Alex Hixon is a certified corporate wellness specialist through the Global Health Network. Prior to his career in corporate wellness, he worked in the health insurance industry for 15 years.

Today, Hixon is the VP of Business Development for The Physicians Weigh-In and the owner of Rural Mobile Health & Wellness. Hixon started Rural Mobile with the goal of teaching individuals how to manage their health numbers through biometric testing, individual assessment, and personalized guidance.

Prevention is Key

After years of looking at health insurance claims, Hixon has come to understand that a significant portion of an employer’s healthcare expenditure goes towards treating diseases that were the result of unhealthy lifestyles.

Harvard Business Review found that “… the chronically ill, who suffer from costly conditions like advanced diabetes, heart conditions …. consume at least 50% of a company’s claims expense.” That’s why investing in prevention rather than treatment of chronic diseases is much more cost-effective.

The key to prevention or early intervention is awareness. Hixon believes that by giving employees access to critical health information, they will have a better understanding of their current health status and will be much more motivated to make a change before it’s too late.  

That was his inspiration for starting Rural Mobile Health & Wellness, a corporate wellness company that partners with companies to raise awareness of health and wellness among their employees.

Hixon needed a technological solution to support his wellness program that would enable him to:

• take the device with him from site-to-site

• test employees quickly and accurately

• produce a comprehensive report that identified areas for improvement.

It was during that search for a solution that he found InBody.

Real-Time Data for Real-Life Value

It’s no secret that corporations are looking to make data-driven decisions. When it comes to the health of their employees, that’s no different.

Five years ago, Hixon started using the InBody 270 with his corporate clients, bringing the portable device to the workplace for onsite testing. Both Hixon and his clients loved it. Employees were able to get critical information instantly, and he was able to provide his clients with significant value. He later upgraded to the InBody 570 which allowed him to give employees even more comprehensive information.

Our motto is ''If you don''t measure it, you can''t track it.'' InBody was able to help us spearhead that effort. We are able to get employees real-time data right there on the spot. To me, the greatest value that you can provide to an employee is to give them access to information that will help them to be even more productive at work and in life...

With every test, Hixon was able to gain more insight into the services that the employees needed. Many of the employees that Hixon deals with have a higher body fat percentage and high blood pressure. It’s not a surprise because there is a growing body of research linking body fat percentage, particularly in the midsection, to hypertension.

When the weight gain is in the abdominal area, there’s a greater risk for high blood pressure because this type of body fat is more likely to cause the arteries to become thick and stiff. The body then has to create more pressure to move the blood, which may lead to a lasting increase in blood pressure.

Hixon wanted to add a professional blood pressure monitoring device he could provide as a service along with body composition analysis.

He tried free-standing blood pressure kiosks, but at 200 pounds it was too difficult to move from location to location and for some workplaces, it took up too much room.

And then InBody released the BPBIO 320S, a fully automated, self-testing blood pressure device.  

The BPBIO 320S is a fully automated, non-invasive, easy-to-use blood pressure monitor. 

I thought, Wow, another added value piece I can bring to the table. It’s user-friendly, stationary, portable, and it doesn’t take up a bunch of space. I can set it up either in the lounge, lobby, etc. for the convenience of the employees.

Creating ''Aha!'' Moments

Today, Hixon uses the BPBIO 320S and his InBody 570 as a package. During the initial intake, he will test everyone on the InBody 570 and the BPBIO 320S and then review the results with each individual.

When you tie in the body composition analysis with the blood pressure, it becomes an ''aha!'' moment.... Now we have an overall picture of ourselves, our blood pressure and our composition. If we can show employees how to alleviate the weight, and get them into a healthy range, guess what? Now they can take preventative steps to control their blood pressure.

After the initial assessment, Hixon provides personalized support between InBody Tests.

He will send employees messages throughout the week that includes: nutrition advice, fitness tips, and personalized recommendations based on specific health conditions.

Next, Hixon leaves the BPBIO 320S at the company in an area that employees can test at their own convenience. This is possible because of the unique design of the BPBIO 320S.

“We don’t have staff onsite 24/7 so the employees like the voice assistance during testing because it provides that extra guidance.”

And then every thirty days he will come back and test them again on the InBody 570 to monitor their progress. When Hixon comes back to visit his clients, employees will come up to him with their blood pressure results, excited to show him their progress.

We give the employee a body composition analysis and go over that report from top to bottom ... then we give them personalized recommendations based on their report on what they need to do.“What we’ve done with the InBody 570 and the BPBIO is bring back the ‘human connection’ element of corporate wellness.

Using InBody as a Tool to Serve and Motivate

What Hixon appreciates about InBody technology is that it helps him do what he does best which is to serve and motivate.

When people see their own body composition and blood pressure reading they can either give the reports to their dog to chew on it…or they can follow a wellness program built around those reports and do better.

Not only is Hixon showing his clients a path to ROI by reducing preventable health care claims, but he’s helping companies build VOI. VOI, or Value on Investment, translates to employees who are more engaged at work because they feel valued by the employer and more in control of their health.

A recent experience with an employee captures this perfectly. Hixon was wiping down the device when a young woman came up to Hixon with a worried expression on her face and asked if he was taking it away.

Hixon said no and she was relieved and told him why. She tested her blood pressure and the results came back extremely high. After a second test showed the same results, she immediately went to her physician. The blood pressure reading she got from the BPBIO 320S was confirmed by her physician, and she found out she was borderline hypertensive.

I took that testimony back to the Risk Manager, and he said, ‘That one claim right there would have potentially cost us $200,000. The BPBIO saved us money. Saved us. And it saved a life.

Cirque du Soleil is one of the most famous theater production companies in the world. The company began in 1984 with a small troupe of performers  near Quebec City and quickly became renowned for its striking mix of circus arts (without animals) and street performance. Now in its third decade, Cirque du Soleil has 19 shows that perform around the world. Each brings a blend of imaginative costumes, lighting, music, and of course, gravity-defying performers.

To ensure talented performers can withstand an incredible 476 shows per year on average, the Cirque du Soleil team needed a reliable way to incorporate body composition analysis to support performance.

Head of Performance Science for Cirque du Soleil’s, Bryan Burnstein researched several options and ultimately decided on tracking body composition analysis using InBody because he felt it delivered the most value to his artists and operational teams. See how InBody helped some of the world’s most talented actors, singers, and artists become more durable performers by optimizing their body composition.

Cirque du Soleil’s Quest to Become More Data-Informed

“Game-time” is literally every day–often multiple times per day–for most Cirque du Soleil performers. They put on an average of 476 shows per year and train for around 2 hours a day.

That level of everyday training and performance can take a toll on Cirque du Soleil’s talented troupe of performers.

In response, the Cirque du Soleil leadership team sought out ways to help their performers track and measure how their bodies were holding up.

Head of Performance Science Bryan Burnstein decided on InBody body composition analysis trackers because of the data-driven insights his team could utilize and apply. Burnstein noted, “I was confident in InBody when I studied the literature behind the product.”

The results of Cirque du Soleil’s body composition analysis efforts were impressive, to say the least.

How Body Composition Analysis Helped Support Performance

Source: Flickr

“Once I had the opportunity to try one out, I was quite satisfied with what we were getting.”

-Bryan Burnstein, Head of Performance Science at Cirque du Soleil

Collecting body composition data from your employees can lead to many questions. The most common ones revolved around how their “data” were being used. Right from the get-go, Cirque du Soleil’s Performance Science team knew the importance of helping educate performers on how the senior management team would leverage the data from the InBody.

They showed them the benefits of understanding their body composition makeup and how they could tap into this information to impact their performance and durability.

Burnstein noted:

“All our efforts early on were to educate the artists about ‘What is body comp?’ ‘How are we going to use this information?’ And we needed to turn that into success stories for them early on.”

To better support the performers’ conditioning programs, they needed specific information that would help with goal-setting as well as show the results of the various training progras that were being implemented.

The Performance Science team specifically looks at a performer’s body water fluctuations to monitor and see if they are in what is called a “well-hydrated/well-performing state” in-between shows, especially if the artists are losing too much sweat after a performance.

Dehydration can affect test results, so tracking to see if a performer’s body water levels are in the right relationship with other measures of body composition such as skeletal muscle mass also ensures that the performers are getting their optimal numbers.

Basal Metabolic Rate is also used to provide performers with better nutritional support. Using BMR along with a better understanding of the performers’ workload, the team can give the performers a better support package in how they can regulate their nutrition and conditioning levels.

The third valuable piece of information is Segmental Lean Analysis. The data shows what change has happened when a performer undergoes an injury and helps them monitor the changes during the reintegration cycle to help build the body back.

This data also allows Cirque du Soleil’s Performance Science team to help with identifying asymmetries/imbalances and investigating why these may exist. If these are present, the data is used to help adapt the conditioning programs that are in place if needed.

Burnstein noted the difference after they started using these data points:

“Having an optimal body composition actually makes them more durable.”

Measuring body composition has, and will continue to be, valuable to the organization and their goal of support the availability, durability, and longevity of each of their performers. Perhaps most importantly, body composition analysis helped Bryan and his team change the conversation about what “healthy weight” means.

A New Definition of Success

“Change that conversation away from just the scale weight and… understand how the body is made up and how can we get you a conditioning program that optimizes you as a performer.”

-Bryan Burnstein, Head of Performance Science at Cirque du Soleil

Like any organization that has been around for 30+ years, Cirque du Soleil has evolved significantly.

Using old-fashioned scales as a measure of success is now a thing of the past.

That’s not to say Cirque du Soleil doesn’t hold its performers to high standards. However, now the conversation revolves around optimal body composition instead of just weight.

As an example, we’ve had aerialists who may have had a hard time sustaining a high level of performance, which sometimes has been attributed to not being able to maintain a specific target weight.

Through body composition analysis, the Cirque du Soleil team has been able to help educate performers that the target body weight was actually too low. They worked on improving lean body mass–which actually meant increasing total weight–and the outcome was a stronger and more durable performer.

Burnstein recalled:

“By bringing the target weight up a little higher and adding a bit of lean body mass we actually enhanced the performance.”

Optimizing performers’ body composition helped them look beyond an arbitrary number on a scale and instead focus on performance-enhancing measures like skeletal mass and lean body mass.

Burnstein summed up the impact body composition analysis has had on Cirque du Soleil’s team of elite athletes:

“Now we have engaging conversations about (body composition analysis) that lead us to positive outcomes.”

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Western Digital is a Fortune 500-listed company and is one of the largest computer data storage and hard disk drive manufacturing companies in the world. Western Digital encourages its employees to develop and maintain active and healthy lifestyles through its DRIVE Wellness Program, which provides educational seminars, workout equipment, health counseling, and coaching to its workforce.

After encountering and using an InBody at an area fitness center, Senior Wellness Specialist Heather Whitaker saw the potential to bring DRIVE Wellness’ offerings to the next level. After seeing the effect it had on a pilot program of 200 employees, Whitaker brought in an InBody 570 as an educational tool available for employees to get a better understanding of their health and to inspire them to become healthier and allow them to be more productive.

A chance encounter that changed a program

Like many wellness specialists at large corporations, Heather Whitaker, Senior Wellness Specialist at Western Digital’s DRIVE Wellness Center has a mission: to provide services that benefit the health of the workforce at Western Digital. While that’s easier said than done, Whitaker has a clear methodology.

“Ultimately I’m trying to educate employees,” she remarked. “I’m not trying to tell our employees what to do and how to do things; [it’s] the rationale – the reason behind why. We’re trying to make employees see that they need to be good healthcare consumers for themselves and for their family.”

But how to communicate that, and more importantly, how to get employees invested? Fortunately for Whitaker, a chance encounter provided a solution.

“I first heard about InBody at a local gym I was working out at. They were doing a 12-week fitness challenge, and part of that challenge was to use the scale to help dictate where your body needed to go.” Going through that challenge herself got Whitaker thinking: what if the Western Digital employees could use the InBody too? So, she tried it out.

200 Western Digital employees chose to enroll in the 12-week fitness challenge at the local gym with the InBody. The results were astounding. “Collectively, they lost close to 4,000 pounds of fat. Not weight, but pure fat. We would have never known that had we not used the [InBody],” said Whitaker.

Impressed by the results of the trial, Whitaker made the decision to bring an InBody 570 to Western Digital for the opening of DRIVE Wellness.

Awareness, the Key to Inspiration

Bringing awareness to the Western Digital workforce, with body composition as a significant portion of that awareness, became central to Whitaker’s work towards her goals. Her InBody scale brought that awareness in a comfortable, non-intimidating way.

“When you’re overweight, you don’t need anyone telling you you’re overweight; you already know,” said Whitaker, “but by getting on the InBody scale it’s breaking it down for you. It’s making it more relatable and understandable.”

That breakdown has proven to be a key for getting employees at Western Digital invested in their own health. The data the InBody provides the healthcare professionals at Western Digital has also proven to be a convenient and clear way to talk to employees about their health risks associated with excess body fat.

“One of the ways our physician uses the InBody scale in physicals is to look at the visceral fat level. Once it gets to a certain point, he can help them understand that if they don’t lose some body fat – especially in the abdomen area – it’s going to increase their risk for heart disease, high cholesterol, [and] high blood pressure,” said Whitaker.

By having the InBody results available to employees, Whitaker is able to provide another educational moment. These moments can be eye-opening for employees and are crucial to inspiring them to take ownership of their health and wellness.

“The Light at the End of the Tunnel”

“I would say that the biggest success stories that we’re having is people feeling [that] there’s a light at the end of the tunnel,” said Whitaker, “in that working with their health coach here they can come whether it be weekly, every other week, monthly, or whatever works for them and they can actually see progress.”

Currently, DRIVE Wellness only exists at Western Digital’s headquarters in Irvine, CA. However, based on the success Whitaker has been able to achieve, she plans to open up two more centers at Western Digital’s locations in the San Jose Bay Area. She’ll be bringing what worked at Irvine to the employees up north, and that’ll include an InBody device.

As Whitaker sees it, it’s a must-have.

“I have people come through all the time who come and look to see our wellness center…and I always show them the InBody scale,” she says. “I let them know that it’s such a key tool in a wellness center that…maybe cut back on certain areas, but make sure you have the scale, make sure you have a health coach that can use and have doctors that can understand it.”

“I just think it’s a great tool that people can use, and it just makes understanding your overall body composition so much easier.”

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