How healthy are you? To find out, I tried health monitoring services, techy scales and two of the hottest smartwatches

Want to get healthier before spring and summer? Me too. But while I knew I wanted to improve my fitness, I didn’t actually know where to start.

In order to determine an accurate plan, I decided to learn more about my current health and fitness level. If you’re interested in doing the same, read on to learn more details about how I figured out where I am and what I’m prioritizing for a healthier spring.

Discover a proactive, unique new way to measure and monitor your health

In the process of researching health monitoring measurement products and solutions, I accidentally discovered NiaHealth, a Canadian start-up health monitoring service company.

The company provides clients with a detailed analysis of their existing health status in a variety of ways. Tests include: comprehensive blood work, a VO2max test (which measures the amount of oxygen used by the body during breathing and is a strong indicator of cardiovascular health), and a DEXA scan (a detailed body composition reading).

Between processing this test data and input from any wearable devices, you end up with a score that basically tells you how healthy you are and why.

Scores (ranging from a low B- to a high A+) are related to several key factors: health of the heart, kidneys and urinary system, liver, metabolism, micronutrients, blood, hormones, fitness levels and body composition. The assessment will provide you with a score for each of the key areas listed above, along with a detailed explanation. For example, my metabolic score is a B+ – it could have been higher, but my ferritin levels (a protein that stores iron) are below optimal.

The assessment then provides a list of “getting healthier,” including considering sleep apnea treatment, eating more vegetables and fatty fish, and doing more low-intensity aerobic exercise.

My overall score was a B+, but a few weeks later I was retested by a partner company on the V02 and DEXA scans, which gave me an A+. My overall score was upgraded to an A. It’s great to see the tangible steps I’ve taken starting to pay off. NiaHealth’s plans start at $299 CAD.

Expand scale

Of course, not everyone can afford health monitoring services. As part of my health monitoring journey, I also researched various products that could be used at home or with services like mine. This brings me to two next generation scales: InBody H30 and Garmin S2 Smart Scale.

Both scales provide health readings that most consumers wouldn’t think of. For me, the personal readings generated by the InBody included a body mass index of 26.5 kg/m2, muscle mass of 89.1 pounds, body fat percentage of 14.8, gut fax level of 5, and a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.84. To the average consumer (myself included), all of this may sound “Greek.” But the scale tallied up all the readings and gave me a D reading, which means “stronger and more athletic.” Other potential InBody scores include Type C (more need to lose fat/gain muscle) and Type I (more fit, but still need to gain muscle/lose fat.)

The Garmin S2 scale focuses on the following basic measurements: body fat percentage, body mass index, skeletal muscle, and bone mass. But instead of porting those numbers to a dedicated scale app like InBody, the scale uploads the data to the Garmin Connect app. A universal console that also includes how your Garmin watch tracks your activity and corresponding fitness.

So while using a Garmin watch (which I’ll get to), the company’s app gave me a healthy age of 62, a number derived by combining my exercise activity with measurements from the S2 smart scale.

The app then suggested that I could lower my fitness age by up to four years by lowering my overall body fat percentage and maintaining a lower resting heart rate while increasing the number and frequency of vigorous exercise per week.

keep a better look

Stepping off the scale, I also demoed two industry-leading smart fitness watches: Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra and fēnix 8 by Garmin. One of the most important readings these watches provide is your resting heart rate, which is a good indicator of whether your heart muscle is in good condition.

Both watches confirmed that my resting heart rate is currently in the low 50s. Respectable, but still 10 times higher than when I ran more frequently. Genetics may also have had a positive impact on my scores (my non-athletic father always had a decent RHR). In addition to physical activity, other factors that affect RHR include smoking, alcohol consumption, and certain medical conditions.

Additionally, both Ultra and fēnix 8 generate a wide range of health readings, giving you a good indication of your current health status. For example, fēnix 8 generates Pulse Ox Acclimation readings that correlate to your body’s blood oxygen levels, with readings below 92% considered low.

My results are usually above that range. But sometimes (midday) their success rate drops below 92%. It’s no surprise when my energy levels feel it too. What advice does Watch share in order to improve these levels? Get up from your desk and get moving.

Other interesting statistics provided by fēnix 8 related to measuring energy levels is the Body Battery Score (out of 100) (which uses a combination of heart rate, heart rate variability, sleep, and activity to estimate your energy reserves), and my lows and highs ranged from 5 to a high of 75. No doubt related to some of those lows, sleep scores out of 100 (my last sleepless night had a reading of 59 or worse).

Compared to fēnix 8’s body battery, Ultra also produces unique numbers like an Energy Score, as well as an Antioxidant Index, which relates to your body’s ability to resist cellular damage caused by free radicals. My final score was 46, or “very low.” The read also provides gentle reminders to eat more foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains. Another useful feature of the Ultra and previous generation Samsung watches (including my Samsung 6) is that it can measure your blood pressure after calibrating the watch with a physical blood pressure monitor.

The road to better health

After all of this research, it became clear to me that there was still a lot of work to be done to not only maintain my current health but also address deficiencies in certain areas, including paying more attention to my exercise regimen, diet, and getting better sleep. From that point on, my next steps actually included taking more steps.

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