One of the reasons America suffers from obesity is simply because we tend to over eat and move less. To lose body fat and keep it off, it is important that you burn more calories than you consume in a day. The Bodybugg lets you know how many calories you are burning in a day; therefore the logic is if you eat fewer calories than what you’re known to be burning you won’t put on body fat! This logic as true, given you maintain consistent blood sugar metabolism. Having used the tool myself and had several clients see success with the bugg, I can say that it is a legitimate product. In some ways it is a personal trainer on your arm, keeping you aware of and accountable for your own health. You can use an up to the minute display (which costs extra) to view your daily calorie burn, steps taken and it even has a trip meter so you can track calorie expenditure on individual workouts. You are also required to upload your Bodybugg information into your computer on a web based program. The on-line Bodybugg program is complete with a visual data chart where you report your calories consumed and an individual nutrition plan designed based on a nutritional questionnaire you fill out. The nutrition shows your balance of food intake to calories expended during the day, keeping you aware of the fact that you are either over or under your activity level for the day. The on-line nutrition is a very solid program, recommending typically between 4-6 meals a day, creating an individualized nutrition profile with a good balance of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. It provides you with a meal plan in which you can customize or modify the meal choices to your liking. The Apex recommended nutrition plans typically are very sound, recommending fiber dense carbohydrates, complex carbohydrates, lean sources of protein and good sources of fat. With a great feedback system in the armband and a customized diet where does the Bodybugg go wrong?

There are not too many drawbacks to using the Bodybugg. Since the release of the new, sleeker model, clients less frequently complain of having the device on their arm all of the time. The Bodybugg becomes unusable if you do not have a computer or access to the internet. As far as the on-line program goes: it gives you ways to track your personal measurements for progress, gives you a nutrition plan and even provides workout ideas, but you are responsible for reporting your own food intake throughout the day. This for some people is an inconvenience, but is a small shortcoming given the benefits of doing the task. The on-line program’s draw back comes with its plug of Apex supplement meal replacement bars and cookies, which in my opinion tend to be not your best choice of nutritional content. Some Apex bars and cookies have high amounts of sugars and high fructose corn syrup which will cause high blood sugar spikes. These recommendations don’t fit the rest of their nutrition plan which is pretty sound, and just seem to be nifty plugs for their products.

All in all the Bodybugg and its on-line program are a great way to raise your fitness awareness. Outside of the poorly recommended Apex bars and cookies, the program as a whole is great and highly recommended. As long as you take the time to pay attention to what you’re putting into your body and how it relates to the activity you performed for the day, you should be on your way to a more active and healthy lifestyle using the Bodybugg.

Jeff Bomberger NSCA-CPT, NASM-CPT, PES, CES, USAW