You can buy pedometers in a variety of different types including those designed as walking or jogging pedometers
. They range from very simple, basic pedometers that just count your steps to more sophisticated models that have a range of other functions including the ability to transfer statistics directly to your computer. So how will a pedometer help in your goal to become fitter and perhaps to lose some weight?
A lot of of us hate to exercise which can result in increasing weight and health problems associated with obesity including diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Beginning a workout program is easy, keeping it up is difficult! An easy method to exercise more without needing to go to a gym is to increase the amount of walking you do and a simple pedometer can be used to accomplish this.
A pedometer is a gadget to help you track the number of steps you take. By targeting a realistic daily step rate you will walk more and as a result increase your fitness and lose weight. Trials have shown that wearing a pedometer is helpful in increasing the number of calories burned. 26 studies, reviewed in the Journal of American Medicine, showed that the use of a pedometer was effective in increasing how much participants walked every day. A typical study concluded that step rates were increased by around 2000 steps compared to participants not using a pedometer. Two thousand steps is roughly equivalent to an extra mile walked each day and a 25% increase in activity This is a considerable difference and would have a major influence on the participants health and weight.
An important consideration to to remember is to set reasonable goals. Setting a step target every day was shown to have a major effect on the amount of physical activity achieved. Those participants who managed to keep up their target showed a marked increase in activity and benefited more by showing increases in fitness which included a reduction in weight and blood pressure. On the other hand cholesterol and blood sugar levels seem to be unchanged.
The use of a pedometer can be a huge help in increasing the level of physical activity without having to join a gym. Daily increases in the number of steps you take can have huge benefits in achieving a healthy weight and your general fitness and using a simple pedometer is an easy way to monitor this increase. You can walk as an alternative to working out at the gym to keep yourself healthy and fit. Pedometers are economical and straightforward to operate and are available for as little as $20.