Step Pedometer

A pedometer or a 'step-o-meter' is an electronic or electromechanical portable device which can accurately calculate and store the total distance or number of steps that you have covered by foot over a period of time. A pedometer has sensors that respond to the motion of a person's hips and counts the number of steps a person takes.

Look at various options offered by modern pedometers - GPS pedometer, pedometer watch and heart rate monitor pedometer.

Step pedometer

The distance covered by each individual during a single step varies depending on physical factors. So it is essential that every user program or configure his pedometer to suit his/her individual walking style. This is usually done before the first usage. Entering the average step length or stride length into the machine ensures that the machine is synchronized to the current user and display accurate readings.

There are different methods by which one can calculate the average step length. The most common method is to take the average distance between the two heels of the person while on a short walk. The resulting distance is taken as the step length.

Walking with the Pedometer

It has been scientifically proven that activities like running, jogging and walking improves your cardiovascular health. As you start getting used to walking around with your pedometer, try to motivate yourself into setting small targets and goals. The universal magic word in setting your goal is 10,000 steps a day! Try to build yourself towards that goal by promising to go some extra 500 steps every day.

There are plenty of fun things that you can do while walking. Join the local walker's, swap jogging stories, bring along your favorite tracks to listen to while walking and there is nothing like the quality time that you spend with your family and friends while walking. For those who enjoy taking their walks at night, there are pedometers equipped with back lit display feature.

Pedometer features

Most of the modern pedometers available today can be clipped on to your clothes or belt. You can use them whichever way you prefer, either you can leave them on for the whole day or you can set apart a particular time to try out a vigorous workout regime. Pedometers switch off automatically after a certain period of inactivity. So make sure to set the delay feature on the pedometer to fit your usage in order to avoid miscalculations and provide accurate readings.

If you are looking for a basic model which would give you accurate and reliable reading and nothing more, you can find one in the market for a price of less than $10. Catering to today's needs additional features such as - Distance and calorie calculation, Radio, Pulse monitoring and even synthesized voice alerts are incorporated into pedometers.

Pedometer GPS

Almost all modern pedometers support storage of data up to one week so that you can keep track of your progress every day. Latest models have added cool features such as built in step counters, speedometers and GPS tracking device. They let you upload maps into your pedometer and even compare them with your friends. 'Google map pedometer' and 'Map my walk'; are two such online tools which aid this feature.

Pedometer watch

Basically, a pedometer watch is nothing but an efficient fusion of a pedometer and a sports watch. But this cool pedometer watch has certain advantages over the regular pedometer. To start with, it brings the convenience of accessing all the features of a pedometer in a handy, everyday accessory. The user can forget about all the fuss and mess of getting the meter hooked or clipped onto the clothing. Chances of losing a pedometer are higher when the user walks or jogs around with the pedometer in his/her pocket or clothing.

The pedometer watch works also as a great motivational tool, since the user is constantly reminded and goaded to fulfill and improve the target whenever he/she checks the time. Modern watch pedometers have integrated GPS and data link features which lets the user upload maps and get detailed charts and graphs regarding their performance once the device is hooked up with a computer. Any pedometer watch that employs the latest 'accelerometer sensors' should give you value for money.

Heart Rate Monitor Pedometer

A heart rate monitor is a highly important health monitoring tool. It monitors your heart rate. You can select from a range of heart rate monitors, starting from the complex kind that is used in high tech labs to the kind that fits into your palm or on a wrist watch. The advantage in combining a heart rate monitor with a pedometer lies in the fact that it can offer you multifunctional readings about your health and monitor your progress in a more detailed fashion with the help of additional data to support you.

It offers the functionality of both a pedometer and a heart rate monitor at the price and convenience of one solid device. This gives you the added confidence of reliable heart rate reading at the press of a button while walking.