When shopping for a Digital Pedometer, you may come across either a Piezoelectric Pedometer or a Spring Levered Pedometer. You may wonder what are the differences between the two, this article will explain to you in details.

1. Sensitivity

A Piezoelectric Pedometer tends to be more sensitive compared to a Spring Levered Pedometer at a slower speed. Hence if you are an individual who prefers to walk slowly, this type of pedometer will suit you better since the accuracy of your step counting results is better.

2. Position Dependency

A Spring Levered Pedometer is more position dependent compared to a Piezoelectric Pedometer. A tilt of the pedometer might affect the performance of a Spring Levered Pedometer. Hence if you are an over-weight individual with excess abdominal fat, wearing a Spring Levered pedometer around your waist may affect its accuracy as much as 20% at fast speed and 60% at slow speed, if the pedometer tilt forward into the horizontal plane.

On the other hand, a Piezoelectric Pedometer may not have this tilt error unless at its slowest speed of less than 2 mph with an accuracy error of below 10%.

Understanding the differences between the two is essential especially if you are beginner to Digital Pedometer and accuracy is important to you. When choosing a Digital Pedometer, I would always recommend a simple one as my experience tells me that it will be more reliable with lesser accuracy errors.

A Digital Talking Pedometer, as the name implies, is a Digital Pedometer that announces your exercise progress as you walk. Not only you can view your fitness stats displayed, you can also hear the number of steps taken, number of calories burnt, distance traveled as well as the elapsed time, at predefined intervals or manually by pressing the “Talk” button. You may turn OFF the talking feature for silent use.

Example : You may set the Digital Talking Pedometer to announce on a daily mode like “Today you have walked 9,999 steps, 32 miles and burned 3542 calories” to remind yourself how active you are for the day.

A Digital Talking Pedometer comes with many features (common and optional) depending on the model you pick.

Common Features Of A Digital Talking Pedometer :

1. Built-in digital clock (displaying 12-hour or 24-hour format) with or without alarm

2. Built-in back light for easy viewing in poor lighting condition

3. Low battery indicator to indicate low battery and it’s time to change a new one.

Additional Features Of A Digital Talking Pedometer (not applicable to all models) :

FM Radio - Allows you to work out to your favorite tunes and learn the number of calories you have burnt at the same time.

Pacer Function - Changes the tempo of a melody based on your walking or jogging speed.

Safety Alarm - Comes with a quick-pull panic alarm pin that triggers the device to give a loud and pulsing signal if help is needed.

There are many different types of Digital Pedometer out in the market. For more choices of the type of pedometer that suits you better, check out our “Type Of Digital Pedometer” category.

If you are a beginner to Digital Pedometer, and have no absolute idea which type is suitable for you, I would recommend that you go for one that is simple, reliable yet cost efficient. A simple Digital Pedometer is also known as a step counter, only does step counting exclusively. It is perfect for beginners like you who focus a lot on the number of steps (10,000 steps) per day.

A step counter will also be ideal as it’s primary function is only to count steps. Hence it will be more reliable in results and durable compared to other types of Digital Pedometer which come with many complex functions. The cost of a step counter will typically be cheaper too.

If you purchase a Digital Pedometer that has a lot of energy consuming accessories eg. FM radio, talking function, back light etc, you will expect a much shorter battery life. Hence, to avoid changing of battery frequently, as a beginner, you should opt of a simple step counter.

Before getting a Digital Pedometer, you should consider carefully why do you need one. Make sure you understand how can one help you before you invest your money.

Most people would typically ask, why do I need a Digital Pedometer? Since I am already exercising by walking or jogging everyday, I had achieved my daily activity needs. Well, the purpose of a Digital Pedometer is essentially to measure your activity level by specific measurement of steps and miles. By doing so, you can set specific goals for yourself and become more active as you continue to work towards your goal everyday.

A Digital Pedometer Is Your Motivation To Be More Active

If you are planning for a long-term fitness program (eg. weight losing, fitness or wellness program), a Digital Pedometer will be worth the small investment since you can motivate yourself to be more active on a daily basis.

A Digital Pedometer Is Worth The Small Investment

You can get a simple Step Counter Pedometer for a start which costs between $10 - $20 only.

Once you purchased a Digital Pedometer, you would probably need to start planning on your exercise goals. However before you begin, you should ask yourself what are your exercise objectives? Are you exercising for good health? Increase your fitness level? Or to lose weight? Different exercise objectives allow you to set your goals differently. Below are some simple steps you may follow to work towards your goal effectively.

Step 1 : Find Out Your Activity Level Baseline

Everybody has his own daily activity level and health. Before you set your exercise goal, you need to know what is your current baseline for your activity level. You should start wearing your Digital Pedometer like a “normal” day and find out what is your present number of steps taken per day. This will be your baseline. On average, a person takes 3000 to 4000 steps per day.

Step 2 : Increase Your Daily Goal Modestly And Gradually

The ideal goal for a normal person is 10,000 steps per day. 10,000 steps is almost equivalent to walking approximately 5 miles in distance. However, it is not recommended to set this as an initial goal within a short period since you are not sure if your health and body condition is able to cope. Once you find out your baseline, increase your daily goal modestly and gradually.

Example if your number of steps per day is 3,500, you may want to create a goal of 5,000 after several weeks, follows by 7,500, then 10,000 and beyond.

Step 3 : Use A Digital Pedometer To Measure Your Progress

Get a Digital Pedometer to help you measure your progress. If you are a beginner to Digital Pedometer, you should get one that suits you as one. If your exercise objective is to lose weight, make use of the calories calculator function to keep track of your calories burnt daily together with your diet plan.

Caution :

Before you begin any exercise program or increase your number of steps everyday, make sure your health condition is capable of handling it. Consult your health care provider if needed.