# Anyone Here Using a Pedometer to Measure Miles Walked?



## SeaBreeze

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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## boozercruiser

My Wife and I recently purchased a Withings Watch each Sea Breeze.
It not only does what you want there, but an awful lot more, as per read this...

http://www.johnlewis.com/withings-a...08d2685&s_kwcid=402x979134&tmad=c&tmcampid=73

http://www.withings.com/uk/en/store/details/activite-pop


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## Butterfly

My pedometer died, too, SB.  I've been casting about trying to find a relatively simple, inexpensive one that will just tell me how far I've walked, number of steps, etc.  I don't need or want a super expensive fancy one that will do a zillion other things.  Just want to know distance, etc.  Please let me know if you find such a thing and I'll get one, too.


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## fureverywhere

My son's Smart Phone does it. Me is FitBit Flex.


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## SeaBreeze

Fitbit is too much for me too Fur, but thanks for letting me know you had one.

Butterfly, I'll be checking some out and seeing what's around these days.  The Omron really wasn't too bad, but thought I'd try another brand maybe.  Will let you know what I find that's reasonably priced and accurate.


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## Bobw235

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?



I have that same one and don't use it any longer.  Logged many miles with it.
I used my iPhone now and an app called Pacer.  Works very well.


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## SeaBreeze

Butterfly said:


> My pedometer died, too, SB.  I've been casting about trying to find a relatively simple, inexpensive one that will just tell me how far I've walked, number of steps, etc.  I don't need or want a super expensive fancy one that will do a zillion other things.  Just want to know distance, etc.  Please let me know if you find such a thing and I'll get one, too.



Butterfly, after looking at some online and reading reviews I decided to just buy another Omron HJ-112, I know it was accurate and had good ratings.  I read that it's been discontinued and goes by a new number now, but it seems a lot of places still have it on sale.  I paid $63 at Amazon, still have to measure my stride, enter my weight, etc. and set it up for use.

It's simple to use and that's a big selling point for me, also can carry it in my pocket rather than having to clip it on my waistband or belt, but it can be used either way.  It measures steps, distance, aerobic steps, calories/fat burned and time.  It has a 7 day memory.  Honestly, I just used my old one for measuring mileage or steps.


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## SeaBreeze

fureverywhere said:


> My son's Smart Phone does it. Me is FitBit Flex.





Bobw235 said:


> I have that same one and don't use it any longer.  Logged many miles with it.
> I used my iPhone now and an app called Pacer.  Works very well.



Thanks for your input guys!  Bob, nice to hear you had one of those too, I think they were pretty popular back in the day.  Don't have an iPhone, allergic to stuff that's too techy, lol.


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## Kadee

Yes both hubby and I use one ,we walk about 4 - 5 km think mine may is Yamax  brand,when looking check the accuracy of them, I believe some can be quite a bit out ..

I was recently talking to a lady who had an app on her phone ..no idea how reliable or accurate they may be .
.I have a iPad but not a smart phone ...
Ipad a bit big to put in my pocket :laugh::laugh:


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## Guitarist

I bought one for a couple of bucks at Walmart.  I only used it a little while, to measure the length of the hallway in my building; now that I know the distance, I don't use the pedometer anymore. I could clip it on my belt; it worked just as well in my pocket. 

I installed a couple of free apps on my phone that worked fairly well.  You could set them for distance or number of steps.


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## debbie in seattle

I recently bought a Alta Fitbit and love it.   My husband has been into fitbits since they came out but not me.   We were in Az for about a month recently and we walked twice a day, in the AM to Starbucks and in the PM to Menchies for frozen yogurt (I know, I know) and I got interested in steps.  My Alta has a watch, monitors my steps and many, many other things.   It also has a sleep monitor, tells me how many hours I slept, restless, awake, etc.


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## Debby

My husband has an app on his iPhone and it told him that on the last moving day, we walked up the equivalent of 47 flights of stairs!  Carrying furniture and boxes!  It took us four days to recover from that one.


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## WhatInThe

I used one for a couple of weeks while rehabing an injury. Became work and inconsistent. Monitored time and step length to measure progress.


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## Buckeye

The "Health" app that came with my Apple 6 keeps track of miles and stair-equivalents.  My morning walk was a little under 2 miles and 6 flights of stairs.  Yesterday was >3 miles and 11 flights of stairs.   I had taken a month or so off from my morning walk so I have to ease back into it.  Now I need to incorporate some sort of resistance training.  Growing old ain't for sissies.


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## mariana

There are ots of these things about at the moment--fitbits and fit waches==but they can be big money---I just have a small one by tanita, I can wear it round my neck or in my pocket--it cost about £15.00 maybe less--it tells me all I need to know quickly and easily-how many steps, time taken, disatancee walked--plus calories used up. That is all I need to know.but on sayng that--if I had the money I would get one of these new ones==probably a fitbit !!


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## SeaBreeze




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## Camper6

I had one.  I wanted to check how far I walked playing 18 holes on the golf course because of course you have to walk between holes.

There is quite a few extra steps compared to the posted yardage.

When riding a bike I just use the Maps feature on the computer to calculate the distance between points.


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## Aunt Bea

I never had luck with the inexpensive ones that I tried and I'm too cheap to invest in a good one.  I used my car's trip meter to record the distance of a few routes in the area around my apartment.  Those readings give me a good idea of the distance involved when I walk to the post office, bank, drug store, etc...  When I walk for exercise I find that I need to have a destination/purpose for my walk, I can't just wander the streets!


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## Camper6

Why bother with pedometers and Fitbits and whatever.

Download Maps and just input your start and finish and you will get the mileage.


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## SeaBreeze

Camper6 said:


> Why bother with pedometers and Fitbits and whatever.
> 
> Download Maps and just input your start and finish and you will get the mileage.



Well, in my case, especially if I'm out in wooded remote areas hiking, there is no set start and finish point at all.  You can take a trail that loops around, goes in another direction, then comes back to where you started. Or, go off the trail completely and cover ground that way.  Plus in order to be accessing maps, you'd need a computer device with you, many times you couldn't even get service if you wanted to out in the forest.

Having a pedometer on hikes also give you some idea of how far you've gone in mileage and how far you'll have to walk to get back to camp.  Depending on the time of day, that info can be crucial to your getting back before the dark and cold sets in.


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## Camper6

My device has a compass built in. And the hike should be mapped before and  left in a conspicuous place in case you get lost.

Too many people get lost and need the services of search and rescue. A pedometer wont help you.


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## SeaBreeze

Do whatever works for you to keep you safe Camper.  My pedometer is for measuring miles, as mentioned in the original post of this thread, so it is useful to me in my walks.  I've been camping and hiking for over 40 years now with my husband, and we haven't gotten lost yet.  Also, we take walks strictly for pleasure and might be on the spur of the moment, no mapping and planning required or desired.  We are usually together or if I go alone, we have some contact via 2-way radio, etc.


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## NancyNGA

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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## myfeethurt

there is an app on cell phones for steps---works great for me


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## Falcon

To be honest;  I really don't give a darn how far I've walked. I just enjoy walking and then go home when I feel I've had enough.


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## HiDesertHal

Yawn...it's 1 PM; I'm gonna take a nap now.

My dogs will curl up with me.

HDH


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## Trade

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?



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.


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## SeaBreeze

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.


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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## Trade

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.



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.


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## HiDesertHal

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


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## Butterfly

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.



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.


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## Wandrin

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.


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## Camper6

Get a Maps app.  Just plot the home and destination.  It will give you the mileage.


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## Bobw235

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.


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## Camper6

My days of hiking alone in the woods is gone.  It was fun while it lasted.  

Now it's just bicycle on paved paths without cars to worry about.


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## Happyflowerlady

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.


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## CeeCee

Bobw235 said:


> 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'll have to check those out.  I have a Fitbit.


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## Trade

CeeCee said:


> I'll have to check those out.  I have a Fitbit.



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/


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## SeaBreeze

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


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## Happyflowerlady

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.


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## SeaBreeze

Sounds great Happyflowerlady, if you make use of all those features.  I'm technically challenged, lol, like to keep things simple. :lemo:


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## Pappy

I have a daily goal set on my Fitbit. I try to reach this number everyday.


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## fancicoffee13

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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