Relying solely on weight measuring scales is not enough if you truly wish to get in shape. You also need an accurate way to measure your body fat percentage to better plan your diet and fitness regimes.
Body fat scales can give you an accurate estimate of your total mass that is made of fat. This can give you a more precise view of your current progress in terms of overall fitness and health.
This blog explores body fat scales in detail to help you understand why these are a necessity for you if you are a true fitness enthusiast. So, without any further ado, let’s see why these health and fitness scales are a great addition to your fitness gear.
- What are Body Fat Scales?
- Healthy Body Fat Percentage
- Composition of Body Fat Scales
- Working of Body Fat Scales
- Accuracy of Body Fat Scales
- Factors That Can Affect the Results of a Body Fat Scale
What are Body Fat Scales?
Body fat scales are sophisticated devices that you can use at home to measure both your weight as well as body composition. The term body composition refers to the relative content of fat, muscle, and water in your body. Thus, with these scales, you can better track how much fat and muscle currently are in your body which can help you create a better fitness plan.
You can use body fat scales to determine total muscle mass, body water percentage, visceral fat, and physique rating as well. These scales can give a comprehensive view of your overall fitness level in a convenient and quicker fashion.
Healthy Body Fat Percentage
Before we look into how a body fat scale works, first look at the normal or healthy body fat percentage numbers.
- A body fat percentage of 14% to 38% is normal for the females.
- A body percentage of 6% to 24% is considered healthy for males.
If your electronic weighing scale shows a body fat percentage value above or below these numbers, you immediately need to take the steps necessary to bring your body fat into the healthy range.
Composition of Body Fat Scales
A body fat scale is very similar in appearance to regular digital weighing machines. It consists of a flat platform where you can stand. Below the platform is the mechanism that detects your body composition.
The mechanism consists of a BIA or bioelectrical impedance analysis circuit that calculates your body weight which is then displayed on an LCD screen attached to the scale.
Working of Body Fat Scales
The weighing solutions dedicated to measuring body fat utilize the BIA to find your body fat percentage. These scales have sensors below your feet that use the bioelectrical impedance principle.
BIA sends a weak electrical impulse through your body. When you step on the scale, the current first runs up through your leg and then across your pelvis. This impulse interacts with different tissues, body water, fat, bone muscle, and other components of your body where it faces varying levels of resistance.
These scales then use mathematical formulas that involve terms related to electrical resistance, the person’s age, height, and gender. After processing, the scale gives you a pretty reliable estimation of your fat, muscle, and body water content.
The greater the resistance that the signal faces while passing through your body, the higher your body fat percentage. This happens because the higher fat content leads to lower water content. Since water is a good conductor, its absence increases the resistance giving you a higher value of the body fat percentage.
Accuracy of Body Fat Scales
It is true that there are many benefits of a digital scale that can measure body fat. However, are these scales accurate? The simple answer to this question is “It depends”.
The type, quality, and sensitivity of the scale directly affect the accuracy of the body fat percentage. There are some scales that collect body fat measurements from 4 points including your hands and feet. While there are some scales that only collect data from two points. The body fat percentage reading that you get from the former scales is always more accurate as it has more data to infer the right results.
Though body fast scales give you an easy way to track your body fat percentage, their accuracy is somewhat questionable.
Some of the best body fat scales in the market right now can estimate your body composition with around 3% to 4% accuracy. This is why, we can say that these scales can only give you a rough estimation of your body fat.
Factors That Can Affect the Results of a Body Fat Scale
You can use body fat scales for self-monitoring to improve your fitness. But you also need to understand that the readings you get from these scales are not always reliable.
Following are a few factors that can affect the results of a body fat scale
- If you are dehydrated then these scales can give you a higher value of your body fat. On the other hand, if you are overhydrated, the value can appear less than what it actually is.
- If you have swelling on your feet, hands, or some other body part, it can also lead to inaccurate body fat percentage readings.
- Your gender and where you store fat in your body also influence the body fat percentage.
- Your pregnancy can also lead to different body fat content results with these scales.
- Your age, height, and stature also affect the readings of these scales.
Conclusion
Body fat scales allow you to track your health and fitness in the comfort of your home. These scales give you a rough estimation of your body composition which you can use to plan your fitness routine.
However, you also need to know that these scales are not always accurate since there are many variables involved when it comes to calculating your body fat percentage.
Things like your stature, hydration level, swelling, etc., are not accounted for when these scales determine your body fat percentage which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies. This is why you need to avoid focusing solely on body fat measurements alone and prioritize an overall healthy lifestyle.
You can visit Accurate Meezan today to order our top-quality health and fitness scales to measure your weight and body composition with high accuracy.