@jolly_bodies

Members of the Little Rock Athletic Club are adding science and technology to their arsenal in the battle to stay fit. The InBody 270 Body Composition Analyzer improves upon previous devices —  including the annoying and uncomfortable calipers — with a harmless electrical pulse that travels through the body and delivers a body composition analysis in less than 15 seconds.

In the hands of a skilled personal trainer such as Dr. Lee Ann Jolly, the resulting information is a unique, genetics-based roadmap by which she approaches each individual client.

“When people say ‘I want to lose weight,’ what they really mean is, ‘I want to lose fat,’” she said. “What’s great about this is it’s going to measure your weight, yes, but it also can tell you if you’re losing weight and where you’re losing it from, if it’s coming from fat or if it’s coming from muscle. It can also tell you the part of your body where you’re losing fat or gaining muscle.”

Valuable as that is, Jolly only runs the composition report every few weeks to keep her clients from getting fixated on certain numbers.

“It’s really easy, when you are starting a new program, to focus on that number on the scale,” Jolly said. “Those numbers can fluctuate anywhere between five and six pounds on a daily basis. That’s when clients come in here complaining that they gained weight.”

Jolly said breaking down the body composition report with clients helps them get a more accurate profile of where they are and helps clients focus on the little wins they often don’t even know they’ve scored.

“I use this device to talk them off that ledge,” she said. “I say, ‘Don’t panic, if you really want to see a better picture of what your insides looks like, let’s try this device.’ I think it’s really important to get clients focused on non-scale related victories.”