Now, coming back to BMI for a moment. It’s a well-known and easy shorthand measurement for overall health, but it’s actually not that accurate or that helpful. Numerous doctors and scientists have pointed out that BMI doesn’t properly take into account muscle tone or bone structure. This is important because (in theory) you could be classified as “overweight” but have very little body fat and just have a fair amount of muscle. Likewise, you can be what’s sometimes called “skinny fat”, and be thin but with no muscle tone, which isn’t healthy either, even if it gives you a “normal” BMI. Having said that, discounting BMI doesn’t mean it can’t be useful, it just means that it’s not always a perfect and realistic goal. It’s probably best to use BMI as one tool, along with physical body measurements and just plain old “how well do my clothes fit?” My experience over the last month or so is a good example. I need to lose fat, and so my BMI is higher than I would like. I’m also spending a lot of time lifting weights. Currently, my BMI has only gone down slightly, but my thighs, waist, and arms have changed for the better. Over time, it’s likely my BMI will catch up with my measurements, because I definitely have more fat I want to lose, but if I allowed myself to measure solely by BMI I would feel pretty discouraged right now. Coming back to the Nokia Body, I have some concerns about putting BMI front and center because of the legitimate criticisms of the standard. Personally, I would rather just get my weight and have the app prompt me to take measurements of my body weekly. [For more on BMI, check out these two articles from NPR and TIME.]
Overall, I really like the Nokia Body scale. It’s attractive, reasonably priced at $59.95, works well with the excellent Nokia Health app, has an established ecosystem of fitness products around it, and makes daily weight tracking nearly painless. The weather report is a nice touch too! If you’re looking for a simple WiFi scale, Nokia Body should be high on your list!
Source: Manufacturer provided review sample
What I Liked: Affordable; health app has an established and useful ecosystem of features and devices; scale is responsive; design is attractive
What Needs Improvement: Too much focus on BMI; had some WiFi connection issues during setup
