Pedometer tracks our steps

#Middlebury #Seniors

Have you been counting your steps every day? Do you have one of those step trackers?

I keep reading that we’re supposed to take 10,000 steps day for good health. Some studies say 4,400 are enough. I knew I wasn’t getting anywhere near that (especially in the winter when everything outside is covered in ice), but I didn’t know how many steps I was actually taking.

Enter Amazon.com, our go-to for nearly everything, delivered to our door. The first step was to select Average Customer Review to see which pedometer, or step tracker, had the highest rating. Some were very high-tech and tracked steps, miles, calories burned and more.

Looking for more guidance, I checked out a study done by the National Institutes of Health a few years ago. Researchers tested four models, ranging from very simple to very expensive. Imagine their surprise when it turned out that the simple, inexpensive step counter was the most accurate. Fingers crossed, I picked out one by that company.

Then the fun started. I paced off 100 steps at the grocery store then compared it to what the tracker said. Very accurate. So far, so good.

Then the counter went a little crazy. I left it on top of the microwave while I heated up something, and unbeknownst to me, the microwave apparently took 17 steps across the kitchen.

Today I did a lot of walking around town – but I can’t believe I took as many steps as the counter says I did.

So I’m back on Amazon, looking for an additional counter. My plan is to wear both for a few weeks and see if they give approximately the same number.

That’s my suggestion if you want to start tracking your steps: buy two. And look for pedometers that do only one thing … count steps. Sometimes simpler is better.

© 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.