How do I Choose the Best Walking Pedometer?

According to fitness experts, an ideal walking pedometer can be very different for each individual. There are a wide variety of features available, and you may be perfectly happy with a fairly simply model that merely counts steps. You could also be someone who wants all the most advanced features, and in that case, there are a myriad of options at your disposal, including everything from satellite integration to a computer-generated voice that tells you how far you've walked. In order to choose an appropriate walking pedometer, you'll generally need to figure out exactly what you want from your product and look at what's available.

Pedometers are made in a lot of different ways. For example, some of them have accelerometers, while others work using something equivalent to an internal pendulum. Experts suggest that all these products can work very well, but quality will vary based on things like workmanship. Finding a walking pedometer that's well-made may involve an examination of consumer review groups and consultation with friends who use pedometers regularly.

The price of a pedometer can sometimes be a pretty good indicator of quality, but not always. Experts suggest that some very reliable pedometers are relatively inexpensive. Sometimes when you pay a very high price for something like a walking pedometer, you're getting some advanced features that may not interest you, so you should generally make sure you know what you're buying. On the other hand, if you find a pedometer that is suspiciously inexpensive, you might want to consider the possibility that the price might reflect poor quality.

Sometimes a walking pedometer can have features that go well beyond the ability to count steps and distance. For example, some may have timers to tell you how fast you're going, or internal computers that keep track of data like calories or kilojoules burned and monthly exercise patterns. Some actually upload all your exercise sessions to an online database through a global positioning satellite. There really are a huge number of possibilities in the pedometer market, and those choices are always changing with the creation of new technologies.

One possible option would be to start with a very basic pedometer initially and then upgrade later. You may find the inclusion of a pedometer doesn't really add anything to your exercise experience, and in that case, you may not be an ideal candidate for one of the more expensive and elaborate units.