When I started training for my first half marathon nearly 18 years ago, I didn’t even own a simple Timex watch ($35). I followed handwritten, photocopied maps to navigate group training runs through hilly Atlanta neighborhoods and had zero insight into data like my heart rate, stride length, or pace.
Fast forward nearly 20 years and more than 200 races later, and I now have 24/7 access to a dizzying array of metrics—heart rate variability, stress level, sleep stages, and more—thanks to not one but two personal fitness trackers: a Garmin Fenix 6S ($700) and a Whoop band ($239). These are just two of dozens of devices designed to help consumers optimize and track wellness data—but is this gamification of our health healthy? Yes and no, says Alissa Paladino, CPT, an Atlanta-based certified personal trainer.
