A pedometer is an indispensable tool in the battle of the bulge, disease prevention, and the desire to stay fit despite a busy lifestyle. Most of us really have no idea just how much daily exercise we need to maintain physical fitness and prevent diseases like heart disease and diabetes. In fact, recent research has shown that most of us tend to overestimate our average daily exercise output by as much as half.
Basically, if you were to ask a group of people standing outside a shopping mall how many steps they take in a day, over half those polled would add an extra 500 steps to every thousand they actually take.
Considering all adults should be putting in at least 10,000 steps every day just to be an active person, the lack of accuracy in our estimations about how many steps we actually take isn’t doing us any favors. In fact, if you’re doing this it could affect your long-term health in a big way.
Read Our Guide on Choosing the Perfect Pedometer!
Continue reading to see what pedometers we recommend to help keep you in-step and on-point with your physical fitness and health.
Our Top 7 Recommended Pedometers
1.HRM 771 Multifunction Pedometer
This entry level pedometer from HRM is a great choice for someone new to counting steps and tracking their exercise goals. The HRM 771 is a 4 – 5 star rated clip-on pedometer that’s capable of accurate step tracking (98%) regardless of whether it’s vertically or horizontally oriented.
The features are limited compared to higher priced units, however, the 771 has more than enough for the new user who doesn’t want to spend a lot of money: step counter, distance walked/ran, stride input, 7-day memory, clock, calories burned and target setting.
2.Omron HJ-321 Tri-Axis Alvita Pedometer
The Tri-Axis from Omron is another entry-level pedometer, with a couple of interesting features the HRM 771 doesn’t offer. This clip-on pedometer can also accurately read your steps regardless of orientation – a major bonus.
What sets this pedometer aside from the first is that it allows you to program both walking, and running (aerobic) stride lengths into the memory, so you’re always able to use it regardless of the type of training you’re doing. The Tri-Axis also auto resets (at midnight) the total steps, distance walked, and calories burned, and then transfers that old data to a weekly log for tracking.
3.Realalt 3DTriSport Walking 3D Digital Pedometer
Stepping up a few dollars in price, the pendulum and digital sensor quality starts to improve in leaps and bounds. The 3DTrisport is ultra sensitive, and can work either clipped to your waistband or carried in a shirt or pants pocket – or even a purse, backpack or worn around the neck.
This pedometer can record walking and aerobic steps separately, and can hold up to 30-days worth of distance walked, calories burned, and total pounds fat burned. Rather than a simple pedometer mounted clip, the 3DTrisport connects with a necklace-style bungee with a clip on the end of it, making it very versatile and easily wearable.
4.Ozeri 4x3razor Pocket 3D Pedometer
Stepping up in the feature category is the Ozeri Pocket 3D. This unit also has an ultra-sensitive, highly-rated pendulum and sensor design inside it. Ozeri calls it the “XYZ” position sensor, indicating it can read steps regardless of its orientation. The Ozeri allows you to program your walking stride, running stride, and stairs too, if they’re part of your daily routine.
The Ozeri Pock 3D has goal tracking software inside that charts where you’re at currently and your progress over the last 30 days, using charts and graphs to display your progress and how far you are from your fitness goals. The Ozeri uses the same necklace-bungee design that the 3DTrisport does.
5.Garmin vivofit Fitness Band
The Garmin vivofit is an excellent step up in quality and tracking features, if the $50 price tag doesn’t scare you off. The value offered in this watch makes it in the same league as more expensive competition up in the $100 range. Keep in mind though, it’s important to remember the earlier instruction about this type of wristband pedometer and how it’s important to be the type of person who swings their arms consistently in their workouts.
The water-resistant Garmin vivofit pairs up with a heart monitor (for an additional $30) to make sure you’re in your target range during workouts. This advanced pedometer adds further value by displaying a red bar on the display every 15 minutes you’re inactive throughout the day. The unit tracks all the important fitness and weight loss features and includes a sleep tracker that tells you how comfortably you’re sleeping every night.
6.Striiv Smart Pedometer
This sharp little gadget from Striiv is the perfect answer for those who simply can’t live without smart technology, yet don’t want to use their smartphone to track their workouts. The Striiv Smart Pedometer uses an internally mounted accelerometer to count steps. It also has an altimeter installed.
The Striiv can count steps taken, steps ran, stairs taken, total distance, calories burned, and does all this with the help of a 500 megahertz processor. The main selling point Striiv has set out for their smart pedometer is all the interesting games/apps they’ve included with it. Striiv claims their apps “make getting 10,000 steps a day into a fun game” where you can compete with friends and earn mock money to donate to your favorite charities.
7.Fitbit One Wireless Activity Plus Sleep Tracker
Fitbit are the current standard of how a modern pedometer should function. This bluetooth activity and sleep tracker has made it to the top of this list because you simply won’t find a better pedometer above this sub $100 price point. That is, unless you’re looking for GPS tracking technology and heart rate monitoring, in which case the Fitbit Surge Superwatch might be something you want to consider.
This tracker monitors all the important variables including steps taken (walking, running and stairs), distance moved, calories burned, and comes with a ‘silent’ alarm that buzzes you awake every day, as long as you’re wearing the device. The one syncs automatically with all bluetooth enabled computers and smart devices, with software (including sleep monitoring) that tracks your goals, allows you to compete with other Fitbit users, and which also includes games you can play to stay motivated.
Pedometer Comparison Chart
| HRM 771 | Omron HJ-321 | Realalt 3DTriSport | Ozeri 4x3razor | Garmin vivofit | Striiv Smart | Fitbit One | |
| Accuracy | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ |
| Memory Length |
7 days | 7 days | 30 days | 30 days | 7 days | 7 days | 7 days |
| Steps |  |
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| Aerobic Steps |
N/A | |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Stairs | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
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| Distance | |
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| Clock | |
N/A | N/A | |
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| Set Goals | |
N/A | N/A | N/A | |
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| Calories Burned |
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| Fat Burned |
N/A | N/A | |
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N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Exercise Time |
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N/A | |
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| Battery Life | months | months | months | months | 1 year | 3-4 days charge lasts |
2 weeks charge last |
| Wireless Bluetooth smart |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
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| Water Resistant |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
N/A | N/A |
| Warranty | 90 days | 1 year | 18 months | 18 moths | 1 year | 1 year | 1 year |
Conclusion
There’s definitely a lot to consider when trying to choose the best pedometer for your goal-tracking needs.
This is a tool that can immediately motivate people to start getting at least 10,000 steps into their routine every day, if not more. While also ensuring those who use them burn off enough calories every day, to lose weight and/or maintain a healthy weight once you do. You don’t need anything fancy or terribly pricey to realize these benefits.
However, if you decide you want a device to help collect and store all this information over the course of weeks and months, and also enjoy other advantages such as Internet connectivity to gain access to walking apps and cloud storage, it’s wise to spend some time figuring out what’s most important in a pedometer before taking the plunge and making a purchase.
Make sure you always purchase from trusted brands. And stick to those who can offer real world, trustworthy reviews like those found on shopping sites like Amazon and other trusted online retailers who verify their reviewers.
