Why a scan day works.
The research behind measuring first, planning second and measuring again: what a scan shows that a scale can't, and how that shows up at work.
Know. Act. Measure again.
Six steps, each resting on published research. The loop closes on a number, not a feeling.
What each step rests on.
Scan: one minute, clinically close
The InBody 570 reads body composition with multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance. In a 110-person validation against DXA, the clinical gold standard, its body-fat readings tracked DXA closely (r = .94) with a consistent offset. That is why the number to watch is the change between two scans, not any single reading.
Sources: [1]
See: the numbers a scale hides
BMI, the number most wellness screens still use, misclassified about 75 million US adults in a national sample: nearly half of the people it labelled overweight were metabolically healthy, and almost a third of the people at a "normal" weight were not. Visceral fat is an independent risk marker for cardiovascular and metabolic disease, and higher muscle mass predicts a longer life. A scan shows all three. A scale shows none.
Plan: a roadmap written from the numbers
A systematic review of 22 weight-loss studies found a consistent link between self-monitoring and success: people who tracked themselves did better than people who did not. The roadmap gives each employee their own targets, a short checklist and a date to measure again, and it is written to work at any gym or at home.
Sources: [5]
Move: activity that shows up at work
In 683 workers, higher physical activity and fitness went with better quality and quantity of work and less extra effort to get it done. A review of the sickness-absence literature links activity to fewer days lost. And when dental workplaces were randomized to give staff exercise time inside the workweek, self-rated productivity rose and sickness absence fell.
Re-scan: Day 60, measured not guessed
Sixty days is long enough for body composition to move and short enough to stay motivated. Because the InBody's readings are consistent from one scan to the next, the second scan shows each person what actually changed in fat, muscle and visceral fat, not what they hope changed. Seeing the number is what keeps people going, and the number is theirs to keep, whatever gym or routine they used.
Team: a steadier workforce
In 10,026 US employees, higher BMI went with more absence and more lost productivity on the job. A systematic review of programs aimed at presenteeism found early evidence that some of them work, and the ones that did shared a design: screen each person first, tailor the plan to them, and let people exercise during working hours. That is the design of a scan day.
What the evidence says.
Body composition beats the scale
BMI and body weight miss what matters. Visceral fat and muscle mass are the numbers tied to long-term health, and only a scan shows them [2] [3] [4].
What we take from it. Measure first, make the plan personal, measure again. That is the design of a scan day.
Bring the scan day to your team.
No cost to your company or your people. Tell us who to reach and we'll pick a date together.
The papers.
- Miller RM, Chambers TL, Burns SP. Validating InBody 570 multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analyzer versus DXA for body fat percentage analysis. Journal of Exercise Physiology Online. 2016;19(5):71–78. www.asep.org/asep/asep/JEPonlineOCTOBER2016_Miller.pdf
- Tomiyama AJ, Hunger JM, Nguyen-Cuu J, Wells C. Misclassification of cardiometabolic health when using body mass index categories in NHANES 2005–2012. International Journal of Obesity. 2016;40:883–886. www.nature.com/articles/ijo201617
- Neeland IJ, Ross R, Després J-P, et al. Visceral and ectopic fat, atherosclerosis, and cardiometabolic disease: a position statement. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. 2019;7(9):715–725. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31301983/
- Srikanthan P, Karlamangla AS. Muscle mass index as a predictor of longevity in older adults. The American Journal of Medicine. 2014;127(6):547–553. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4035379/
- Burke LE, Wang J, Sevick MA. Self-monitoring in weight loss: a systematic review of the literature. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2011;111(1):92–102. www.jandonline.org/article/s0002-8223(10)01644-5/abstract
- Pronk NP, Martinson B, Kessler RC, Beck AL, Simon GE, Wang P. The association between work performance and physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, and obesity. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2004;46(1):19–25. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14724474/
- Amlani NM, Munir F. Does physical activity have an impact on sickness absence? A review. Sports Medicine. 2014;44. link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-014-0171-0
- von Thiele Schwarz U, Hasson H. Employee self-rated productivity and objective organizational production levels: effects of worksite health interventions involving reduced work hours and physical exercise. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2011;53(8):838–844. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21785369/
- Goetzel RZ, Gibson TB, Short ME, et al. A multi-worksite analysis of the relationships among body mass index, medical utilization, and worker productivity. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2010;52(Suppl 1):S52–S58. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20061888/
- Cancelliere C, Cassidy JD, Ammendolia C, Côté P. Are workplace health promotion programs effective at improving presenteeism in workers? A systematic review and best evidence synthesis of the literature. BMC Public Health. 2011;11:395. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3123596/