Read any magazine about improving your health and fitness and it will repeatedly continue to stress that walking can do more good than you may think. In fact, taking as many steps as possible will improve your stamina and help you to lose weight quickly and easily. Walking has therefore become a popular form of exercise with good reason of late. However, if you are walking for your health then there is one bit of equipment that you should absolutely invest in – the best pedometer for you. Read on to find out more.
What is a Pedometer?
A pedometer is a small and device that counts the steps you take. It is easily portable and has an electronic mechanism that is used to detect and record steps. Some have other functions besides, such as monitoring your heart rate, although these have been added in recent years to increase the appeal of the little exercise tools, which has worked to a degree. They are fantastic motivational tools as well so they are worth their weight in gold. However, you will need to decide exactly what you want and need from one of them before you can determine which is the best pedometer for you.
The Beauty of a Pedometer Watch
It is a fact that anyone can use a walking or running pedometer to make sure that they are doing the right amount of steps per day, which is said to be 10,000 by experts. Regardless of how young or old you are, you can benefit from one. There are plenty to choose from though because some come in the form of watches, others in the form of hip monitors that clip to your belt. Pedometer watches are very popular today amongst athletes and those a little more serious about their workout than your average person. Watch pedometers are particularly popular because, although they are more costly, they tend to have more features. It really depends what you want from them, but you will definitely find one to suit your needs.
Choose Your Best Pedometer
As mentioned previously, there are plenty of expensive and cheap pedometers to choose from but before you do you will need to know which one best suits your needs. We have looked at numerous pedometer reviews to determine those with the best consumer ratings and compiled what they have said. As a result, we found the following three to be the best pedometers out there.
1). Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver with Heart Rate Monitor
One of the more expensive models on the market, this Garmin pedometer is so much more than a simple step counter. In fact, it is highly rated by people from all walks of life (pardon the pun!). It includes high end software that offers speed, distance and pace data, online mapping and GPS, and training centre software, amongst other things. The promotional literature does not even contain the p-word, but despite that, the reviews point out the following strengths:
- In addition to providing tools for walking, it also calculates data for cycling, skiing and windsurfing, amongst other things. This essentially makes it multipurpose and justifies its price.
- Most of the data is highly accurate, including heart rate sampling and distance data. It is also easy to access and use so you need not worry about finding it difficult to use.
- The pedometer Google link is fantastic. It locks on satellites quickly and so makes it easy to map your workout. You can also customise the display so you can enjoy the watch to its fullest.
There are a few minor drawbacks, with some finding it a little time consuming to get the software working for them. However, the main problem is the price. Although it offers value for money it may not fit into your budget.
2). Yamax Digiwalker SW-200
Coming complete with a safety strap, the Yamax Digiwalker SW-200 is one of the newer options when it comes to deciding which one to purchase, but it is also one of the cheap pedometers. You will not have to pay a fortune to be able to use this, but what else can it offer you in terms of pros:
- It is one of the most reliable pedometers available today, proving to be highly accurate in tests and being found to be of high quality in pedometer reviews. This applies whether or not you are using it as a walking or running pedometer.
- The protective cover prevents you from resetting it so you have absolutely no need to worry about this potential issue.
- It has incredible longevity, with many from this brand being usable for years, particularly with the strap being attached.
There are no common problems reported with this pedometer as yet on any of the websites so it is really popular. The only thing that should be said is that there are no bells and whistles on it at all. It is literally a basic pedometer that does its job very well but if you need applications and similar elements then it will not be for you.
3). Omron HJ-112 Digital Pocket Pedometer
Most reviews of this Ormron pedometer are overwhelmingly positive. In fact, that applies to all Ormron products in this niche because they are really affordable but offer incredible levels of quality as well. This particular model has the following pros though:
- The Ormron pedometer is very easy to use and even easier to read so you can really make the most of it no matter how much of a technophobe you are.
- The tool can be used regardless of where you put it. If it is in a bag, it still has the same results as if you wore it on your hip. They are highly sensitive.
- It has a memory bank that can store data for up to a week so you can see your progress. This means that you are able to make up any steps that you may have missed in previous days.
However, it also has two cons:
- The clip on it is not very good so you may well find that it has disappeared from your belt. As such, it is either worth reinforcing it or putting it in a pocket.
- It may sometimes register steps if you are in a car on a bumpy road. Such pedometer steps can obviously throw your data off so it is worth checking your steps before and after a journey in a car.
No matter which of these pedometer steps tools you decide upon, you will definitely get your money’s worth. They can all be found on Amazon, along with numerous others, so do a little browsing of your own today.