One of the most motivating factors to continue doing exercise and becoming fit is seeing the results, and ideally, in numbers. For most people, that means the number on the bathroom scale, which we’ve been highly dependent on ever since the scale was invented. It comes as no surprise then, that when this number fails us despite our best efforts at the gym, and shows no improvement, we are less likely to be motivated and keep up the good habit we have formed. It would be a mistake to rely solely on the scale, however. Because your bathroom scale isn’t giving you the full picture. Here’s why measuring yourself on a bathroom scale is limiting. 

1. Your body composition changes

Your weight is basically made up of fat mass, muscle mass, bone mass, organ mass and water weight. When you start a fitness plan, ideally what happens is you loose fat mass and gain muscle mass. An exchange happens between your body composition items. So if you get up on a scale after you’ve been working out for a while, and you don’t notice any difference in your weight, but feel it on your body and clothes, your scale is essentially right. You have replaced your body fat with muscle. You will feel the difference on your body and your clothes, but the scale will most likely show the same number, or not as big as a change as you would expect.

2. The bathroom scale fluctuates

Something that most people don’t know is that the bathroom scale number will always fluctuate based on your water weight, hormonal changes, day of the week, how long time it’s been since your last meal, etc. So if you weight yourself on a Monday after breakfast, it might look like you gained significant weight – even though when you weighed yourself last Thursday after your workout, it looked like you had in fact lost a couple of kg/pounds. It’s all in the details, and these little details can influence your body weight to up to 1,5 kg, making it difficult to know exactly where the true number lies.

3. Try measuring your girth and body composition

As mentioned above, your body doesn’t just loose weight when you start working out and watching your diet. Ideally you will gain some muscle mass as well, and when that happens, you want to be looking at the crucial points on your body where significant change has happened – something that the bathroom scale wouldn’t be able to point out. Measuring your girth is a good indication of how much your body has changed, and it is precise. Another good idea – if you have the opportunity – is taking body composition measurements at the gym in order to see the ratio of fat and muscle mass in your body. Just remember to ask assistance from the gym staff so you measure yourself in the most optimal circumstances. 

4.  Don’t rely on the scale if you’re building muscle

If your main goal is to build muscle mass and become stronger, the scale will be of little use to you. The number will only keep increasing, but it will not tell you specifically where you have increased muscle mass and how much. Your clothes are always a good indication, but if you’re looking for a more precise solution, BodyBarista is a good alternative.  

– More about BodyBarista here –

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After a year of hard work & a granted US patent, BodyBarista 3 is finally launched. One of the biggest and most important updates to this date, as many new features are added to the app, including measuring your individual muscle groups based on iPhone pictures, accuracy within 1-1.5%, being able to see the changes every day/week/month in fractions of inches/cm, and comparing to the average male/female.

With all these new features, we are proud to present BB-3 – BodyBarista 3!

How does it work?

BodyBarista is simple and fun to use. Make sure all the body parts that you want to measure are well visible in your mirror, such as your flexed right arm, your complete torso, hips, legs, etc. No worries, you don’t need to capture and measure your full body all the time. You can have an upper body routine in your bathroom mirror each morning and meanwhile take a full measurement less frequently at the sports center or other similar places. Next, open BodyBarista camera/measurement and do like shown in the video. Place the iPhone in your left hand and raise your hand to the ear, this rotates the phone upside down as shown on the screen. The app will guide you through 2 positions in front of the mirror. Once you’ve taken the pictures, you’ll validate the calibrated images and move the points for each muscle group. In a matter of seconds, BodyBarista will calculate your Torso, Arm and Legs measurements down to details such as Neck, Lats, Delts, Waist, Thighs, etc. With your first measurement, you will be able to see how you compare to the average male/female, and once you start monitoring yourself, you’ll see the difference in inches/cm on the outline of your body. This will help you pick the right exercise or choose the right diet, and keep you motivated. BodyBarista is more accurate than the bathroom scale by 34%, so these measurements are on point.

What’s in it for me?

We at BodyBarista believe “You are what you measure” when it comes to your health and your fitness. Want to set a body goal? Keep an eye on the measurements to see if your diet/fitness plan is right for you. Do you have specific areas that you want to pump up? Pay extra attention to the numbers that indicate the part of your body you’re focusing on. Are you frustrated that your weight doesn’t change even though you’re working your ass off? Your body measurements could be an indication that you are losing fat in some places and gaining muscle in others. The BodyBarista app solves all these issues. Track your body in inches and cm and know exactly where and when the changes are happening. Don’t just talk the talk – walk the walk. If you want to get things done, BodyBarista is a must.

What’s next?

For you, the next step is: downloading the app! Start the good habit of tracking your body, because it has never been easier than it is now with BodyBarista. According to sciene, measuring the body’s progress is the #1 reason why people keep to their fitness routine. BodyBarista will keep you motivated to continue by showing you the progress you’re making in inches and cm.

As for BodyBarista, we are always on a constant quest to develop and better our app. Got any feedback for us? We’d love to hear it. Just email us at info[at]bodybarista[dot]com.

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