Pedometers - The New Exercise Tool

Do you like to walk or run?
Want to get more exercise into your life?
Then a pedometer is for you!

Pedometers measure distance traveled by registering the number of steps an individual takes. Your goal may be to lose weight, increase your activity level, or log your mileage. Select a pedometer with the features that will help you achieve your goal.  Pedometers can be found in many places: sporting goods stores, discount stores, and catalogs. Prices vary depending on the features.

Regardless, there are a few things to remember:

• Wear your pedometer properly, that is, on your waist close to your hip bone, aligned directly over your knee.
• Set up your stride length properly (2.2 feet for women, 2.5 feet for men) or measure your stride length by walking 10 steps, measure it in feet, then divide by 10.       
• Start slowly, wear your pedometer and go about your day. Record your daily activity, then weekly activity.
• Try to increase the next week’s activity by approximately 10%.
• Pay attention to the activity that helps you reach your goal.
• Progress to the point where you can accomplish 6,000 to 10,000 per day.
• Check your pedometer for accuracy.  Count out 100 steps yourself, and compare your results to the pedometer’s results.  Take the variance into consideration when totaling your daily count (Tufts University Health & Nutrition Newsletter, 2/05).

Just think…10,000 steps a day is equivalent to walking approximately five miles!

A pedometer is a wonderful way to track your daily activity and encourage you to get up and move on days that you normally would not.