Checking my body fat percentage on our new Stayhealthy Kiosk
Several months ago I went in for my annual physical and noticed my blood pressure and chloresterol had started to rise. I had been watching it for several years while trying to change it with supplements but they didn’t seem to be helping. Having just been honored as a gymnast, and once in great shape, I was NOT about to go on medication!
I’ve been involved for many years as an investor in a company called Stayhealthy that builds body composition testing equipment. You can check out the website and products at www.stayhealthy.com. One of the neat things the company does is to let people put their own logo’s on the equipment, as in the case with our Fantasy of Flight kiosk shown. Stayhealthy kiosks have been in use by Lifestyles Gyms, the US Government, major Universities and Shopping Malls.
I recently purchased the latest Stayhealthy kiosk for use at Fantasy of Flight. It is currently set up in our employee break room but we soon plan to have it available for our customers in the Fantasy of Flight entrance area.
Not only does the kiosk check for color blindness, breathing rate, and blood pressure, it is also a scale and weighs you. And while all that’s nice, its main function is to check body composition. It not only tells you your body fat %, but your lean muscle mass %, as well as your hydration %, and graphs it over time on a very inexpensive membership website.
Using the equipment while on a diet gives you accurate information in real time which is also useful later for maintaining a long-term lifestyle. Body Composition Monitors (currently the BC-3) can purchased for around $300 and are the most accurate on the market. If you’re with a diet company, they usually supply them while you’re on their programs. While other companies make body composition equipment, ours is used by the professional diet companies. Stayhealthy has done lots of research over the years with major Universities and is at the cutting edge of the technology.
One of the things Stayhealthy has done, that no one else has, is come up with a method to replace the inaccurate and outdated BMI (body mass index) charts you see in the doctors office that use height and weight. Watch for our new Stayhealthy index in the future!
When the CEO of Stayhealthy told me he had lost 35 pounds since last January using our equipment, I signed up for the program! I thought, what a great way to check out my investment AND get healthy in the process! Boy was I in for a shock! I really got an education about the obesity problem we have in the United States. It’s not really about weight, which most major diets focus on, but body fat! It is not uncommon to be on the diet while beginning to exercise and notice no weight loss. That would normally be very frustrating but what’s cool is that with the equipment, you watch your body fat going down while your lean muscle mass is going up!
Once I got into the diet, I WANTED to work out! It was so cool to watch my body change before my eyes and I got excited about the whole process! There was plenty to eat and it completely changed the perception of what I now consume. I can’t believe how much crap there is out there. It’s sad really but once you educate yourself, you can easily stay healthy.
I thought I might lose ten pounds, maybe fifteen, with the hopes it would help my blood pressure. I began the diet at 196 lbs. and eventually dropped to a low of 165! That was about 25 pounds of body fat with my body fat percentage dropping from 24.5% to 12.8% in two months! I’m now off the diet and have maintained below 170 lbs. and 14% body fat! This included Thanksgiving and I am well within the healthy range. My blood pressure dropped from my doctor office visit of 144/90 to an average of below 120/80 with readings as low as 101/63! My Hydration went from 75% to over 80%! The really cool part is that you basically retrain your body how to metabolize what you eat by rebooting your pancreas and I’m beginning to eat stuff in moderation that I used to and my body just burns it up!
And I just missed my chance to run for Governor of California! (FYI – I’m wearing tucked in gym shorts)
While the diet I went on is not directly part of the Stayhealthy company, it is one of several companies that use and swear by our equipment. You can check out the diet I used at www.livewellus.com. Having dropped 25 lbs. I now feel like I’m dancing through life like a butterfly! I can’t believe how much unhealthy fat I had on me, mainly in my body cavity. And while I may not jump back on the high bar anytime soon, I now at least look as good as I did in my twenties!
It was probably the best health decision I ever made and I feel and look great! The only down side is I hate to shop . . . and now I need to go out and buy some new clothes!
Kermit