Tracking Activity with a Pedometer | Bradenton Surgical Group
A pedometer is a great device for tracking your progress and keeping you motivated to stay active. It keeps track of your steps and how far you walk in a day and can be worn all day to count your total activity, or only during a walking workout to monitor your fitness routine.
Before you buy a pedometer
Before you buy a pedometer, you should learn a little more about the types of pedometers available and determine which features will be best for you. While all pedometers will count steps, some multi-function versions come equipped with features like clocks, seven-day memory, stopwatches and speed estimators, calorie estimators, and pulse-rate monitors.
If you’re just starting out with a walking program, even a simple step counter can help keep you motivated to reach daily activity goals. For basic health, experts recommend taking 6000 steps a day. If you’re trying to lose weight, aim for at least 10,000 steps a day or an uninterrupted daily walk of 4000 to 6000 steps.
If you’re looking for more advanced features, Timex, Garmin, and others sell true speedometers/odometers that use GPS technology to keep track of your distance and speed. Nike Plus uses an accelerometer to display continuous speed and distance, but may need to be calibrated for walking instead of running. Some manufactures provide pedometers that allow you to upload your walking data and view graphs and charts of your activity. These features may be especially useful if you’re working toward a specific distance or goal.
Whether you choose a simple step counter or a more elaborate tracking device, pedometers are a relatively inexpensive way to hold yourself accountable for your daily physical activity goals.
How to Wear Your Pedometer
A pedometer is a small tracking device that you wear in order to keep track of the number of steps you take. You can use a simple step counter or a multi-function pedometer that will monitor your speed, distance, time spent walking, or calories burned. To get the most out of your pedometer, it’s important that you learn how to use it correctly.
Whether you’re tracking the amount of steps you take all day or the effectiveness of a single walking workout, a pedometer should be comfortable enough to wear for a long period of time. Most models are secured by a clip to your waistband or the top of your walking shoes, and some may include an additional safety leash. Be sure that the pedometer is protected so that bumps don’t punch a button and reset the count. The pedometer must be straight up and down, not tilted, in order to get an accurate read.
Pedometer Accuracy
Most pedometers use turned-pendulum technology, accelerometers, or electronic devices to count your steps accurately. As long as you’re wearing it correctly, you should be able to get an accurate count of your steps. If your pedometer is designed to track distance, you’ll need to make sure you correctly measure your stride length before using it.
To check the accuracy of your pedometer, track your walking route with an online tracking tool and compare it to your pedometer’s reading.
Once you begin using your pedometer regularly, you’ll want to keep a record of your progress each day. You may use an online log or a software system that is included with some pedometer models, or you can stick to a simple system of writing down the number of steps you took at the end of each day.