Tupac said it best when he said, “It’s time for us as a people to start makin’ some changes. Let’s change the way we eat, let’s change the way we live and let’s change the way we treat each other.” Well, it’s time for me to start making changes.
Years ago, when I did my first race, I was in the best shape of my life. Going to college, working out for three hours a day, single and homework. Life was pretty simple. Fast forward to now where my family is my number one and I am the last thing I think about. It’s time to start making some changes.
Scrolling on Facebook you see ads, suggested posts and sponsored posts. While scrolling on Facebook I noticed a sponsored post for University of Utah PEAK Health Center. They had an image of a guy in a pod that would tell him know his body composition. Since I wanted to get serious about getting back in shape, I decided to look into this.
I quickly called and scheduled an appointment. They asked if I would also be interested in doing an RMR (resting metabolic rate) test which would tell me what my daily intake of calories should be. Sounded good to me!
Walking in I was welcomed by the secretary, then quickly by the nicest guy working there. I wonder if they are so nice because your stress level is through the roof because of the results you’ll soon be getting, or it’s just the way they work.
After sitting at a table filling out paperwork we walked over the the pod. Body Composition is one of the best indicators of overall health. Accurate assessment of body composition (percent fat and percent lean) enables sensible decisions regarding nutrition and exercise programs. That is exactly what the Bod Pod does.
Sitting in the pod, not worried, but anxious to what my results were going to be, I slightly felt like Lady Gaga. My results printed and we went to discuss. Here is where my experience took a huge turn for the worse.
Looking over the paper in front of me, there were my numbers:
% Body FAT: 40.4%
% FAT FREE MASS: 59.65%
Body FAT MASS: 102.943 lb
FAT FREE MASS: 151.735 lb
Absolute fear and disgust came over my body. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be over 40% body fat. The good news I received from this, I had lost four pounds since I had last weighed myself.
Twelve years had passed since getting this type of test done. In that time I have gained 30% body fat and 67 pounds. It is time to make changes.
The thing was, I knew I wasn’t healthy. I knew it was time for me to start making some changes and this was going to be the start of my journey. But what did I need to do for that journey to start?
Well, here came the RMR test. I wanted to do this one because I had never tested my metabolism and wanted to know if it was high, normal or low. Clearly I want to have any excuse for why I was looking the way I was and a slow metabolism would be an easy one. Ten minutes of breathing into a tubed felt like forever. Here came my results: Just above normal. This was good because I didn’t have a slow metabolism, but it quickly knocked my excuse out the window.
What this test did tell me was that my resting metabolic rate is 2506 calories and my total energy output was 3517 calories. I now know that if I keep being active, keep my caloric intake around 2506 then I would lose weight in a healthy manner.
Would I recommend getting a bod pod screening done? In a heartbeat. Now I know what I have done to my body. Were they results I was happy with? Of course not, but that wasn’t what I thought was going to happen. I knew I wasn’t the fit kid I was 12 years ago, but I never expected this. But I can’t let it discourage me. This is a journey and I am just beginning.
It’s funny because I will look at myself in the mirror and think, “I look fine. I’m in decent shape and I look completely normal.” But then I look at a picture of myself and think, “Who the hell is taking pictures of me with a fisheye lens every time. I am not THAT big, am I?” This was the nail in the coffin, but I am ready to break out.
There comes a time when you just have to start and that time is now. Find out what your levels are, get healthy about the way you are going to get healthy and start today. I am truly excited that this marathon has pushed me to really look at my health and evaluate my life.
I want to be around for my kids for a long time and if there is anything preventative so that can happen, I am all for it.
