Withings Body Scan

£349.95

For many, stepping on a scale often comes with little more detail than a number which doesn’t give the full picture of our health. This number doesn’t take into consideration things like body composition, goals, or even more health-focused metrics which promote a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, Withings has revolutionised this process and today delivers the Body Scan; a complete and clinically validated connected health station ready to help you understand your health in a whole new way.

When the Body Scan first showed up on my desk, I was a little sceptical that a scale could tell you so much about your body, but how wrong I was! I opened the scale up, turned it on and connected it to the Wi-Fi and with the Withings App via Bluetooth. It was super easy to connect the scale to the app, and within a few short minutes, I had a full account and was ready to step on the scale.

Using the scale is remarkably easy, you just step on and pull up the top bar which is attached via a cable to the scale. Holding the bar still with both hands firmly on it and with your feet on the scale you just have to wait 90 seconds and your daily scan is done. The scale shows a range of metrics on the screen, however, to get the full picture you simply go to the app on your phone and can see all the measurements the scale takes. These metrics include a heart health assessment which records cardiac rhythms using an electrocardiogram (ECG) test to detect atrial fibrillation. This can report back on cardiac anomalies which could indicate potential health conditions.

However, the heart is not the only thing the Body Scan records, as it also focuses on nerve health and provides detection of peripheral autonomic neuropathy, which is often associated with the first signs of diabetes. Therefore, the Body Scan provides a daily check of the heart and nerves to monitor these baselines and irregularities to provide you with the info you need to take better care of your health and potentially seek medical intervention earlier.

However, one of my favourite aspects of the Body Scan is that not only does it provide a precise weight measurement, but it also provides you with a better understanding of body composition. This is vital as a weight measurement alone doesn’t always take into consideration where the weight is focused with muscle mass and fat being grouped together. Therefore, with a central focus on the torso, arms and leg, the Body Scan provides body fat and muscle mass percentages so you can focus on areas that you’d like to develop in training.

As someone who is currently working on building muscle mass, this was super helpful as often when I’d step on a scale I wouldn’t be able to tell which aspects of my weight were the cause of any muscle-building or just normal weight fluctuations. On the Withing’s App, you can see a 3D version of you with the fat and muscle percentages shown in an intuitive and easy-to-understand way which I really found helped develop a better mind-body connection when I was training.  

I personally loved trying out the Body Scan as every day I just needed to step on the scale, and I was provided with essential information to help me better understand my health. I loved seeing all the metrics and insights in the app in an easy and information-led manner, which made me feel more in control of my health. Plus, the whole family can use the scale with up to 8 profiles - the scale can even automatically detect just from stepping on the scale!  

Whilst, I don’t think the scale and its various monitoring systems should be used in place of medical services, it is super useful in providing a little insight into how your body is functioning that day to make better choices for yourself and your needs. This would make a great gift for yourself or a loved one who is conscious about their health, especially as they age and want to take control of their health a little more.

Pros:

• First kind of connected health station on the market delivering a whole range of health metrics
• Detailed metrics available on the scale screen and through the app for a better understanding of your body
• Body composition metrics to understand the role of muscle mass and fat percentage in weight
• Super easy to use and offers automatic user detection

Cons:

• The Body Scan is at the more luxury end of the scale market as it is designed to be so much more than just a scale. If you are serious about understanding your health in a whole new way the price is worth it, however, if you’re just looking for a weight scale then this maybe is not the best option for you.