Are Pedometers Smart?

Recently, I was fitness clothing shopping. I know what you are thinking, Jessica you need another piece of workout clothing like you need a hole in the head. Well, that is true. During my shopping excursion I noticed the crazy amount of “smart pedometers” available for sale. Like the Jawbone Up, Nike FuelBand, and Fitbit Flex. They even have ones you can buy for your pooch. Do these actually work? Does it provide enough motivation to push you to be active?

I admit, I’ve gotten into wearing a gadget to track my fitness but me wearing it is just not fair. I’m a fitness instructor. I am active for a living. My question, does it work for non fitness pros? I’m a little bit skeptical.

Are smart pedometers worth it? The answer seems to depend on what type of person you are, what level of fitness you’re at, and what type of workouts you’re looking to do.

Only a few and very expensive, smart pedometers are capable of distinguishing between regular movement and “active” movement, and even then, they’re unable to track your heart rate, which is a true indicator of your intensity.  I noticed that most of these “smart” devices only tracked your “aerobic steps” when you let the device know you were about to workout. I ran into this trouble too. I could never remember to notify the damn thing before I started. Also, how can it tell the difference between a light jog and an intense workout? The answer: it can’t.

So basically, smart pedometers are best for people who are motivated by data, numbers, and graphs. If you just need help getting off the couch, taking the stairs instead of the elevator or parking far away from the store, then invest $10 in a regular pedometer.