Pedometer Ratings

To get good pedometer ratings today's pedometers have to go far beyond their traditional, boring role.



Pedometers record steps, and historically that's been their purpose and strength. Pedometers are small, mostly silent, and unobtrusive. You can even wear a pedometer at work without attracting too much attention!



Here's where we are at today - let's see what the leading pedometer brands can do:

• Noise Levels - Cheap and free pedometers are mechanical, and they don't have much in the way of brains. They just sit there - usually at your waist line - and when you jiggle they jiggle and you've just jiggled your way to another step! Because these old-style pedometers are mechanical they make noise. Good pedometers are silent - not to mention smarter!



• Aerobic Steps - Better pedometers define aerobic steps as more than 60 steps per minute. This is a simple way of separating regular walking about activity from exercising walking - without the complications of a heart rate monitor! When you're walking more than 60 steps a minute you'll be in the aerobic zone in no time at all!



• History - Electronic pedometers like the Omron pedometers help you keep your mind by not losing their memory. Most good pedometers let you look back on a week or more of activity. You can see at a glance if your making your 10,000 step goal each day.



• Computer and Web Linking - Walkers are no dummies! A key factor in pedometer ratings is computer connectivity. They just press a button and transfer their walking history from the pedometer to their computer. From there, there are a few good web sites that let them track and compare their activities with others. This is great motivation.

Pedometer Activities

Does walking really make you fit?

I'm a runner and I've been running for over 40 years. I run because I love it. I love the distance, the outdoors and the trails. And yes, I'm absolutely hooked on exercise endorphins. If I'm not running I'm cross country skiing or indoor rowing.

I've also got the medical bills to prove it. I'm not complaining - but it's a fact - sports clinics love people who play hard.

Walkers start and continue their fitness plans with a little more moderation - and moderation is usually a sign of intelligence...

Here's the deal: Just like some of us want to run a 50 miler through mountains and swamps there are others who have more modest goals - specifically - 10,000 steps per day. Why 10,000?

This is the line that separates the sedentary from the active. It's the first fitness and athletic goal for many people. When you look at a 10,000 step goal from that perspective you can see that's it just as important as running a marathon.

Let's face facts. Some people think running or skiing down a trail at 9:00 PM in utter darkness is a bit nuts. 10,000 steps a day is a lot more maintainable, and I'm convinced the fitness benefits can be about the same. They also avoid running into yearling moose and scaring themselves and the moose half to death! (And yes, that's happened to me - pretty much right in the middle of Edmonton's river valley trail system.)

Walking is the first step to fitness, and walking can maintain fitness at a high level. Some walkers will become runners, bikers, and skiers just because they enjoy it - and some won't. That probably makes them smarter fitness people than the rest of us!

Pedometer Manufacturers