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By Diane Spicer
Hiking pedometers can be a mixed blessing.
Here's what I mean.
The advantage of wearing a pedometer is that it tracks your mileage, breaking it down to number of steps taken.
This information helps you correlate your position on your map, keeping you on track for arriving at your intended destination in a timely manner.
A hiking pedometer can also be used as a fitness tracker:
Wearing a pedometer can mean anything from a tiny device which is virtually weightless and invisible, to something clunky on your wrist or arm that can interfere with your hiking stride or trekking poles.
Out of the universe of hiking pedometers, how do you pick one?
Well, you've got to start somewhere.
My suggestion: Start small and light, not burdened with over-the-top features you won't use.
Let me share my experiences with a basic pedometer, and why I recommend this specific one to start your journey into the land of counting steps and calories.
Note that I am not employed by this company, I just like their product.
If you purchase your Jawbone gear through the links on this page, Hiking For Her receives a tiny fraction of your purchase price without increasing your payment in any way.
I only recommend what I use myself, so you can count on my good opinion of the UP Jawbone hiking pedometer to be unsolicited and unbiased.
I know for a fact that this little device will give you great service on, and off, the trail, if you're interested in lightweight and simple hiking pedometers.
Specifically, the UP Move by Jawbone.
See how small and simple it is?
To jump right to the details, click on the image.
Read on for why this little device acts as much more than a hiking pedometer.
The benefits of using this inexpensive (around $10 US) device include:
And
there are four color choices: bright yellow (it certainly won't get
lost if you set it down on the trail), black, white and red
Not bad for such a small price point, right?
You will need to download an app and use BlueTooth (to sync your UP with your phone) to view your data.
But the process is easy, and believe me when I say that it's addictive to see how many steps you've taken at the end of the day.
And after a hike, it's great to see how many miles you've covered and the number of calories burned.
If you're hiking for weight loss, the coaching feature of UP is priceless.
You can:
There's an on line forum if you'd like to join with others who are into fitness and weight tracking, too. Strength in numbers :)
Note that you will need to replace the battery every 6 months or so.
And this device is not waterproof, so don't go floating down the creek with it.
The tri-axis accelerometer won't pick up every small movement you make, so your step count is an approximation.
But when I've compared my numbers to my phone fitness app, there's good agreement 9 times out of 10.
When I hike, my phone is turned off, so wearing my UP allows me to track mileage.
And if you'd prefer to wear UP on your wrist for better approximation of small movements, there's an inexpensive strap you can purchase.
The UP pedometer is a bare bones approach to counting steps each day, or tracking your mileage on a hike.
If you want to go deeper into the universe of fitness trackers, Jawbone is a good company to consider because of the wide range of options and price points.
Here's an example of what an upgrade can deliver.
By stepping up (get it?) to the Jawbone Up 3, you pay more, but you get all of the features I've already noted, and a lot more.
Hikers are classified as endurance athletes, because of the repetitive muscle contractions and variable heart rate associated with a hike.
This Jawbone Up 3 device will track your heart rate throughout the day. You can use this data to determine if your conditioning hikes are strengthening the important cardiac muscle called your heart!
It's also valuable insight into the top and bottom of your heart rate numbers.
Sleep is a vital component for a healthy hiking body.
If you struggle with establishing a quality sleep pattern, the UP 3 offers advanced sleep tracking to automatically capture your sleep cycles: light, deep and REM (Rapid Eye Movement = dreaming).
It also has an alarm you can set to wake you at the optimal point in your sleep cycle (the Smart Alarm).
Not only is counting daily steps and calories addictive, you might find yourself in a competition with your trail buddies to meet (or exceed) your daily goals!
Happy step counting ;)
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