FORT CAVAZOS, Texas – Service members can now get help achieving health and fitness goals by using the Body Composition machine, or Bod Pod, on a walk-in basis pilot program from 1-3 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Fort Cavazos Armed Forces Wellness Center.
The Bod Pod is now approved by the Army as a supplemental way to measure body fat, and the AFWC has made this time available for service members.
 
The service is also available for eligible veterans and family members, and the pilot will determine if the AFWC needs make it available on other days. 
 
“Initial consultations allow health educators and the individual to discuss health and wellness goals, dietary and exercise habits, limitations, and injuries to gain an understanding of the person, and the ability to help design a program that will benefit them more,” said Mark Buley, senior health educator, Fort Cavazos Armed Forces Wellness Center.
 
We couple that with metabolic and fitness testing and other programs that we have to offer, come up with a program for the individual – whether that’s changing up dietary habits or exercise routines – they implement the program, and we follow up with the Bod Pod, so we can assess change, he added.  
 
“[It] gives me a healthy perspective on whether I’ve made progress on meeting my goal, which is to lose weight,” said Sgt. Shelby Keller, apache maintainer, 615 ASV, 1CD. “It’s a good snapshot of where I’m at with my fitness.”
 
Buley also recommends eliminating the amount of processed foods that we consume from our diets by adding things that you cook at home and adding more whole foods instead of packaged foods.
 
“Most of the clients that we see are working on weight loss and body fat reduction, so we would do the Bod Pod and get the base line, do metabolic testing, which gives us your resting metabolic rate,” said Buley.
 
Your resting metabolic rate is your base line for calorie consumption and once obtained allows educators to show the individual how much they should be eating and even break it down into macro nutrients, work with them on nutrient timing and all facets of nutritional habits, with the end goal being to work on behavioral change by adopting healthier eating habits that are sustainable and not just a crash diet, so our program is set up to work with the individual for the long haul, he added.
 
For more information visit the AFWC located at 657 Wratten Drive BLDG 36031, Fort Cavazos, Texas, or call 254-553-6196.