What Is A Smart Scale?

Think about your smartphone for a second. What makes it smart, unlike a regular phone? 

The ability to do several things, like running different types of apps. Or its ability to connect you to different people through call or text, or connect you to the Internet, or pair up to speakers or cameras or other Bluetooth accessories. 

A smart scale is similar, albeit more specialized. A smart scale can also do several things, like measuring your weight, body composition, bone density, and BMI. It can connect to your phone as well and push data to a companion app. T

his data can be used to track your weight loss or body composition and supplement your diet or exercise regimens. It's a more convenient way of weighing yourself and does more than a standard scale does. 

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What Does a Smart Scale Do? 

couple holding smart scale

When you step on a smart scale, it begins calculating your weight like a regular scale. But unlike a regular scale, a smart scale can beam the data it gathers to your smartphone through WiFi or Bluetooth. 

Obviously, your weight is a metric every smart scale collects. But some also measure facets of your body composition: body fat percentage, muscle mass, bone mass, water percentage, and sometimes heart rate. 

As said, the smart scale relays this data to your smartphone. Your phone stores this data in a corresponding app. Some apps process and arrange this data in graphs or timelines so you can easily track your progress, see body weight changes, or share it with your healthcare provider.

Why The FitTrack Scale Is The Best

The FitTrack scale is the best smart scale because it's the smartest--it does the most. 

The FitTrack scale measures your body weight--duh--and more. It utilizes bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA)  to analyze your body composition. Basically, you step on the scale, and during your weigh in the FitTrack scale sends a feeble electrical current into your body. Don't worry; it's harmless, and you can't feel it. 

By measuring how well your body's tissue conducts or resists a weak electrical current, the FitTrack scale can measure your body composition. It can use this data to provide metrics of your body water weight, lean body mass, visceral fat mass, bone mass, metabolic age, and overall body mass index.

In addition to smart, the FitTrack scale is also quite speedy. The scale itself weighs and analyzes your body in under 10 seconds. And it connects to the companion app via Bluetooth in less than 4 seconds. Android and iOS are both supported, and it can send data to Apple Health or Google Fit.

Are Smart Scales Accurate?

The industry has made great strides towards increasing the quality of electronics in the 21st century. Of course, there are always defective models, but most new smart scales are very accurate. Unlike analog scales, digital bathroom scales tend to be more accurate and precise because there are no moving parts. And since they are digital, some can be troubleshot or recalibrated easily with software. 

Are Smart Scales Worth It?

Like other smart gadgets and fitness trackers, most smart scales are quite accessible these days. You can find them on Amazon at reasonable prices. 

Even cheaper smart scales are quite accurate and a pinch to set up. They usually have a long battery life or at least have rechargeable or swappable batteries. Most also provide other body metrics and weight and offer a companion app to store and log health data. Whether you're looking for a simple scale or a way to track your progress to better overall health and wellness, a smart scale is a smart investment. 

How Does a Smart Scale Work?

Like an analog scale, smart scales measure the force of gravity pulling you to the Earth. Unlike an analog scale, smart scales have no moving parts. They use an electric force sensor. This allows a more accurate reading of weigh-in and the ability to beam the data to your phone.

How A Smart Scale Can Help You Stay Healthy

1. More Data

Analog scales can only measure one thing: weight. Having a digital sensor allows for measuring weight and multiple other metrics via bioelectrical impedance analysis. So, in addition to mere weight, smart scales can provide you with body water, lean body mass, muscle mass, and fat percentage. 

Having more data at your disposal is a handy tool. It can simply give you a better idea of your body composition and overall health or provide useful data for your healthcare provider. 

2. Daily Tracking

With an analog scale, the only way you can track your weight is by writing it down after you weigh yourself. And do you think you'll remember to do that when you weigh yourself first thing in the early morning or after a long day before bed? A smart scale saves you that hassle by quickly storing your data each time you weigh in, making your daily tracking a snap. And daily weighing was found to be an effective weight-control strategy in adults seeking to lose weight. 

3. Monthly Trends

Smart scales' ability to conveniently log your daily weigh-ins pays off in the big picture. By keeping a running log of your daily weigh-ins, the smart scale and companion app can assemble graphs and show trends on all your body metrics. 

This gives you a birds-eye view of any weight loss or muscle mass gains. Noticing that you're bulking a little too much this month? Or maybe your body cardio routine is dropping too much muscle mass? Having access to this data will help you adjust on the fly.  

4. Motivation

Smart scales are just cool! With a smart scale and slick companion app, you'll actually be excited to weigh yourself. Being able to see your exercise results or dieting almost in real-time will keep you on track. And some of the companion apps help you set goals and milestones to give you that extra push for your fitness goals. In fact, research has shown that people are more likely to follow through on fitness goals if they're reminded by fitness apps or can share the results on social media. 

5. Pairs With  Apple Health and Google Fit

Whether you're in the iOS or Android camp, smart scales' companion apps work the same for Apple Health and Google Fit. Your smart scale's app can share data it collects with either Apple Health or Google Fit, where it can be compiled with data from other fitness apps or fitness trackers such as those by Fitbit, Garmin, or Withings. Combined with other fitness trackers' data, a smart scale can help give you a complete picture of your wellness and overall health.  

6. Multiple Users Per Scale

Often, smart scales can be paired to several users' phones. If they have the app, family members can check and store their own data at the weigh-in. So with just one scale, everyone can have access to their body composition.

References:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24355668/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26091764/