One of the biggest breakthroughs in 2023 was the use of weight loss drugs. GLP-1 hit the market in the form of Ozempic and Mounjaro. The diabetes drug has been used by actual diabetics, along with actors and everyone on the Real Housewives of (fill in your preferred show here). This stuff is so hot there is even a black market for it. With the rise of these drugs and the college kids’ favorite holiday, spring break among us, I wanted to chat about weight loss. I am old-fashioned. Work out, sweat a lot, and cut back on the late-night sweet treats. One of the simplest forms of tracking your gains (or losses) is using a scale. So, for this rendition of Tek Tok, I am going to delve into the ultimate scale, a Withings Body Scan that you could acquire today for the price of $399.95 schmeckles (plus taxes, of course).
The body scan is merely a modern scale with an app for connectivity and an extension handlebar to hold, scan, and collect data.
This is the kind of scale that you would call a straight shooter. It segments your body into three parts: legs, torso, and arms. My favorite part is it will compare your results for fat mass and muscle mass with people in similar demographics, i.e., no excuses. The app comes into play for this, as well as the app being a data storage system. You can see your composition percentage growth (or decline) graphed over a day, week, month, quarter, and year. Just like the stock market, but hopefully less volatile. You can link your health data with the likes of Apple Health or Google Fit as well. As far as the privacy of your data, Withings is GDPR compliant (the highest EU regulatory for data protection). Furthermore, the device can link up to 8 different people, but you can hide your personal history from the rest of your family using the device if preferred. You can even hide your weight numbers and just stick to the trend line graphs of your daily results.
With the addition of a handlebar, Withings really took the next step in bringing modern tech into the scale.
The patented technology of the handle assists in getting precise body composition information, but also taps into your heart data through it’s AFib detecting ECG function. More on the ECG function, the handlebar can detect AFib by using 6-lead testing from your home instead of at the doctor’s. But if needed, you can easily share your results with your doctor via the app. The results of these tests after some time lead to a cardiovascular health assessment by aging your Vascular health. Again, comparison may be the thief of joy but the competitive side of me is what would help motivate myself to get better, healthier results for my body. What gets me most excited about the handlebar is the ability to follow and improve your sweat activity. They do this through something called “electrodermal activity,” a scale/score on the chemicals in your handle. Allegedly, there is an ideal range, and the handlebar can detect changes that might affect your health in the short or long term.
“Let discipline carry you when motivation won’t,”-someone. Soak up that spring sun, and stay moving, life is precious.
April 2024
