How to Track Your Progress
and Eros Smart Body Scale Review
Wondering what the best way is to weigh in on your progress?
I’m not a huge fan of obsessively getting onto a scale - and I rarely ask my clients to do so.
There are definitely different schools of thought on this. For many of us- doing it often is detrimental to our goals- and not helpful. However, tracking results is key in any exercise or workout plan…. This is SO true if you are just starting your journey to a fit lifestyle! Some folks are motivated by numbers and enjoy seeing measured progress.
The key is- what are the best ways to track your results?
And how can you do it without it feeling rigid and forced and something you dread?
Inevifit asked me to review their Eros Smart Body Composition Scale,
I figured this was a great time to talk about how to track your results.
To be clear- I think diet is a four letter word, and I believe in making sustainable healthy life choices that get you to feel good and look good- for life.
With Pilates- some of the results are about coordination, flexibility and focus, which are a bit more esoteric. But many of my clients are seeking to be more toned and that requires a change in body composition. And I do like to weigh myself, just to stay focused - especially through the pandemic , when it can be hard to stay motivated (yes even for me)
Why I Do Not Weigh Myself Everyday
Your weight fluctuates every day - and for me- seeing that number raise can be detrimental to my motivation.
Obsessing over daily fluctuations is not only frustrating sad and demotivating- scales do not tell the whole story.
Keep in mind one pound of fat is 3000 calories. So even if you see one lb of loss or gain in a day it is unlikely that you actually lost or gained that pound. Hydration can affect your scale and that’s called fluid changes. Most scales don’t differentiate fluid changes (but the Eros Smart Body Scale does.)
Weigh ins effect my mood- but rarely motivate me to do any better. If I see a one pound gain- it can send me into a spiral of self doubt and pity. But it’s likely I didn’t actually gain a thing.
This is why I recommend you to weigh yourself once a week , at the same time of day and wearing the same clothes (if any). This will give a more accurate read.
BMI
is body mass index. It is based on height and weight.
It is widely used as a tool to configure if you are classified as “obese” . A score of 18- 25 is normal and 25- 30 is overweight and 30 plus is considered obese. It is a simple but recently has come under fire for not being accurate.
Bodybuilders for example are very muscular and will read as overweight quite often. Skinny fat people- those who weight little but have high ratio of body fat- will read as normal. But they will have a false sense of positivity and a higher risk of heart disease. Taller and short people wail also not be represented properly. Tall people shall have extra skeletal weight and will read higher than they should while shorter people will have less skeletal weight and will read as lower than they actually are.
Race and ethnicity also play a part with BMI. Black and African people are disproportionately classified as overweight- according to studies when compared to white people of the same age gender and weight, Black folks had lower abdominal fat mass. This means a lower percentage of visceral fat and a higher percentage of muscle, and a lower risk of heart disease which should give them a lower score of BMI. Asian people conversely have a higher risk of heart disease at lower BMI- years ago BMI was more respected.
You can use BMI to track progress- if you score 25 on it today- and in a few months it drops to 23 or 22, it’s one way to measure success. Just don’t believe the overweight label it may be inaccurately handing you…
Not everyone who is overweight or even obese is unhealthy. Only a doctor can determine this- your cholesterol, resting heart rate, triglycerides and many other factors play into this. Stars like Lizzo and yoga teachers like Jessamyn Stanley have challenged the notion that fat can’t be fully functional healthy and strong.
This is fit and healthy!
Many people can be healthy at different sizes.
I’ve known one too many thin people who did EXTREMELY unhealthy things to simply be thin. Many girls in the Pilates world were former dancers and back then would perform all day on nothing more than an apple or two. I’ve had runway models come into the studios and tell us they cannot gain a pound- can we lower the reformer springs?
We’ve been conditioned to see thinness as a pinnacle of beauty and health, through a lens of photoshop and botox…. please do not let that fool you.
Body Fat percentage
Is one of the more accurate ways to track progress and determine your risk of cardiovascular disease.
It is the total of your body composition that is fat vs lean mass. Lean mass is made up of muscle bones organs and tissue.
Some fat actually is necessary - it can protect internal organs, store fuel for energy, and regulates hormones. But you can have excess storage of fat and non-essential body fat. And having that will not give you the toned look you want to achieve.
This is why when you start a Pilates or strength training plan- your weight may not change but you may look better and your clothing sizes may drop. It’s the number one reason why I do not recommend weight alone by itself
A regular scale will not tell you this. You can use body fat calipers, but this is invasive and if you aren’t clipping your fat in the exact same spot each time- the results may vary.
This below chart is made with stats from the American Council of Exercise
And it is tracked right into your smartphone with the Eros Scale!
Ever know someone who looked great but you asked their weight and were surprise to hear them say it was 10 or so lbs heavier than you thought? They likely had a very low body fat percentage and a high amount of muscle and lean mass:).
Weight only tells you half the story.
Measurements
Another way to track progress is with a tape measure- if you are losing fat and gaining muscle, your waist and hips might get smaller, but your biceps may get bigger. Or if you are on a booty growth plan- you may want your hip to get bigger but everything else to slim down if you are training the booty hard.
I def recommend the Eros Scale- I got mine in black for a modern look
Here are some things I love about it..
It allows you to accurately monitor your body weight in quite a few different ways - weight, BMI and Bodyfat are tracked and it will show your your lean mass vs your fat mass.
It comes with a free easy to use Eros app for both Android and iOS.
it allows an unlimited number of users to track their progress. So your whole household can join in and step on.
The free Triple A Batteries are also included which makes it even easier when you first get it
If you need help setting it up ( I did not) it comes with an 7-day real USA customer support
How the scale measures BMI:
As you know this can be a tricky subject- I asked them how they calculate this.
“Each of our body analyzer scales uses your profile (age, weight, height, gender, activity level and bio-electrical impedance analysis) to estimate your body composition levels. These are calculated through each scale's proprietary algorithm which utilizes a large data set of Dexa scans as the source of the calculation.
And as far as Body Fat Accuracy Inxefit had to say:
Please note that depending on the actual distribution of your body fat the accuracy and results will vary however, it will still serve as an excellent tool to gauge the change in your body composition over time.”
This is also why its important to use the scale on a flat surface to get the right results. You also need to be barefoot- the metal electrodes that detect your body composition cant do it with your socks on!!!
Watch the unboxing video and grab yours with the button below!
You can also check out their full line of health & fitness products, my code JESIIFITPILATES20 will give you 20 percent off until 5/31/2021