect ax murderer atmosphere) to get to a very small room that pretty much only has the Bod Pod in it.
You get into your bathing suit (eek!) and put on a swim cap (hair can affect the test.) Then, the researcher calibrates the machine by putting a weight in the machine and running all of the tests (running air through the egg to compare overall mass to the weight). The calibration thingy is something like 50 kilos and shaped like a round wastepaper basket (but is solid). Listening to the Thup-thup-thup of the machine is  a little intimidating but it seemed fun.

Trying, so very hard, not to laugh

So, they start by putting you on a scale to get your weight. Fun. Then, you sit in the egg and they close the door. Next, you have to sit very, very still. Now those of you who know me, know how hard this is. I am extremely prone to getting the giggles which make my whole body shake. The fact that you’re sitting in a giant egg, feeling changes in pressure, and then there’s this noise that sounds like someone panting over your shoulder makes it very, very hard not to burst out laughing, much less not giggle. I was afraid of some claustrophobia but there’s a large window so you can look out into the world.
Overall, the Body Fat percentage was a little disappointing. I’ve been doing so much Turbo lately, that I really felt like I was in better shape than that. Really, there are three areas that I need to work on (cardio is just fine). Two are kind of the same: Fewer sweets/Less sugar and Better willpower. The third is more strength training. I think that adding these three things to my action list will help me get to within the parameters of a “healthy” body.