In recent years, physical fitness has become a global health concern, so more people than ever are looking for ways to incorporate exercise into their daily habits. For many people, pedometers offer an easy way to record physical activity (usually in terms of the number of steps taken). This handy tool is smaller than a pager, affordable, easy to find, and easy to get started with with a few "steps!"
Step
Part 1 of 3: Recording Your Steps
Step 1. If necessary, set your stride length
Most types of pedometers will be able to detect your steps even without your settings. However, to be able to calculate the total distance you've covered, you'll need to enter your average stride distance on a specific pedometer. If you are not sure whether your pedometer needs this information, see the user manual.
- To measure your stride distance, use a tape measure, start walking in a straight line, stop suddenly at a certain step (such as step seven), and measure the distance between your heels as you start to the last step.
- No pedometer is exactly the same, so how you enter your distance on one pedometer may differ from another. Some pedometers generally have this way of setting: press the "Mode" button until you see a menu about your walking distance. Press "Set." You'll see a default step setting - usually around 75 cm. Adjust your stride distance with the buttons on the pedometer.
Step 2. Fasten the pedometer
The pedometer counts your steps by recording the number of felt "wobbles" or "bumps" that occur throughout the day. Usually, this happens with each step you take, so the number you see on the pedometer is usually a fairly precise number (sometimes even an exact number) of the steps you've taken. Because it works that way, in order to count your steps, the pedometer must be attached to your clothes or body.
- The most common types of pedometers are those with clips that attach to the hem of your pocket, to the waist of your pants, or to a belt to rest on your hips. The pedometer will work best when it is in line with the midline of the thigh. If your pedometer comes with a strap, try fastening it to the belt so it doesn't fall off.
- Not all pedometers are worn around the waist. Some, for example, are worn on the wrist. In this type, the pedometer is usually fastened just like a watch. There are also some expensive devices called accelerometers that function similarly to pedometers that are even worn on the feet or on the ankles.
Step 3. Get moving
Once you've securely attached the pedometer and made sure it's on, you can usually start moving and the pedometer will automatically count your steps. Every time the pedometer moves up and down during a step, it counts as one step. You don't need to enter data anymore - you can just forget about your pedometer until the evening!
You can't just use a pedometer to walk. You can also jog, jog, or sprint, and the pedometer will count your steps as well during these activities
Step 4. Check the pedometer at night
When you're done walking all day (for example, before bed), take off your pedometer and see how many steps you've taken. If you're aiming to improve your fitness, keep track of the numbers and take pride in your accomplishments that day. Over time, you can improve your fitness by slowly increasing the number of steps you take each day.
Step 5. Repeat daily
In the next few days, wear a pedometer as part of your routine every time you start moving and take it off before you go to bed. Record or record the results every day. Those simple steps are all you need to do to start recording your daily step count! Once it becomes a habit, you won't even notice the pedometer while you're wearing it.
Part 2 of 3: Setting Step Targets
Step 1. Set a regular target
Many people have started wearing pedometers as part of an effort to maintain their appearance. In this case, it's usually easiest to get motivated to take steps by setting small, clear goals for yourself. The target should increase in challenge level from week to week, but should be within your reach.
Many studies on walking recommend that increasing your stride by 500 steps per week is a reasonable fitness goal. For example, say you aim to walk 3500 steps per day in the first week, 4000 during the second week, and so on
Step 2. Set ambitious long-term targets
It's impractical to just increase the number of steps each week forever. At one time or another, most people wanted to find a sustainable level of activity that suited their fitness needs and could easily be balanced with other work and responsibilities. This should be your ultimate goal. Give yourself plenty of time and slowly increase your step count from week to week until it's easy to do. Don't expect to reach your end goal when you're just starting out; suddenly challenging yourself can lead to failure and ultimately discourage yourself.
One long-term goal that many advertised adults want is 10,000 steps per day. For a person of average stride length, 10,000 steps is equivalent to at least 8 km. While 10,000 steps per day can be a very good fitness goal, it may not be sustainable for some groups of people (such as the sick or the elderly). On the other hand, the activity level may be too light for teens and children
Step 3. Record your daily results
To keep track of your long-term progress, it's wise to keep a daily number of your pedometer in a journal of your steps. Once you've summed up a few months of data, it's easy to see the changes you've made - you can even create a line graph to visually see your progress.
Your journal, of course, doesn't have to be a paper journal. Digital journals can also be used. Even spreadsheet programs like Microsoft Excel make it easy to turn your data into charts
Step 4. When in doubt, consult a doctor
If you're not sure which long-term and short-term goals are appropriate for you, talk to your doctor. Only a medically trained professional can tell you exactly what kind of exercise suits your own medical history.
If you have a medical condition that affects the level of exercise you can do (such as heart disease), talk to your doctor before you start using a pedometer, not after. While the dangers of walking are usually quite low, some medical problems can change this
Part 3 of 3: Improve Your Fitness
Step 1. Walk at a brisk pace
In general, the faster you move, the more weight your body works, the more energy you use, and the more calories you burn. For example, a person of moderate weight can burn about 70 or more calories every hour by increasing their walking speed from 5.6 to 7.2 km/hour. So if you're interested in burning calories or increasing athletic potential, you can walk faster, not slower.
- Most health information sources define walking at a "fast pace" as 4.8 km/h or more - if you're not sure where to start, this is a good stride yardstick.
- Remember that, for an even better exercise, walking briskly will also reduce the amount of time you need to walk, no matter how far it is, giving you more time to do other things!
Step 2. Use movements other than walking
As noted above, a pedometer doesn't just count your steps while walking. Because the pedometer records all rhythmic, repeated, up and down movements, it is also useful for recording your movements during various sporting activities. Note that your average stride distance may be different for these activities, the distance calculation may not be accurate. Below are some other activities that the pedometer "steps" counts:
- Run
- Walking hike
- Climbing up the stairs
- Jump rope
- Some pedometers have a choice of settings to measure the speed and distance you are cycling.
Step 3. Use a pedometer to help you count calories
In general, people lose weight when they use more calories per day than they take in from food. If walking is your only form of daily exercise, you can use a pedometer to help you stay on track to lose weight. Since a pedometer can tell you how far you've walked, you can use an online calorie calculator to find out how many calories you've expended based on the distance you walked. Add this to your basal metabolic rate (BMR), the number of calories you spend living your life, and you'll find the average number of calories you expend in a day.
For example, a person who weighs 81 kg who walks eight kilometers for three hours in one day burns about 720 calories. If this person's BMR is around 1800 calories (the usual amount for a young man with a height of 180cm) he burns about 2520 calories in a day, so eating fewer calories than this will cause him to lose weight
Step 4. Keep yourself motivated in the long term
Keeping your activities at a decent level isn't like New Year's resolutions that can be ignored for a few weeks after they're made - they have to be a lifelong commitment. People who exercise regularly (with or without a pedometer) have been shown to live longer and healthier lives than those who don't. But those benefits are the result of long-term, ongoing commitment, so try to stay motivated while using your pedometer to make regular, consistent exercise a lot easier. Here are some ways to "boost up" to reach your fitness goals:
- Remind yourself of your goals when you don't feel like exercising.
- Reward yourself when you hit small goals.
- Get enough rest in a healthy way every day.
- Listen to uplifting and captivating music.
- Watch inspiring films.
- Take an occasional break from the routine of fitness activities.
- Tell others about your target.
Tips
- Try not to jump, as jumping will interfere with step counting. To prevent that from happening, you can remove the pedometer before doing the jump exercise.
- By walking in activities throughout the day can be counted. You will be exercising without realizing it!
- Consider creating a route for walking or running. Create a walking route that is challenging but not too difficult, and most importantly an interesting route. When you create a new route, you can compare the distance and time spent, which can also be compared to when you walk away from home!
Warning
- If it falls, the pedometer will be damaged or lost. Make sure the pedometer is securely attached to the belt.
- Watch out for pranksters who will change the pedometer number when you're not looking.
