Evolt review of more than a million body scans shows national decline in health and fitness during the pandemic

New data released by leading wellness technology company Evolt has revealed a national decline in health and fitness among adults since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Having completed more than 1.4 million body composition scans on Australians aged 18 years and older between 2019 and 2021 using its body scanning technology, Evolt found a decrease in results among people aged 31 and over while people aged between 18 and 30 years remained stable.

Noting the challenge of helping Australians get back on track with their health and wellness in a post-pandemic climate, Evolt co-founder and Chief Executive, Ed Zouroudis stated “Evolt is privileged to be partnered with the world’s leading health and fitness franchises, including Anytime Fitness, helping people regain their wellbeing - especially now that we have entered a new year.

“A silver lining of the Covid-19 pandemic is that people are taking their health more seriously and making fitness and wellness a priority.

“No matter the result, anyone who is completing one of our scans is looking at their health and fitness and that alone is a step in the right direction.

“Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Australia and through our data insights, users are able to identify the changes they need to make to live a healthier and longer life.”

Evolt’s findings are based on an analysis of each individual’s lean body mass and total fat mass as well as their age and gender. This leads to a Bio-Wellness Index (BWI) score based on World Health Organization standards.

According to the Queensland-based company’s data, the majority of Australians who completed scans were above the international benchmark for health and fitness.

Zouroudis advised “overall, 68% of Australian adults scored a BWI score of seven or higher with one being the lowest and 10 being the highest.

“Any score above seven is considered healthy so all in all this is a positive result.

“One in 10 people scored lower than a six and these results were common among people who found themselves snacking more often and exercising less as a result of being stuck at home.

“In contrast, 6.5% of people scored a nine or higher which is considered extremely fit and typically seen among athletes.”

Zouroudis founded Evolt with Kelly Weideman in 2016 and together they developed the world’s first body composition scanner that offers personalised calorie and macronutrient recommendations based on an individual’s true lean body mass.

Weideman noted “we founded Evolt to make the world a healthier place and that’s exactly what we’re doing through education and awareness of body composition metrics for everyday people.

“We wanted to provide an alternative to the bathroom scales which can be misleading and demotivating and through Evolt, people have the opportunity to learn more about what’s behind the weight and what it all means.”

Explaining that the idea for Evolt was born when the pair saw a gap in the market for the everyday person to learn about their body and take their health into their own hands, Weidman added “we have taken technology that has been around for many decades and digitised it to deliver a non-invasive, 60 second body scan that delivers a report with 40 different internal body measurements.

“Our technology is helping people from all walks of life track changes across exercise, training and nutrition and we are proud to be driving a movement towards a greater understanding of how our bodies are performing from the inside out.

Evolt’s products are used in thousands of gyms and health clubs across 26 countries, with the company having a five-year plan to expand into pharmacies, supplement retail stores, corporate wellness programs and the body contouring industry.

Click here to contact Evolt via their entry in the Australasian Leisure Management Supplier Directory.

Images: Evolt technology in use by Crunch Fitness (top) and Ed Zouroudis (below).