Healthier You: Check Consumer Reports on Fitness Trackers

If you’re looking for the best fitness tracker to get you started on your 2020 health goals, turn to Consumer Reports using your free access through GALILEO.

The normal annual digital subscription is $39, or $10 a month. But, full-text articles from each online edition of Consumer Reports, dating back to 1985, are available free to all Georgia residents and students when accessed from GALILEO.

In its January 2020 edition, Consumer Reports takes on popular fitness trackers. They tested 17 models, including: the Garmin Forerunner 35, Samsung Galaxy Fit, and the Fitbit Inspire HR. Fitness trackers were tested for ease of use, interaction and pairing with another device, step counting, and more. Scores ranged from 35-85.

The No. 1 fitness tracker, according to Consumer Reports, was the Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro. It had the highest overall score of 85, with “excellent” marks in versatility and ease of use. The Garmin Forerunner 35 followed with a rating of 84. In addition to the January 2020 issue, you can read the2020 Buying Guide for more on fitness trackers

Access Consumer Reports via GALILEO with these steps:

• Go to GALILEO and click the Journals A-Z tab.
• Type “Consumer Reports” into the search bar
• Choose the Consumer Reports (Full Text) option from the list
• Choose EBSCOhost MasterFILE Elite from the database list
• Click on an issue to the right to access the magazine
• To search across multiple issues for a particular product, click “Search within this publication” [Note: Type the word “and” along with your topic in the search box (e.g., “and digital cameras”)]
• Click “Share” to set up an alert

(You can access MasterFILE Elite from this express link: https://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zbel. Some links may not work off site. Click the database name or log in to GALILEO first for access.)