Why We Sold Our InBody Machine

by Coach Chris

Today we shipped our InBody machine to another gym, down in Tennessee. We spent close to $6,000 on the machine when we bought it in early 2019. By any measure, it was our most expensive piece of equipment in the gym! So why would we sell it? 

An InBody machine measures the user’s body composition metrics. It uses bioelectrical impedance to measure body fat percentage, muscle mass, overall bodyweight, and a few other fancy things. 

We have been conditioned as a society to believe that being thin/small/skinny is the ultimate goal. America is fixated on weight loss. When we bought the machine two years ago, we thought we would be helping folks see past the number on the scale, by having additional data about their body composition to help them see progress in other ways. 

As well intentioned as we might have been with this logic, the result has been the opposite. The people who aren’t bothered by the scan results, would be fine without the scans altogether. The folks who already have a tenuous relationship with body image often get upset, disappointed, and fixated on the scan numbers, and just have more fuel for the fire. 

At Ripple Effect, we’re done feeding into the cultural norms around weight loss being the gold standard of effectiveness for a fitness or nutrition program. Many gyms do great with these machines, but it’s just not for us. 

If there’s one thing we hope to accomplish, it’s to show you how freeing and fun it can be to focus on metrics other than your bodyweight! When you take the “weight loss” blinders off, it frees you up to see and appreciate so many other aspects of your health and well-being. 

Chances are, if you’ve been working out for a couple months with us, by now you’re already feeling so much better. That chronic annoying low back pain you had for years is fading. You have more energy. You’re sleeping better. You’ve made some good friends in the gym. You’ve found some fun movements you really enjoy. We’ve seen too many people throw all this stuff away and quit, because they were only focused on their scale weight. 

All this to say: You’re so much more than a number on a scale. Even if it’s a really fancy scale. Getting rid of the InBody helps us more fully embrace our role in helping people learn to love movement, love themselves, and find joy in all the amazing life changes that come with embracing a workout program like ours.


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