The Bod Pod is a small, portable chamber that can detect small changes in body fat and lean body mass. Stefanie Mundil, health and wellness education instructor, said the tool determines fairly accurate numbers in body composition.
“The Bod Pod conducts an important test for our exercise science and personal training students to be able to administer body composition, which serves as one of the best markers to determine general physical condition,” she said. “Since we can complete this testing on ‘almost anyone,’ we don’t need to limit our testing to those individuals who are healthy or fit, or need to choose a different body composition test that has a higher standard of error.”
COSMED, the manufacturer of the device, reports that the Bod Pod is the “gold standard” in body composition tracking as it uses the entire body with air displacement to estimate composition (fat percentage) from body density in adults and children with a standard error rate of +/- ½-percent. Testing consists of two-to-three trials inside the chamber, each last lasting 30-40 seconds in duration. COSMED said a full test takes approximately five-minutes, and provides accurate, safe, comfortable, and fast test results.
Mundil said the Bod Pod allows students to complete body composition on each individual in the class, as well as educate them on the importance of a healthy body composition percentage to aid in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke.
“The Health, Physical Education, and Recreation Department is so excited to have this tool available for our students. It not only is able to test body composition with amazing accuracy, but also assists in preparing our exercise science and personal training students with practical experience when entering the workforce, or continuing on with their education.”
Mundil said Northeast is the only community college in Nebraska to use the Bod Pod in its classes.
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PHOTO CUTLINE
Katelyn Cook, Coleridge, (left) and Christopher Stutzman, McCool Junction, monitor fellow health, physical education and recreation student Terri Mitteis, Neligh, (center) who is sitting inside a Bod Pod as part of a demonstration of the new tool at Northeast Community College this spring. “The Bod Pod conducts an important test for our exercise science and personal training students to be able to administer body composition, which serves as one of the best markers to determine general physical condition,” said Stefanie Mundil, health and wellness education instructor.