Great site for pedometer users

vmsurbat · Post by **vmsurbat** » Sat Jul 03, 2010 5:32 am

In the post titled "Maintenance" there was some discussion of walking/pedometer wearing as the primary means of exercise.

After claiming that walking was my choice of exercise (since starting NoS two years ago), this past April I finally realized that because I had no measurable way to know if I was walking enough, I needed to change something.

I got myself a pedometer and found a great site for logging my steps: http://www.10000steps.org.au/my-steplog/

I really love using a pedometer because all my daily movement counts--from morning to night, not just the time I decide to "go for a walk." I've found over time that I am naturally moving more. When I first started wearing my pedometer, I followed the suggestions to establish a baseline: without doing anything special, find out just how many steps I walked daily. My average number of steps without consciously thinking about moving more was pretty pitiful, between 3-4 thousand. Now, my average steps without thinking about it is between 5-6 thousand. To get to 9-12 thousand, I have to consciously decide to walk....

At this site http://www.10000steps.org.au/my-steplog/ you can enter your daily steps and it keeps a running tab of the total steps you've taken, plus the average steps per month. You also have the option of joining an I-Challenge (the "I" stands for individual as opposed to a team challenge).

These I-Challenges are based on actual walking routes found around the world and each month 3-6 "treks" are listed with the distance, total number of steps needed to complete the challenge, and needed daily average steps to meet the challenge. A fun push for extra motivation....

There are more features at the site above (like knowing that I will hit my first million steps next month!), and I highly recommend pedometer wearers to check it out.

HTH,

paprad · Post by **paprad** » Sat Jul 03, 2010 5:53 am

Thanks! I got myself a pedometer last month and was mortified to find out how little I walk. Attempts to ramp it up rapidly failed, rapidly. Sigh. I was just reading a review of Pedometer walking by Mark Fenton - mentioned in another post - and I think I will begin again and try this week by week approach.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Pedome ... 1592287024

vmsurbat · Post by **vmsurbat** » Sat Jul 03, 2010 6:33 am

The www.about.com site has an extensive collection of webpages devoted to walking fitness and pedometer usage. There are reviews of pedometers, walking plans, exercises, and more all centered around walking.

I signed up for a 28-day "Daily email" that gave tips and links related to walking as exercise. Some stuff was old news for me, but some were very helpful, like what to look for in a walking shoe, treadmills, exercises to prevent shin splints, and such.

HTH,

sophiasapientia · Post by **sophiasapientia** » Sat Jul 03, 2010 1:49 pm

Thanks so much! I'll have to check those out!

dmarie710 · Post by **dmarie710** » Sun Jul 04, 2010 9:25 pm

Here's my question for all you pedometer wearers. This has been something I've tried and failed to do on many occasions. How the heck do you remember to put the thing on? Not remembering is my big issue.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Mon Jul 05, 2010 12:12 am

Vickie, thanks for the link!

Dmarie, I've only just re-started with a pedometer. My best strategy for remembering is to put it by my watch/rings, which I also take off at night and put on in the morning.

sophiasapientia · Post by **sophiasapientia** » Mon Jul 05, 2010 12:14 am

dmarie710 wrote:Here's my question for all you pedometer wearers. This has been something I've tried and failed to do on many occasions. How the heck do you remember to put the thing on? Not remembering is my big issue.

Denise -- I normally set my clothes out at night and I just put my pedometer in my pile. Since I track my steps in my journal or here on the boards, I'm usually pretty inspired to put it on first thing.

Hope you're having a lovely 4th!!!!

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Mon Jul 05, 2010 1:19 am

sophiasapientia wrote:
dmarie710 wrote:Here's my question for all you pedometer wearers. This has been something I've tried and failed to do on many occasions. How the heck do you remember to put the thing on? Not remembering is my big issue.
Denise -- I normally set my clothes out at night and I just put my pedometer in my pile. Since I track my steps in my journal or here on the boards, I'm usually pretty inspired to put it on first thing.

Hope you're having a lovely 4th!!!!

I did the same thing.

vmsurbat · Post by **vmsurbat** » Mon Jul 05, 2010 5:06 am

dmarie710 wrote:Here's my question for all you pedometer wearers. This has been something I've tried and failed to do on many occasions. How the heck do you remember to put the thing on? Not remembering is my big issue.

I keep it on my nightstand and clip it to my PJ's the moment I get up. That staggering morning trip to the bathroom counts, too!

dmarie710 · Post by **dmarie710** » Mon Jul 05, 2010 9:01 pm

Vicki, I am laughing over that one. My husband would really think I lost it. I actually have my pedometer on right now. I've been grouting our tile so I don't know how many steps I'm actually going to get in today. I just want our tile done darn it.

Kathleen · Post by **Kathleen** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 2:31 am

Pedometer walking is highly motivating for me. I've never tried it before, but I'm finding that I really like the challenge. This afternoon, I took my son to buy shorts, shoes, and a belt. He was looking in several stores. I finally let him look and went for a walk in the mall. Instead of being irritated that this was taking so long, I found it enjoyable to be fitting in some more steps. I'm almost at 12,000 steps today.

I signed up for the about.com 28 day walking program and will look at getting the Fenton book from the library. It's great to share ideas!

Kathleen

sophiasapientia · Post by **sophiasapientia** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 12:29 pm

I'm almost at 12,000 steps today.

I signed up for the about.com 28 day walking program and will look at getting the Fenton book from the library. It's great to share ideas!

Way to go Kathleen!

It seems like there are a number of us using pedometers in conjuction with No S. It is

to have a thread where we can share insights and motivate each other.

Cassie · Post by **Cassie** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 2:33 pm

I love the idea of using a pedometer especially since recently I've been walking more & more. Last year I did buy one but it just logged on steps almost with every movement I made (e.g. when I was lying on the sofa & just moving around, changing position). Do you think I was just using it incorrectly? Or was it perhaps a faulty pedometer (it was a good enough Omron one).

Any suggestions for 'pedometers for dummies' (like me!!) that work well in most cases?

sophiasapientia · Post by **sophiasapientia** » Wed Jul 07, 2010 12:51 am

Hi Cassie -- Here's an article on how to wear a pedometer correctly to ensure the best accuracy. http://www.ehow.com/how_2111830_wear-pe ... ectly.html

I haven't had any issues with my Omron counting extra steps.

Perhaps it could depend on the model (some may be more sensitive) you had or maybe you did have a lemon? I'd check the reviews on Amazon, etc, and see it is an issue with your model.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Wed Jul 07, 2010 1:52 am

Vickie, thanks AGAIN for starting this thread! I have been using a pedometer for a little while, and it was nice to get some tips to push me a bit. I signed up to log steps, and I think that seeing a weekly total will be particularly encouraging.

By serendipity, a friend just posted this on Facebook - for the truly committed.

http://walking.about.com/cs/marathontra ... rathon.htm

mjn · Post by **mjn** » Wed Jul 07, 2010 8:03 pm

I have been using a pedometer for about 3 years or a little longer now. I love it. It is a great motivational tool for me. I sit it on the kitchen table at night and always put it on when I have my morning coffee.

vmsurbat · Post by **vmsurbat** » Fri Jul 09, 2010 5:19 am

dmarie710 wrote:I actually have my pedometer on right now. I've been grouting our tile so I don't know how many steps I'm actually going to get in today. I just want our tile done darn it.

When I found myself in a similar situation--engaged in a movement-oriented activity that will take long enough and be tiring enough that it will be hard to fit in walking too--I use one of the many "activities to steps" conversion charts found on the web.....

I like the ones here best: http://walking.about.com/od/measure/a/s ... alents.htm because it includes one activity that routinely pops up, especially in summer: cooking/canning. When I'm on my feet processing raspberries (latest example) for 3-4 hours straight, I *feel* like I've had a workout. According to the charts, that is presumably more than 10000 steps right there. I don't actually record that figure, but add the equivalent of about an hour's worth of steps: 3500.

I don't use these equivalents for every little thing, eg. vacuuming. But if I were putting in a whole day of spring cleaning, I would give myself some "step credit."

Anyway, I found it helpful to refer to these equivalent charts on occasion and thought it might help others, too.

Murphysraven · Post by **Murphysraven** » Tue Sep 28, 2010 10:35 am

This is some great info!

I have a little psudo pedometer thats actually part of a nintendo ds pokemon game. It's not an actual pedometer but it counts steps and helps level my pokemon characters. I am not ashamed to say I love playing a kids game at 31. I found that I took more walking routes just to help me level my pokemon characters.

If you have kids that love playing video games this might be the type of thing that helps them become more interested in walking since it's part of the game.

http://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail ... HUzQuxM0tl

Jammin' Jan · Post by **Jammin' Jan** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 12:39 am

Walking fits in with No S so well because it turns us into Urban Rangers.

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 11:20 am

Walking has been my main form of exercise for years and years. I started using a pedometer about 10 years ago and routinely logged in 12,000-15,000 steps daily while I was working. When I stopped working (for health reasons) the steps dropped dramatically and I stopped using the pedometer.

About 2 months ago I found it and didn't think it would still work -- it's been nearly 5 years. Surprise! It still works. I'm back to walking about 10,000-14,000 steps daily, mostly walking the dog. She really likes to walk. I couldn't do it all at once -- it's broken up into 4 walks daily.

I'm so low-tech! I just record the steps in my calendar. Works for me.

Over the years I've had a number of books about walking. One was called (I think) LSD Walking. That would be Long, Slow, Distance Walking. Really similar to urban rangering, if I remember correctly.

I'll have to say that I've never been one to pump my arms when walking or use weights of any kind. I just walk. I figure people have been walking since before recorded history, didn't do any of that (and most still don't) and have been slim and healthy. No need for me to do any more.

Everyday Systems

Great site for pedometer users

Great site for pedometer users

activities to steps conversions....