10 Best Ankle Pedometers

It's a good motivational tool to wear a pedometer or fitness tracker and record your daily steps. You can record the total steps each day. Or you can wear it when you go out for a walking workout. An ankle pedometer tells you the number of steps you take each day and also tells you how many minutes you do that. A simple pedometer is typically worn on the waistband and give inaccurate results when worn on the ankle. However, advanced pedometers with new integrated technology can be worn on the ankle, arm, or wrist.

Waist and Ankle Pedometer Comparison

Pedometers are typically positioned at the waist because they are close to the center of the body. In the ankle, the ankle pedometer gets a lot of reaction with every foot kick. This makes the pedometer more sensitive, which can cause inaccurate readings. For example, it may detect wiggling, leg swing, and heel strike. This can cause the pedometer to read an exaggerated number of steps compared to a waist-mounted pedometer. A study published in the 2005 issue of the "European Journal of Applied Physiology" suggests that ankle-positioned pedometers are more accurate only when walking at a slow pace.

Make Sure Your Pedometer Is Correct

When considering which pedometer to buy, you should prioritize its accuracy when counting steps. To measure the accuracy of the pedometer, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends a 20-step test. Attach the pedometer - if you're wearing it - at your waist or belt flush with your knee. Take 20 steps at your normal pace and check if the pedometer is calculated between 18 and 22 steps. If the pedometer fails to meet the criteria, try one more time. If it fails the accuracy-test a second or third time, you should choose another pedometer.

For best results, you should choose a 3-axis accelerometer to accurately detect your movement. Some of these devices are attached around the ankle to track your movement as well as determine your calorie expenditure. Accelerometer-based step meters are known by various names; Look for products labeled fitness trackers, 3-axis pedometer, or accelerometers. Remember to run the 20-step test before deciding which ankle pedometer to buy.

Review Advanced Ankle Pedometer

An accelerometer-based pedometer can be worn on the ankle, wrist, or arm to accurately measure your steps. While basic step meters only have a mechanical sensor to measure steps, the accelerometer is a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device. This allows an accelerometer-based pedometer to measure how fast you are walking or running and calculate your steps and distance traveled. Several smartphones have accelerometers that allow you to track your steps with fitness apps. The ankle or wrist straps are used to track your steps and the data is then uploaded to your smartphone or computer.

You can use your device not only to track your activity but also to motivate you to do more. By tracking steps, minutes of daily activity, or successive jumps, you can set yourself goals and aim to increase your goals a little higher each week. You can also use the built-in or online calorie calculators to see how many calories you burned during a workout, this can be very motivating.