How to effectively use your pedometer
It’s easier than you think! But let’s start with a look at the benefits of wearing a pedometer on a daily basis.
Stanford University did a META Study using people who would use pedometers on a daily basis.
Here is a quote from the study that shows that wearing a pedometer as a motivator to move more each day.
JAMA recently published an article (referenced below) that showed “The results suggest that the use of a pedometer is associated with significant increases in physical activity and significant decreases in body mass index and blood pressure.” Overall, the pedometer users increased their physical activity by 26.9% over baseline. The person who gets the most out of the use of a pedometer is the who has a step goal (ie 10,000 steps per day).
The JAMA article also found “Pedometer users also significantly decreased their systolic blood pressure by almost 4 mm Hg from baseline. Reducing systolic blood pressure by 2mmHg is associated with a 10% reduction in stroke mortality and a 7% reduction in mortality from vascular causes in middle-aged populations; thus, it is critical that the effects of pedometer use on blood pressure be examined closely in future studies.
You can effectively use your pedometer to reduce health and life risk factors and reach your wellness goals. Although many people who are using their pedometers simply strap/clip it onto their waist and hope they reach the monumental goal of 10,000 steps in a day. Starting off slowly and learning how to use your pedometer will help you to be successful. Research and daily use will show simply clipping your pedometer on and going about your daily activity will not suffice. Instead, best way to effectively use the pedometer is in a three-step method.
First is Benchmarking:
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Wear your pedometer and follow your daily routine.
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Record your daily activity.
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Record weekly activity.
Next is Goal Setting:
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Set a goal that will increase your first week’s activity. 20% is a good goal to set, as it is an increase that will produce results but is attainable.
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Create a routine that will allow you to reach your goal.
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Record your daily results.
Finally how to Reach Maximum Potential:
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Review your progress from week one and week two.
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Analyze daily routine for success.
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Set a goal that will allow you to reach 6,000 to 10,000 steps a day.
In conclusion, both researchers and health experts have proved this simple but effective program alike. By changing your activity goals slowly you will begin to see results in both your daily steps but also in your overall health and wellness.
A pedometer is a simple tool and a great motivator to increase steps and activity. Therefore, once you learn how to efffectively use your pedometer, you simply put it on, follow the simple program and walk yourself to a healthy and more active lifestyle. Check out our pedometer catalog here.
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JAMA_Bravata: Bravata, Dena M., Crystal Smith-Spangler, Vandana Sundaram, Allison L. Gienger, Nancy Lin,
Robyn Lewis, Christopher D. Stave, Ingram Olkin, and John R. Sirard. “Using Pedometers to Increase Physical
Activity and Improve Health.” Jama 298.19 (2007): 2296. Web.