Whether it’s a silicone bracelet or a plastic monitor the size of a quarter, personal-activity trackers have become a trendy motivational tool—or guilt-inducer, depending on your mindset. The Fitbit has emerged as a popular model. It’s even been turned into a fashion statement by designer Tory Burch, who sells stainless steel bracelets and pendants that hide the trackers.
We followed two Fitbit wearers—an Atlanta housewife and an Atlanta Housewife—to see what kind of stats they’d put up. — Christine Van Dusen
Atlanta housewife
Maria Smith
This Cobb County stay-at-home mother of four pens the popular mommy blog Mamalicious Maria. Her day usually starts around 6 a.m. as she gets the kids—all under the age of eight—to school, goes to the gym or plays tennis, grocery shops, cleans the house, and then shuttles everyone to various activities before making dinner and running through the bedtime routine.
Real Atlanta Housewife
Demetria McKinney
A cast member on the seventh season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta on Bravo, McKinney has a new R&B album and also appears on The Rickey Smiley Show and Devious Maids. She’s typically up at 6 a.m. to get her son to school and then tapes one or more shows. She squeezes in Zumba classes, other cardio, and weight lifting.
Fitbit’s new tracker
Forget the Apple Watch; the must-have timepiece for techie athletes is the Fitbit Surge. The device, due early this year for about $250, has a built-in GPS so you can not only monitor distance, pace, and elevation but also check routes and review split times. A wrist-based monitor tracks your heart rate without a chest strap, enabling you to study each workout’s intensity as well as data such as calories burned, distance traveled, or floors climbed. And, like other Fitbits, Surge measures the quality of your sleep. It offers convenience features such as call and text notification, as well as wireless syncing to your computer or phone. Oh, and it also tells time. —Betsy Riley
This article originally appeared in our 2015 Health issue.
