Once you have a pedometer, it is essential to learn how to use it for the best results in your medical weight loss program. Most styles are very simple. They just clip onto your belt; you turn the “on” switch, and start walking. Others require a bit of study to learn how to manage the calculations that determine the number of calories burned while walking.
Here are a few tips for using your pedometer to best advantage:
- Put your pedometer on early in the day and use it until you go to bed to count total daily steps walked. Keep a short record of daily totals to determine if you need to add steps to reach your recommended goal, which for most people begins at about 5000 steps per day. Record normal activities so you have an idea of any patterns.
- Each 2000 steps equals approximately one mile and about twenty minutes of walking.
- Adding more steps each day can be as easy as parking farther from entrances. Use stairs rather than elevators or escalators, walk instead of driving short distances, or just go to the mall or large grocery store and walk perimeter aisles prior to shopping.
- As you gradually increase daily step counts, continue to add steps over time until you are between 5000 and 10,000 steps per day.
Living in a geographic area like Phoenix, Arizona, where the weather usually cooperates encourages anyone participating in a weight loss program to increase their outdoor activities, and walking is the one exercise that just about anyone can do. Using a pedometer to count steps is not only helpful; it is fun just to see how many steps you do walk in a day.