Pedometers - walk yourself to health

We are told that walking 10,000 steps a day will lead to a healthier life - but how far is 10,000 steps? It's roughly 5 miles and you don't have to start right away. It's not all done in one go either; you can attach your pedometer and leave it on all day to see how many steps you take. Your daily exercise requirement may differ from other people, it just depends on your target.

Polygon Direct supply the finest and most accurate pedometers you'll find on the internet. We do our own which are easy to use and have great functions to help achieve your aim. But you can choose whichever brand you like.

Featured Pedometers

Polygon Direct - our own brand. Easy to use

Yamax (Japan) - Excellent Pedigree

Silva (Swedish) - Great design, Quality

Omron (Japan) - Trusted, Robust

Here are some terms you may come across when reading about pedometers;

• 3D Sensor Technology - this means that the pedometer will work almost anywhere you place it on your body. They still need to be worn/carried correctly for the most accurate readings, but they are more tolerant of being carried at an angle of up to 30 degrees from vertical. What this also means is, that although we say you can wear it around your neck. You need to fix the pedometer close to your body, say in a pocket, not just let it all hang out. Having the unit in your bag, on your arm or in your pocket would be fine.
• Oscillations - Pedometers use oscillations to count steps. When walking, your hips cause rhythmic movements that cause contacts to make and break within the pedometer. This on-off action is then converted into a step reading – you may even hear these contacts as a clicking noise. These are then counted and the result displayed to show how many steps you have taken and in some cases how far you have actually walked.
• Pendulum Sensors - Mechanical ones (normally fitted to your belt/trousers at the hip) use a ball or a spring-activated pendulum for the counting mechanism, when your hips move a count is recorded. Mechanical pedometers rely on gravity in order to work correctly – therefore, you must ensure that you position the pedometer carefully because gravity plays a major role in their operation. Although very good when walking along even ground and at an even pace, when the ground becomes very uneven or if your motion becomes less flowing, accuracy will be affected.
• Piezo-electric Sensors - Piezo-electric pedometers depend less on gravity than their mechanical counterparts. Piezo-electric materials are sensitive to vibration and pick-up these vibrations as you walk. This pickup is connected to a weighted lever that gets converted into steps as you walk.
• Calibration - To get accurate distance readings from your pedometer it is important to adjust the stride length so the pedometer knows how long your step is. On average a women's stride length is about 29" while a man is about 31". With some models, there is an adjustment on the front to set these two settings. However, by walking 10 steps, measuring that distance and dividing by 10 with give this measurement. Whether you use a mechanical or electronic model, accuracy still depends on how you walk (even ground at a regular pace versus uneven ground and irregular pace).
• Accuracy - Newer pedometers obviously tend to more accurate these days and it's best to list what you want from a pedometer before just opting to buy the first one. Also, understanding where and how you'll be exercising will help in deciding which model to buy