How to Use a Pedometer
Pedometers track the number of steps taken during physical activity--they are great motivators and help to get individuals working hard and making the best of his or her workout. Affordable and simple to use, they're a great addition to a fitness regiment. Learn how to use a pedometer.
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Instructions
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Understand how pedometers work. A simple pedometer only records the number of steps you take based on your body's movement. A tiny apparatus within the pedometer moves each time you move your hip in order to take a step. The pedometer turns over with each step taken. Fancier, digital pedometer models track the distance walked and calories burned. Some prefer to stick with the basic, non-digital versions as trials have shown electronic calorie-burn counters are inaccurate.
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Use the pedometer to start a daily walking routine. On average, 2,000 steps are taken to walk a full mile. Allow your pedometer's readings to help you designate the distance for a walking path, whether it's around a paved track or around the neighborhood. You only need the pedometer once when measuring a certain walk. In the future, for example, you'll automatically know that 2 trips around the local track equals so many steps for you.
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Allow the pedometer to become a motivational tool that keeps you walking every day. Become competitive with yourself, pushing for the next day's walk to exceed the number of steps achieved the day before. You can set goals, for example, increasing your step goal each week until you reach a certain number of miles.
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Know that the actual number of calories burned based on the pedometer's reading will vary, since your speed differs. If you have a steady pace, you could walk that distance on a treadmill just once to calculate the number of calories burned and transfer that to you daily walks.
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Wear your pedometer everywhere you go, even when you aren't exercising. You'll be amazed at how many steps you accumulate in a typical day, and may feel motivated to walk more: skipping the elevator, parking further out in the parking lot while shopping and taking the stairs when possible.
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