What is a pedometer and why would I need one?

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

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’ve burned. The most advanced models will save several days of data and some will even connect to your computer so you can record your progress via the provided software as well.

So the pedometer helps you keep track of how many steps you walked. I find that I am much more motivated to take a short walk around the neighborhood, or park a little further away when I am running errands when I am using my pedometer.

A recent study from the University of Minnesota shows that people who use pedometers tend to walk more. The people in the study were divided into two groups that 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 almost twice as many blocks as those without a pedometer. People who use a pedometer also tend to stay in a walking routine much longer.

To get the most out of your pedometer, set daily and weekly goals. Start by establishing a baseline number of 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 on a typical day. Calculate the average number of steps you take on a given day. Next, you want to start taking 500 to 1,000 steps each day. You can easily accomplish this by taking a short walk around the block, parking a little farther away during your wanderings and at work, as well as walking to the college office instead of calling. Every week or two, increase your steps and an additional 500 to 1,000 steps until you reach a minimum of 10,000 steps per day. If you’re walking to lose weight, aim for 12,000 to 15,000 steps a day.

Walking is one of the easiest ways to get 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, strap on your pedometer, and put one foot in front of the other. I encourage you to try walking and using a pedometer.