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A Little Background Info

Body Mechanix Athletics began in January 1993, offering Massage Therapy to various athletes, teams and

area businesses. The business expanded in May 1994 to offer group training programs for athletes, and then the first Body Mechanix Duathlon to benefit local charitable organizations. The one-time event grew in 1997 to a Tuesday evening 5-race Body Mechanix Duathlon Series. Ken and Diane Hood combine their knowledge, education and experience in the fields of athletics, business and therapeutic modalities, to offer a unique mix of services. They focus on injury prevention/treatment for athletes and active people. They offer training programs for multi-sport athletes of all levels of ability. They provide Wellness Programs and Consulting for area businesses and individuals. Diane began the business in 1993, offering Massage Therapy to area businesses and athletes. As a competitive collegiate runner, her inner drive and determination caused many over-use injuries to occur, therefore she was exposed to various ways to handle these injuries. A Right foot injury (Plantar Fasciitis) that eventually required surgery caused her to be red-shirted her freshman/sophomore year in college. When the same injury began in her Left foot after college, she was introduced to unique soft-tissue techniques to stop the progression, making surgery a non-requirement for healing. Being introduced to this method of treating injuries became the catalyst for Diane pursuing the field of Massage Therapy.

Diane takes calculated risks and is often the first to do things and be successful at them. She was the first and only girl on her Kansas City MO area’s High School Cross-Country Team. The school didn’t have a program at the time and didn’t want to put it in the budget. The Coach had seen Diane run and set several school records at the junior high level and wanted her to run. The Athletic Director allowed it, but only if she would run on the Jr. Varsity Boy’s Team. She did and ended up qualifying for State. The school budgeted for a girl’s team the following year and 14 girls came out for that team.

After her collegiate running career, where she set school records in the mile, 1500meters and 3000meters, Diane began competing in Duathlons (running and cycling combinations) and Triathlons (swim-bike-run combo). She had ridden a bike and swam on days she wasn’t able to run due to injury, so had some exposure to those disciplines. After meeting her husband, Ken, an avid cyclist who taught her how to compete on the bike, she qualified as a member of the U.S. National Team and competed in 3 World Championships in Australia, Mexico and Italy. 

She is a 4-time All-American for USA Triathlon, also chosen by Inside Triathlon and Triathlete Magazines and is a 1995 Inductee into the Southwest Missouri State University Women’s Athletics Hall of Fame. She is a 1992 Gateway Conference All-Decade Cross-Country Team Selection. She is also the 2005 MO State Time Trial Champion. Diane graduated from Southwest MO State University (now called Missouri State University), with a degree in Marketing with an emphasis on Advertising. She later went back to college to get her Certification as an Athletic Trainer and License as a Massage Therapist. She has been Nationally Certified in Massage Therapy since Nov. 1993, and has taught MSU student Athletic Trainers and local Massage Therapy school students how to incorporate soft tissue work into treatment protocols for athletic-related injuries. She worked as a Student Athletic Trainer and traveled with Drury Uninversity's NCAA Div II National Champion Swim Teams in 1998-2000, obtaining her Athletic Trainer's Certification in June 2000. 

Ken is a Certified Wellness Consultant and Health Promotions Director, achieving that distinction from the prestigious Cooper Institute in Dallas, TX.  He provides Consultation Services for area Executives in the implementation of Wellness Programs for their businesses.  He assists Executives in the thought processes involved for decision-making regarding ways to increase productivity. His services have helped companies save thousands of dollars in healthcare costs. He encourages and educates his clients in ways to make healthy lifestyle choices.  His programs have helped individuals achieve health-related goals such as losing excess body fat, decreasing high blood sugar and cholesterol numbers, and increasing activity levels from previously sedentary lifestyles. Some of his clients have been told by their physicians that they no longer need as much medication for certain conditions like high blood pressure, and others have been taken off medication altogether.