Body scanners find a new fan in fitness clubs

New York

WALK Into David Barton's new gym in Manhattan, TMPL, and you will be greeted by an array of high-tech fitness options - fingerprint scanners, giant screens with lifelike landscapes behind the Spin instructors, and a saltwater pool, all bathed in his trademark recessed LED lighting. But the real game-changing gadget here is not on the weight-room floor. It's a Styku 3D body scanner, tucked away in a room near the showers that's next to a minibar serving protein shakes.

If history is any guide, millions of people will make a New Year's resolution to go to one of the 180,000 gyms across the globe in an annual, usually ineffective, effort to lose a few pounds. The primary reason for this failure, according to the specialists, is that checking your weight is a misguided, demoralising way to gauge overall health. "Many people are focused on the scale," said Mark de Gorter, chief executive officer of Workout Anytime. "But in doing so, they lose the bigger picture of transforming the body."