From previous blogs, you may know that I'm a big fan of pedometers. They are generally the least expensive piece of exercise equipment that you can purchase. I love that they give instant positive feedback, and that people of all fitness levels can use them. If you are very overweight and the thought of an exercise plan overwhelms you, get a pedometer and start with "a single step". Simply put it on, and measure your baseline steps today. Tomorrow, add on 100 steps and make that your new goal. Continue this each day until you reach a final goal of 10,000 steps per day!
Pedometers come in all shapes, sizes and prices. I prefer ones that clip on to my waistband, but obviously, that necessitates wearing clothing with a waistband! If you prefer dresses, you'll need to find a different style. They now make pedometers that look like a credit card, and you slip them into your pocket- how cool is that?
When I realized I had forgotten to bring a pedometer on my vacation, but wanted to be able to measure the distance of our hikes, my friend pulled out her iPhone and simply downloaded an APP! (Go Pedometer) Before you knew it, we were happily hiking and able to track our distance. Is it accurate? Honestly, not at first. There was some user-error, where we entered in her height incorrectly. (Okay, I'm OCD enough that I measured it against my bike odometer and even against the car odometer to be sure- but I wanted to confirm it before I recommended it!) Ultimately, it worked perfectly on me but did not accurately count her steps, though we could not figure out why.
However, the main point is not so much that you need to know exactly how far you've gone (get a GPS-based one for better accuracy on hikes), but that you need to have accurate step counts so you can appreciate how your activity is IMPROVING each day. And wear it ALL DAY, not just when you are exercising, if you are simply trying to increase your overall fitness!
BOTTOM LINE: Check out all different kinds of pedometers, including the apps for your i-everythings!
1 comment:
Hi, Dr Grimes, from Mr Pedometer.
Establishing a baseline is very important. Even more important is doing the baseline for a week, a 7 day period, because:
1) each days activities will vary with one's lifestyle, and
2) improvements in step activity may be easier on some days of the week vs. the other days.
That is why I ask "aspiring active lifestylists" to make their most flexible day their "last day of the week," and to "make up" any shortages in reaching their goal for the WEEK.
b
Be Active and Be Well, Mr Pedometer
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