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How do smart scales work?
In addition to measuring weight, smart scales transmit electrical currents through the body to read its composition, so they should be used barefoot. These bioelectric impedance pulses sound intimidating, but don’t worry – they’re so tiny you won’t be aware of them, and the process is completely safe, even during pregnancy. However, people with a pacemaker should not use this type of scale.
You can connect the scale to your phone via Wi-Fi and / or Bluetooth, to have a multitude of measurements and statistics at your fingertips. You will learn a lot about your body composition and you will soon be in tune with what the numbers mean if you follow the guides in your app.
Depending on the model you choose, you can expect to learn more about trends in your weight, BMI (body mass index), bone density, muscle mass, body water percentage, and a blood pressure reading. BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), indicating calories used. when you are active or at rest.
As the choice of scales becomes more advanced – and more expensive – it’s even possible to see what’s going on in specific parts of the body, to help target those gym sessions for different areas.
Smart scales are definitely not just for dieters. Even those who are happy with their current weight and fitness will benefit a lot from connecting with their data.
Tracking your health stats through each scale’s recommended app is also a good way to highlight areas that aren’t just about weight loss or gym goals. Lack of hydration which can cause problems concentrating, for example, so it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your body water percentage.
Is it essential to link to an app?
All the scales we tested here came with recommendations for use, usually those from the manufacturer. The majority will also log into your smartphone health pages, such as Apple Health and Google Fit.
If you want to keep it simple, turn off Bluetooth and / or Wi-Fi – that just means you’ll have to squint at the screen rather than following the numbers on your smartphone screen and you won’t get as basic weight and BMI readings.
We have found the apps useful for displaying charts, graphs, and reading history, with plenty of tips and tricks for achieving goals we might set there as well.
There is a real sense of accomplishment when you see how a focus on health and fitness can change your body composition.
Withings Body + Scale
Dimensions: 32.5 x 2.3 x 32.5 cm
Recommended link: Health Mate app
Multi-user: up to 8 people
Readings: weight, BMI, body fat percentage, body water percentage, muscle mass, bone mass
Of all the scales we tried in this roundup, this Withings model was the easiest to set up straight out of the box – even the batteries came pre-charged.
It took no time to record and save our first set of measurements and as New Year’s dieters we even had fireworks graphics to welcome a healthier 2021.
Over the weeks they have been easy to use, with no need to create the app before walking. The HealthMate app showed the trends in graph form and shared tips on how to achieve our health goals.
Our only moan with this choice was fluctuating muscle mass readings; the app didn’t provide much explanation for this, so we had to read elsewhere about the reasons. Of all the scales we’ve tried, this is the one that stays in our bathroom.
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Tanita RD545 Body Composition Scale
Dimensions: 32×5.7×38.5 cm
Recommended link: my Tanita app
Multi-user: up to 4 people
Readings: Weight, BMI, Body Fat Percent, Body Water Percent, Muscle Mass, Bone Mineral Mass, BMR, Metabolic Age, Visceral Fat, 5 Segmental Fat Readings, 5 Segmental Muscle Readings, Physical Assessment
Hold the traction console when standing on the base and you can view a long list of measurements as they transfer to your application.
With an extra frequency boost for medical grade readings, this is a fully accurate Bluetooth scale that will highlight small differences over days, or even hours.
A steep price tag, yes, but a segmental monitor like this will help users understand what’s going on in each part of your body. If you are targeting specific areas of your weight loss or training, these are mind blowing – and a little addicting!
We were able to take turns analyzing the core, right and left arms, and legs, which was incredibly motivating when you see how the targeted exercises or weights worked… or not.
Dial-style readings show how balanced your body is and all information can be exported as a graphically rich PDF.
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Garmin Index S2 smart scale
Recommended link: Garmin Connect app
Multi-user: up to 17 people
Readings: weight, weight trend, BMI, body fat percentage, skeletal muscle mass, body water percentage, muscle mass, bone mass
Easy to connect, we liked the bright and colorful reading – this model’s screen that felt a cut above most others.
We were able to cut statistics that we didn’t want to see and there was a reminder of our previously recorded weight at the end of each session with a note of any changes.
Using this before and after analysis was also helpful in tracking hydration. It was inspiring to see the view of the last 7 days of facts on the Garmin Connect app and to commit to the walking, running and swimming challenges that it set out.
A useful and interesting tool if you care about your health and with its generous 17 user functionality, it is ideal for groups of friends or clubs that want to record results together.
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Fitbit Aria air scale
Recommended link: Fitbit app
Multi-user: up to 8 people
This basic scale is inexpensively priced, but you won’t get the body composition information from the more expensive models. If you already have a Fitbit, great.
Otherwise, it’s a great buy anyway because you don’t need to own a Fitbit device to link to; just download their app and it will record and track your data via bluetooth every time you step on it.
We had a few connection issues at first, but opening the app first fixed that – many others we tested use Wi-Fi to download automatically. Not this one.
The Aria’s minimal design was one of the simplest we’ve looked at without any touches of sophisticated design, but it’s a reliable, no-frills way to save weight over time.
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Salter Curve Bluetooth Smart Analytical Balance
Dimensions: 30.6×33.6x30cm
Recommended link: Salter Mibody app
Multi-user: up to 8 people
Readings: Weight, BMI, BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), Body Fat Percent, Body Water Percent, Muscle Mass, Bone Mass
We loved the look of this curved pick, which feels less “ medical ” than some of the other scales we reviewed, but had a lot of impressive features, especially for this price.
Considering how much information this compact pick could offer, we’d say it’s a pretty good way to find out the difference between a standard family scale and something more analytical.
The setup was pretty straightforward, and after downloading Salter’s own Mibody app, we were able to set up profiles and change modes to suit kids, athletes too.
With a marathoner, a dieter and two children in our tester’s family, this was an ideal combination. The Salter Scale remembered everyone as soon as they walked, uploading new stats to the app via Bluetooth.
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Source: www.bedfordtoday.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-04-23 18:44:49