Now You Can Track Your Heart Health At Home

Thanks to Withings, I learned to love my scale. It was easy, of course, because they took the scale out of the analog age and took in into the digital world, giving me even more to work with from my body fat percentage to heart rate. Now I can base my health on more than just the number on the scale.

They are outdoing themselves with the latest update to a scale, the Withings Body Cardio. So what’s new?

Now, you can check your heart health at home.

Their new scale measures your pulse wave velocity (PWV), which is a measurement that is a key indicator of cardiac health—and is associated with hypertension and risks of cardiovascular incidents. This measurement is actually the speed at which vibrations, generated by your heartbeat, spread out along the arterial wall. So how the heck can a scale measure that? The number is all based on the your age—entered into the accompanying app when you first get the scale—and the time it takes for blood to flow from the aorta in the heart to the vessels in the feet. You step on the scale without socks so it can sense your heart rate and connect directly with your body.

So why is this a game changer? Because cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of death worldwide. The good news is 90 percent of those are preventable, so arming yourself with as much information—in the comfort of your own home—is key.

The Body Cardio gives you your weight, fat mass, muscle mass, water percentage and bone mass as well, giving you a comprehensive look at your health. It is $180 and can have up to 8 users, so the whole family can take advantage of it.