Workouts With Pedometers

If you’re struggling with exercise motivation, acquiring a pedometer to use during your workouts can help. A pedometer is a piece of electronic equipment that senses movement when you walk or run. It is able to keep count of the total number of steps you take. A pedometer workout can motivate you to get in a certain number of steps in every day, and provide numerous health and fitness benefits.

  1. Benefits

    • According to a 2009 article in the Harvard Health Letter, those who incorporate pedometers into their daily routines get in at least 2,000 more steps every day than those who don’t. This equates to a 27-percent increase in physical activity. Having a pedometer on every day makes you more aware of fitting in activity and helps you feel more accountable. You’re conscious about the value on the pedometer and how much further you have to go until you reach your goal.

    Setting Workout Goals

    • Before using a pedometer for your workouts, wear the unit for three days so that you’re able to figure out the number of steps that you typically complete in a day. To find your daily average, add up the total number of steps from the three days and then divide by three. Once you have this value, you can establish more accurate and realistic step goals for yourself. MayoClinic.com recommends beginning with short-term goals. If you typically take 2,000 steps in a day, try to increase your daily steps by 500 to 1,000. Once you’ve established regular walking or running into your regimen, continue to increase your step goals so that you eventually are getting in about 10,000 everyday.

    Getting in Steps

    • A pedometer has been proven to be an effective tool because it allows you to reach your fitness goals by incorporating multiple short bouts of exercise into your day. Instead of necessarily having to get in one long walking or running session, you can use these mini-workouts to reach your daily step goals by making small adjustments to your daily routine. You could park further away from the entrance to a store so that you have to walk further or walk to a coworker’s desk across the building instead of sending an email. If you’re on a phone call, take it while walking around your neighborhood. Making these adjustments will help you reach your daily goal and also promote healthy living habits.

    Considerations

    • To help ensure your pedometer is giving you accurate daily readings, immediately hook the unit onto your waistband as soon as you wake up in the morning. It should be lined up with your right knee and facing vertical. Fix it if you ever find it tilted to the side. This helps it read the forward swing of your leg. Some who use pedometers attach the unit to a belt loop in their pants to prevent it from falling onto the floor or into the toilet. Wear the pedometer all day until you go to bed in the evenings and record your daily values into a notebook to keep track of your progress.