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Are pedometers (aka step counters) accurate? Do they really measure how many steps you take? Is the calorie burn accurate? Are they effective in helping people lose weight or stay healthy? Are they worth the money? Do they even matter?

These are all questions I’ve had when learning about pedometers. They seem to be on the rise in the consumer market right now. Kinda trendy. And fun. But are they worth it?

I decided to do a little test to find out. Because I’m weird like that and wildly curious about anything fitness related. And I thought other people would be interested in the results as well.  I had nothing invested. I’m not being paid by anyone, nor did I receive anything for free. I borrowed and/or purchased 7 different major brand pedometers to do a comparison. A Nike Fuel, Jawbone Up, Fitbit Flex (I had two of these), Fitbit Zip, iFit, and Striiv play.  I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect.

The test was done over three days. The first day I wore 4 different pedometers on my right wrist, and one pedometer on my waist. The second day I wore 5 pedometers on my right wrist (two of which were the SAME brand–Fitbit Flex) and 2 pedometers on my waist. The third day I just wore a Fitbit Flex on my left wrist, a Fitbit Flex on my right wrist, and a Fitbit Zip on my waist.

And yes, I looked like a complete freak show.  But it was in the name of consumer research so it was okay.

The results were…….interesting. But before you make any judgments about the initial results, stick with me to the end for my assessment.

I measured how many steps were registered by each device each day. I also tracked how many steps were registered during different exercise/high activity periods.

The results from DAY ONE:

Day One happened to be Halloween.  I knew I’d be doing a lot of walking that day.  More walking, less with my arms.  As you can see above, the results were wildly different.  A difference of 7,939 steps.  Stick with me though.  Don’t discount them yet.  I think I have an explanation for this at the end.

The results from DAY TWO:

Day Two was on a Saturday when I did a fair amount of house cleaning and pick up (my life every.single.day) so I was using my arms more this day.  A difference of 3,414 steps.  (I only had the second Fitbit and Fitbit Zip for days 2 and 3)

I also tracked steps during exercise.  I only exercised for THIRTY minutes each day.

This workout was more arms than legs which I think explains the difference between the wrist pedometers (which were fairly consistent with each other) and the waist one.  A difference of 282 steps.

This workout was  a lot of movement in my arms and legs.  A difference of 626 steps.  (If anyone’s looking to release some aggression, this workout is for you!)

I then walked on the treadmill for 10 minutes at a consistent pace (3.5 speed).

The results from the pedometers seemed MOST consistent when walking at a consistent pace on the treadmill.  A difference of 166.  But if we take out the Nike Fuel (which always registered lower–I’ll talk more about that in a minute), the difference is only 36 steps.  And the two pedometers on my waist were only one step different.

And for the last test, I wanted to compare the SAME brand pedometer which was the Fitbit.  Day Two I wore 2 Fitbit Flex pedometers on the SAME arm and the Fitbit Zip on my waist.

There was a difference of 229 steps in the wrist Fitbits, and a difference of 1913 steps between the wrist Fitbit and the waist Fitbit.

Day Three (which was a Sunday and I don’t move nearly as much) I wore Fitbit1 on my left wrist, Fitbit2 on my right wrist, and the Fitbit Zip on my waist for part of the day.

A difference of 1331 steps between the Fitbit1 on my left wrist and the Fitbit2 on my right wrist, and a difference of 2339 steps between the Fitbit on my wrist and the Fitbit on my waist.  It appears the wrist you wear the pedometer on makes a difference in the step count.

That’s a whole lot of pedometers and a whole lot of numbers.  And as you can see, the results are wildly different from pedometer to pedometer.  So of course the initial conclusion may be pedometers aren’t really that accurate after all and possibly a waste of money.

But.

Here’s my assessment from the experience.

Yes, the pedometers varied greatly from the highest tracking pedometer (usually the Striiv Play) to the lowest tracking pedometer (always the Nike Fuel).  And they seemed inconsistent in different activities.

But at the end of the day, I don’t think it really matters as long as each individual pedometer is consistent with itself.  The entire goal of wearing a pedometer is to get people to MOVE.  So as long as the pedometer I choose to wear consistently tracks my movement from day to day, and inspires me to move more, it’s doing its job.  Whether that pedometer says 8990 steps or 13566 steps, if I MOVE MORE from day-t0-day, it’s technically done its job.

General Assessment

**Not all pedometers are created equal.  Meaning you can’t compare steps from one pedometer to steps from another pedometer (including pedometers that are the SAME brand).  From this experiment it is evident they don’t track exactly the same.  I NEVER got my Nike Fuel band above 10,000 steps (I actually wore that one for about a week) but easily got the Striiv play above 10,000 steps each day.  That’s not to say one is better than the other.  If I know my Nike Fuel is more stingy in its steps, then I set a realistic goal for THAT pedometer.  If I know my Striiv Play is more generous in steps, I set a higher goal for number of steps.

**The general recommendation for steps seems to be 10,000.  But as I just mentioned, 10,000 steps on one pedometer is not the same as 10,000 steps on another pedometer.  You’d have to set your steps goal based on each individual pedometer.  Once you wear one for a few days, you can get a feel for what’s a realistic/ambitious goal for your particular pedometer.

Do I recommend buying a pedometer?

Yes and No.

I’m a stay-at-h0me-mom to very young and active kids (one of which is a crazy two year old constantly on the move and not safe when unsupervised), part-time photographer, and after 10pm writer/blogger so I’m literally on my feet all.day.long.  Moving more is not an issue for me.  I exercise 30ish minutes a day, 6 times a week.  I personally don’t need something on my wrist to motivate me to move more in this season of my life. In fact, I felt a little anxious once I started wearing them feeling like I literally had to be moving all the time to get those step counts up (I’m pretty competitive even with myself).  It was definitely interesting to see how many steps I took–a general idea of how much I move. But I personally am not planning to keep one.

But.  If you need to MOVE more and you need something to motivate you to do that, a pedometer could be a good start.  People who have desk jobs, don’t exercise everyday, or spend a lot of time sitting throughout the day, knowing how many steps you’re taking can motivate you to get up and take more.  To move more.  I’ve heard several people say they were at 9,000 something something something steps at 10pm at night, so they paced the hall until they got to 10,000 steps before they went to bed.  Of if you hit halfway through the day and you haven’t even hit 2,000 steps, you take a long walk on your lunch break.  Or if they’re competing against family or friends (some of the pedometers allowed you to sync up with friends/family) and they want to win that day, they’d stay up late continuing to move so they could win.  (I had a great time talking trash with my friend who also has a Striiv Play.  She’s recovering from a gnarly battle with cancer so it wasn’t entirely fair of me, but she’s a good sport!)  If any of those scenarios fit your life situation, then YES, get a pedometer.

I am first in line to advocate for people moving more!  So if  pedometers help people do that, and get in the habit of moving more, I’m all for it.

But.  But but but but but.  I do NOT think pedometers are the magic ticket to weight loss or transformed bodies.  Yes, moving more is better than moving less.  But if you’re looking to LOSE weight, get healthier, transform your body, a pedometer alone won’t do that for you.  What we put in our MOUTHS will be 80-90% of the battle with losing weight or getting healthy.  The other 10-20% will come from SMART exercise.  Hard interval training type exercise to lose weight, and smart weight lifting type activities to tone and build lean muscle.

(screenshots of the various pedometer apps)

Which one would I recommend?

If you think having a pedometer will help you get on the journey to moving more and building a life style where regular movement and activity is a daily habit, I’d be happy to give recommendations based on your personal needs.  OR, if you’re already fairly active, but you want something to push you just a little more, I can also give recommendations.  I don’t think these pedometers are a one brand fits all.  It entirely depends on WHY you want one and what information you’re looking to get from them.  So if you plan to buy one and are looking at one of the brands I “field-tested”, please feel free to ask in the comments and I’ll give you some suggestions.  My suggestions would be based on how active you already are, what type of activities you normally do from day-to-day, would you be doing it with other people (friends or family members all getting the same brand), what information you want to get and why, etc.

Is the calorie count accurate?

All of the pedometers I wore tracked calories.  I wrote that all down too, but I think it’s irrelevant information.  I didn’t feel like the calorie tracking was very accurate especially when measuring exercise.  It’s hard for the pedometers to estimate how hard a particular workout is unless you’re walking or running.  Any other type of exercise I would say the pedometers are not accurate in calorie count.  Instead of relying on tracking calories through the step counters, I would just wear a heart rate monitor during exercise.

Overall conclusion (I totally feel like I’m back in 9th grade science writing that):  The number of steps varied (sometimes greatly) from pedometer to pedometer.  You can’t compare steps from one pedometer brand to another.  Each pedometer had varying features that would be attractive to different users (based on WHY you want one).  The pedometers were all equally comfortable for me but some were bulkier than others.  The apps were all equally easy to use and track information.  The pedometers definitely motivated me to move more even though I already feel like I’m moving plenty.  If I were personally going to buy one, I’d get the Nike Fuel (because it makes you work the hardest for your step count) or the Fitbit (because it seemed the most consistent).  But I also saw benefits to some of the other brands as well (all questions I’m willing to answer in the comments if anyone is interested or has specific questions).

I’m curious.  Do YOU have a pedometer?  If so, leave me a comment and tell me which one and if you like it.  Does it motivate you to move more and would you recommend it to your friends?

OR, are you looking to buy a pedometer?  If so, leave a comment telling me which one or ask for recommendations if you have questions on which one would be best for you.

P.S. If you’re interested in more health related articles, check out the “Let’s Be Healthy” section for a lot more information including my personal journey to lose all of my baby weight (60+ pounds).  

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If you haven’t read the first post I did, please read “Hi my name is….let’s talk about addiction” so you understand why I’m publishing these posts.

At first I was going to publish all of these essays as “anonymous”.  But this one was written by one of my brothers (obviously not the addict brother) and it would be hard to mask who he was based on some of the similarities of the story.   I also thought it would be interesting and hopefully helpful for people to see differing views within the same family.

My brother and I fundamentally disagree on some key parts of how to handle an addict.  We reacted differently in different situations.  We responded in different ways.  We felt different.  Our experiences and viewpoints were different.  We were involved in different degrees.  Neither of us was necessarily right or wrong.  Each member of a family who loves an addict has to respond in whatever way is best for that person.  And it will be different for each member of the family (based on SO many different factors).  It can get very complicated.

No choice ever feels exactly right.  Most choices feel “less” wrong than others.  Because the whole situation is just wrong. Feels wrong.  Feels hopeless.  Like there IS no right answer.  So we all do the best we can with the varying life situations we live in and make decisions accordingly.

His account is different than mine would be, in the past and present.  Which also makes addiction so interesting.  Two people can talk about the same addict and the story looks SO different.  It’s all about perspective.

And for the record, even though we don’t always agree on how we will handle different situations, our relationship is still just fine.  🙂

So with his permission to disclose his identity,  this essay was written by my oldest brother about our brother who is a currently sober alcoholic/addict.   It is honest and real and I am incredibly grateful my brother agreed to do it.  He didn’t want to.  Most people don’t really want to write about this stuff.  But it needs to be written about.  It needs to be talked about.  Thanks C!!

“I am the brother of an alcohol and drug addict who started drinking in the second grade.  Since that time, his addictive behavior has caused untold grief, anger and frustration within my family.  Over the last 20 or so years, I have not had to deal directly with many of the consequences of his behavior since I have started my own family and we don’t live in day-to-day proximity to the center of the action.   However, I can still feel the effects of choices made and lament the corrosive effect those choices have had on our family.

It’s hard to articulate the way I feel about this situation.  I have mixed emotions about it all.  Part of me feels real compassion toward my brother and the demons he must face day after day.  I know addiction is a disease that involves overwhelming compulsion to engage in self-destructive behavior, and treatment has to involve a lot of patience and understanding.  But I do not believe addiction is in the same class as other diseases like cancer or lupus.  To be sure, sometimes those diseases are the result of choices made.  A lifelong chain smoker shouldn’t be surprised to be diagnosed with lung cancer at some point.  But an alcohol and drug addict has to make a choice to consume, and it is that choice — and more importantly the attitude behind it — that makes addiction a different disease, in my view.  While I still feel compassion for the addict and the difficulties in dealing with the compulsive behavior it creates, for the most part I believe it can be managed and ultimately overcome with the proper attitude and support structure.  If the attitude is not there, and the addict wilfully chooses to consume alcohol and other drugs in defiance of his support network and the opportunity to make a different and better choice, there should be consequences.

I am a firm believer in personal responsibility.  I am not a cold-hearted, die-hard, far-right-wing conservative who sings the praises of rugged individualism at every turn and feels everybody should fend for himself.  I do believe in safety nets and that society at large should provide a basic one for all of us.  But we all have to do what we can to live responsible, productive, independent lives, and when somebody chooses one way or the other to live irresponsibly and unproductively to the point he becomes utterly dependent on others for his existence, I say “let the consequence follow.”

I have come to realize, however, that this is often easier said than done.  The one thing I have observed about my brother’s addiction is that his choices over the years have forced his loved ones — my parents, in particular, and to a lesser extent some of my siblings who are closer to the situation than I am — to make some very hard choices in response.

My father’s youngest brother was an alcoholic.  I do not know many details here, but I do know that my uncle did not have the best relationship with my grandparents because of the choices he made, choices that were contrary to the lifestyle of a conservative, religious family.  On the cusp of adulthood, my uncle more or less decided to leave the family.  Physically and emotionally he distanced himself from his loved ones.  Over the years he’d pop up here and there for family gatherings.  There would be an occasional phone call.  But after my grandparents passed away, those encounters were fewer and further between.  He ultimately died of a heart attack in a pool of his own vomit after a night of heavy drinking.  He was 51 years old at the time of his death.  I personally never saw or heard from him the last 14 years of his life.

I believe my uncle’s life and ultimate demise had a profound effect on my dad and the decisions he has made with regard to my brother.  My dad has decided that it’s better to do what’s necessary to keep my brother within the family and safe at home than to let him drift away and suffer the full weight of the consequences behind his choices.  He does not want what happened to his brother to happen to his son.  Sure, there have been times over the last 25 years when the consequences were inevitable.  My brother has been in and out of jail countless times.  He’s been a frequent guest at the homeless shelter.  But he has always come back, knowing full well that my dad will give him another chance sooner or later and that he won’t be allowed to fall too far.

  My mother has done her best to defer to my father, but she has had an indescribably difficult experience dealing with my brother’s rude, immature and manipulative behavior on an almost daily basis.  As such, she generally seems to lean the other way: Let him go and make his own choices with whatever consequences come as a result.  I know she and my dad have gone to battle over this many times.  I don’t know bad the damage really is, but I do know their marriage has suffered greatly.

Some of my siblings have leaned more toward my dad’s approach and have engaged in a lot of “enabling” behavior over the years — giving my brother a place to stay, a place to work, or a ride to or from the homeless shelter.  I will readily admit that I have done similar things as well, but because of my physical and emotional distance from the family center it has been occasional and limited.  For the most part I have profoundly disagreed with that course of action over the years.  As you might expect, this has sparked some heated arguments at times.  Several years ago at a family gathering, my sister and I were having what I thought was a casual discussion about my brother and his situation, but for reasons I still don’t understand it quickly heated up to the point we were screaming at each other.  I stormed out of the house and drove away to avoid going into kill mode, leaving my wife and kids behind (my parents later drove them back out to my house and we had a short, tense conversation to cap off a lovely evening).

Fast forward to the present.  As I write this, my brother is now 40 years old and continues to live with Mom and Dad, with no sign of ever becoming an independent, productive member of society.  He works maybe 20 hours a week at a local thrift store, then spends the rest of his time popping pain meds (which, for reasons I won’t get into here, have largely taken the place of alcohol and illegal drugs) and lying on the couch in the basement watching Law & Order re-runs.  For now, it is a dreadful, pathetic situation.  My parents should be enjoying their twilight years.  Instead, they are babysitting a stunted adult child and using precious physical, emotional and financial resources to do so.

One the one hand, I feel a small sense of vindication.  I have felt that this approach was going to have less-than-optimal outcomes to say the least, and that clearly has been the case.  On the other hand, as I’ve aged — now well into my 40s — my hard-line disagreement with the way my dad has dealt with my brother has softened somewhat.  I am starting to see and understand that there really wasn’t — and isn’t — any good choice to deal with my brother’s addiction.  If you let him go like my wayward uncle, it’s likely a death spiral.  While in some cases you could argue that might actually be best for all involved, death permanently closes the window of opportunity to live a productive, meaningful life that impacts the world for the better.  But by the same token, if you do whatever is necessary to keep him in the fold and effectively shield him from the consequences of his bad choices, you accept the likelihood  he lives a miserable, aimless life with little or no redeeming value to anybody and which drains those around him physically, mentally, and financially.  It’s a shit sandwich no matter how you slice it.

My dad is the most patient and compassionate person I’ve ever known.   I didn’t feel that way growing up — especially in my clueless teenage years — but it is crystal clear to me now.  He will do anything he can for anybody, loved one or complete stranger.  He is a true disciple of Christ.  In an age when most pay lip service to what really means, I am both humbled and touched by the exemplary life he has led.

I see that Christ-like compassion on display with my brother, and I know it’s being tested more profoundly than ever.  But my brother is alive today because my dad — my parents — made the hard choice to provide him with daily living support and to accept the consequences of that choice.

I suppose there is always that hope — however faint it may be at times — that he will right the ship and become the person we all want him to be.  I am not terribly optimistic that will end up being the case, but it’s possible.  I may have made a different choice to deal with my brother’s addiction and the attitude undergirding it.  But I have come to realize that addiction usually presents no easy, clear choice.  Because of that, it’s not for me to say that my parents made the wrong one.  All I can do is accept the choices that have been made and express my love and support as best I can, however imperfectly that may be.”

If you love someone who is an addict, please feel free to post your experiences, feelings, comments below.  You can put “anonymous” for the name if you’d rather people not know your real name.  Starting conversations is how we start to dispel the shame.