By: Kayla Rogers & Brieon Young
What tools/ incentives help motivate you get to the gym? Is it your fit bit telling you to, “Get active”? Apple watch telling you to, “Get moving/standing to long”? Or is it a simple app encouraging you to reach your 10,000 step margin? Either way all these motivational tools have one thing in common, a pedometer.
Walking/exercising with a pedometer as a motivational tool, is becoming widely used in many health related settings to help increase overall physical activity and health status (Suliman Mansi, 2013). Pedometers help relay valuable information such as the number of steps taken, distance traveled, time spent physically active, and possible energy expenditure estimate (DR Lubans, 2009).
By wearing such device, this helps you have a physical recording of your physical activity throughout the day. For some, having that information helps them meet their physical activity/fitness goals, therefore becoming a tool of motivation. So if you are in an inactive phase in life, wearing a pedometer might be one of the least expensive ways to get motivated (Harvard Health Letter, 2009). So let’s STEP out of that SEDENTARY Lifestyle today!!
References
DR Lubans, P. M.-L. (2009). A systematic review of studies using pedometers to promote physical activity among youth. Prev Med, 307-315.
Harvard Health Letter. (2009, September). Retrieved from Harvard Health Publishing: https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsleter_article-every-step-you-take
Suliman Mansi, S. M. (2013). Use of pedometer-driven walking to promote physcial activity and improve health-related quality of life among meat processing workers: a feasibility trial. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 1-11.
