A pedometer, or heart rate monitor, is a small device that can monitor your heart rate or steps that you take during exercise or daily life. Some models will convert the number of steps you take automatically into miles or kilometers. Sometimes they will also calculate the number of calories you have burned. If you purchase a more advanced model, they can store days worth of data and you can download that data onto your computer to analyze it.
Many people have reported that they Omron Healthcare HJ-112 is one of the best and most affordable pedometers on the market.
A recent study by the University of Minnesota shows that people wearing pedometers tend to walk more. The study split people up in two groups who were both encouraged to walk each day. Only one group was given pedometers to track their steps.
Those with pedometers increased their steps by about 2100 per day, or 20 minutes of steady walking, a 30% increase in daily steps. They walked almost twice as many blocks as those without pedometers. People using a pedometer also tend to stick much longer with a walking routine. One of the best pedometers for just counting steps is the Yamax Digiwalker SW 200, which is made in Japan which holds their pedometers to a very high standard of accuracy.
Before choosing the right pedometer it is important to know what kind of program you would be following. The most popular walking program is the 10000 steps a day walking program. For this purpose you need to know your steps and this forms the basis of the calculations done by the pedometer.
If you are interested in knowing how much distance you have traveled then buy a pedometer with a distance calculating functionality. Before you start using such a pedometer you need to set your stride length, since all the calculations will be based on this. While walking or running make sure your step size is close to what you have entered else the distance measured will be inaccurate.
A pedometer that can count the number of calories burned is beneficial since this will help you keep track of your progress as well as know if you have earned that extra doughnut. If there is an option to enter your weight make sure you enter it correctly as this will keep the calculations accurate. One of the most accurate pedometers is the New-Lifestyles NL-2000.
Thus, it is important to know what type of program you will follow and then deciding which pedometer you should go in for. There are many different brands available for pedometers like Omron and Sportsline.
To get the most out of your pedometer, set daily and weekly goals. Start by setting a baseline number of steps. To do this, simply 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 normal day. Calculate the average number of steps you take any given day.
Next you want to start taking 500 to 1000 steps each day. You can easily accomplish this by taking a little walk around the block, parking a little further away during errand and at work, as well as walking to a college’s office instead of calling him or her. Each week, or every two weeks increase your steps and additional 500 to 1000 steps until you reach a minimum of 10,000 steps per day. If you are walking to lose weight, work yourself up to 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 track your progress and motivate you to keep walking. All you have to do is put on some comfortable shoes, clip on your pedometer and put one foot in front of the other. I encourage you to give walking and using a pedometer a try.
