Anyone Here Using a Pedometer to Measure Miles Walked?

SeaBreeze said:
My old Omron pedometer is dead, and I want to get another one that's pretty accurate to measure mileage, especially on long hikes. I like something simple and easy to read, nothing like a Fitbit. The information is just for me and my husband, don't intend to log it anywhere.

My Omron kept the stats for a week in memory, so I could check previous days if I wanted to. That one also could just go in a pocket in any position, didn't have to be clipped onto a belt.

I guess I'll start checking online reviews, don't want to spend a lot, think the Omron cost me around $30 years ago.

Anyone here using a pedometer that they like?
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No. I generally go by whatever it says on the kiosk at the trailhead, or on the literature or trail maps that are available.

When I was biking a lot I used my bike computer. I was kind of OCD about that because instead of using the recommended settings for tire/wheel size, I would go out to where the DOT had marked off a measured mile and I would calibrate it to a gnat's ass.

I have occasionally used my bike with the calibrated computer to measure off routes that I would walk. And I also sometimes use that website that I linked to in another thread.
 
Trade said:
No. I generally go by whatever it says on the kiosk at the trailhead, or on the literature or trail maps that are available.
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We never really hike on established trails, so we'll just be walking on paths through backwoods or on pretty isolated dirt roads and sometimes it's nice to have an idea of how far you walked so you know when to turn back to get to camp before dark.
 

SeaBreeze said:
We never really hike on established trails, so we'll just be walking on paths through backwoods or on pretty isolated dirt roads and sometimes it's nice to have an idea of how far you walked so you know when to turn back to get to camp before dark.
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In cases like that I make a note of when sunset is and go by my watch to allow myself time to finish before dark. But I understand where you are coming from. My computer is full of spreadsheets with all kinds of statistics about my exercise programs. Numbers can be comforting.
 
Pedometers can't be classified as accurate instruments because the length of stride is never exactly repetitive over the thousands of steps taken.
The accumulation of steps is thus average at best.

Bicycle odometers are much more accurate because the wheel's revolutions are exactly repetitive over the distance.

HDH
 
NancyNGA said:
The first one I ever had was really nice, and not expensive either. It wouldn't register a click unless it was *really* a step. I broke it and the next one, more expensive, was so sensitive the slightest move would register steps. Never could find another one like the first. It was fun while it lasted. I lost interest after that.
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I had the same experience. My first one was great, but subsequent ones, as you say, seem to think you've taken a step every time you wiggle your butt. I've pretty much given up on them, too.
 
After my Fitbit died I got the Withings watch. It syncs with my phone and the Apple Health app. Best of all, it doesn't need recharging. I just replace the battery every 6-8 months.
 
Can recommend two apps that work well on smart phones: One is Pacer. The other is Map my Walk from Under Armour. Both work very well. I have them on my iPhone.
 
I have an older model of Jawbone UP24. I really like it. It tracks my steps, and also how I sleep, so I can see if I had some heavy sleep periods, or just a lot of intervals of deep and light sleep. When we go to the fitness center, I swim, and the Jawbone is not waterproof, so I do not wear it when swimming. However, I can also log in any other exercises that I do, so I just put it in manually that I swam for an hour on days when we go to the fitness center.
The newer models of Jawbone also track heart rate, which would be a great addition; but those cost more since they are newer models.
You do need a smartphone to use this kind of tracker because you need an app to view the statistics. I usually check it first thing in the morning to see how I slept, and then change it to "day" to track my steps. It also shows how many calories I have burned, and how far in mils that I have walked as well as the steps.
It is just a soft bracelet that is easy to put on and off of my wrist; and when I need to move it, then I can clip it on my belt loops or bra strap.
 
CeeCee said:
I'll have to check those out. I have a Fitbit.
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This site is pretty good too. It doesn't look like much at the home page but I was able to zoom in using the satellite image feature and see my own driveway. With it I was able to measure a perfect 2.0 mile course in my neighborhood that begins and ends right outside my door. Well not exactly perfect. It came to 2.0072 miles. That's about 38 feet long. Which is good enough for me, even with my OCD. I used the "for runners" feature to measure the on the road distance and the "straight line" feature to get the distance from my door out to the street.


http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/
 
First app I've installed since buying my android smartphone is Simply Walking, it's also a GPS mileage measurement and map and it's free. My pedometer's battery kept dying because I was only using it on vacations, but since you can't turn off the info on the screen without removing the battery, it always goes dead. I don't like to remove the battery either, because then you have to reset your steps, etc. Also, the mileage was off a lot of times depending on if you were walking briskly and taking larger steps, or walking casually and taking small steps.

Since I'm not interested in steps or any other fitness features, it's perfect for me to just measure mileage. Simply Walking
 
My Apple Watch measures everything for me, and then adds it into my apple health app. I also have the Map My Walk app, and it seems to connect with the Apple Watch as long as I remember to start it before I take my walk.
Since I can wear the watch swimming, it also tracks swimming laps, and how far I swim altogether.
Besides being a fitness tracker, it is also a health alert device, as well as a wristphone; so with just one device, it does everything.
Not cheap, but worth it, and some of the older models are pretty affordable now.
 
Sounds great Happyflowerlady, if you make use of all those features. I'm technically challenged, lol, like to keep things simple. :lemo:
 
I bought a fitbit for about $20 on amazon, I like it so far. I pull one of the arm bands off to plug it in and then it registers my steps, heart rate, etc. There is an app that goes with it. Don't check that too much. I just wanted an easy to count my steps. I try to get in 10,000 a day. Don't always get that, but pretty close. I can't really see that it is helping me lose weight. But, exercise is good to do anyway. I am not on any particular diet, but eating about 1200-1400 calories a day.
 

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