Inside the Numbers: How the InBody 380 Is Transforming Fitness at 17 Wing Winnipeg

by Martin Zeilig

At 17 Wing Winnipeg, inside the quiet second floor of Building 90, a sleek machine is quietly reshaping how military personnel understand their bodies.

The machine was introduced at 17 Wing in late summer, purchased by PSP National for the Women’s Wellness Program. Though originally intended for that initiative, it’s now available to all military members.

It’s not a treadmill or a weight rack—it’s the InBody 380, a professional-grade body composition analyzer that goes far beyond measuring weight. I recently stepped onto it myself, as part of my recovery from a radical prostatectomy, node dissection, and earlier hormone treatment for prostate cancer. What I learned was both eye-opening and empowering.

The InBody 380 is designed to provide a detailed snapshot of physical health. Unlike traditional scales, it breaks down your body into measurable components: skeletal muscle mass, body fat mass, percent body fat, basal metabolic rate (BMR), and even intracellular and extracellular water levels. This data is invaluable, especially in a reconditioning environment like 17 Wing, where recovery and performance go hand in hand.

“It’s been well received,” Bryann Mazur, Acting Fitness Coordinator at 17 Wing said. “People hear about it and come up regularly to use it. It’s more reliable than the slider scales in the change rooms or the basic gym floor scale.”

What makes the InBody 380 especially valuable is its role in guiding personalized fitness programs.

 “We can tailor training based on real data,” Bryann explained. “If someone’s trying to gain muscle, lose fat, or just maintain their health, we can use these metrics to build a plan that fits their goals and lifestyle.”

And it’s not a one-and-done tool.

Leeona Bond, Reconditioning Manager for 17 Wing PSP recommends reassessing every four to six weeks, depending on the program.

“You want to give your body time to respond,” she said. “But you can also check in every two weeks to make sure things are trending in the right direction.”

Bryann, explained the machine’s purpose.

“It’s not just about seeing the number on the scale go up or down,” she said.

 “It’s about understanding what’s behind that number—how much muscle you’re carrying, where your fat is distributed, and how your hydration levels affect your readings.”

The technology behind the InBody 380 is called bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). When you step onto the scale and grip the handles, electrodes send a low-level electrical current through your body. Because water conducts electricity well, hydrated tissue registers as lean mass. Areas with more resistance—like fat or dehydrated tissue—are interpreted accordingly. That’s why consistency matters: hydration, caffeine intake, recent exercise, and even the timing of your last bathroom break can influence the results.

Leeona walked me through my results.

“Your skeletal muscle mass is in a healthy range,” she noted, “which means you’re maintaining good lean tissue. But your body fat mass is elevated, and that’s what’s pushing your total weight above your optimal range.”

She pointed to my BMR—the number of calories my body needs at rest to maintain its current muscle mass.

 “This is your baseline,” she said. “Any physical activity you do adds to that total. So if you’re trying to lose fat, you want to make sure you’re eating enough to support your muscle, but not so much that you’re storing excess energy as fat.”

That distinction is critical.

“The goal,” Leeona emphasized, “is to reduce fat mass while preserving muscle. Muscle is what drives your metabolism and supports your functionality. If you lose weight but also lose muscle, you’re not necessarily improving your health.”

For someone like me—recovering from major surgery and hormone therapy—the machine offered clarity I hadn’t found elsewhere. My lymph nodes had been removed, which affects fluid drainage and can lead to water retention. The InBody 380 picked up on that, showing elevated extracellular water levels.

“That’s something to monitor,” Bryann said. “You know your medical history, so it makes sense. But for someone else, those numbers might be a sign to check in with their doctor.”

For me, the experience was more than just stepping on a scale. It was a moment of reflection, a chance to see the story my body was telling—and to begin writing the next chapter with intention. The InBody 380 didn’t just give me numbers. It gave me insight, direction, and a renewed sense of control.

At 17 Wing Winnipeg, it’s doing the same for many others—quietly, precisely, and powerfully.