What is a pedometer and why would you need one?

A pedometer is a great inexpensive exercise tool that tracks your progress and keeps you motivated to get on with your daily workout. Let’s take a look at what exactly a pedometer is and why you need it.

A pedometer is a small electronic device, about the size of a pager or smaller. The basic function of a pedometer is to track or count how many steps you take. Most models will also convert our steps into the number of miles you walked and calculate how many calories you have burned. The more advanced models will save several days of date and some will even connect to your computer so you can record your progress through the provided software as well.

Therefore, the pedometer helps you keep track of the number of steps you took. I find that I am much more motivated to take a little walk around the neighborhood or park a little further away when running errands when wearing the pedometer.

A recent study from the University of Minnesota shows that people who wear pedometers tend to walk more. The study divided people into two groups who were encouraged to walk every day. Only one group received pedometers to track their steps.

Those with pedometers increased their steps by about 2,100 per day, or 20 minutes of steady walking, a 30% increase in daily steps. They walked nearly twice as many blocks as those without pedometers. People who wear a pedometer also tend to stick with a walking routine much longer.

To get the most out of your pedometer, set daily and weekly goals. Start by establishing a number of reference steps. To do this, just wear the pedometer for a few days. Don’t try to aim for a certain number of steps. All you are doing at this point is measuring how many steps you take in a typical day. Calculate the average number of steps you take on a given day. Next, you want to start taking 500 to 1000 steps each day. You can easily accomplish this by taking a short walk around the block, parking a little further away during errands and at work, as well as walking to the college office instead of calling. Every week, or every two weeks, increase your steps and an additional 500-1000 steps until you reach a minimum of 10,000 steps per day. If you are walking to lose weight, work 12,000 to 15,000 steps per day.

Walking is one of the easiest ways to exercise every day, and a pedometer will help you keep track of your progress and motivate you to keep walking. All you have to do is put on some comfortable shoes, strap on your pedometer, and put one foot in front of the other. I encourage you to try walking and wearing a pedometer.