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Basically, a pedometer counts your steps as you walk. Some pedometers can take that number and run with it -- converting the steps into a distance. Most pedometers have a tiny spring-set horizontal arm that moves up and down as you walk and measures the vertical movement of your hips. Electronic pedometers, however, can detect the impact of your foot hitting the ground. Essentially, a pedometer is a motion-sensitive electrical circuit that switches on and off, activating a digital counter. It tends to function best during vigorous walking, when the motion of the hips is more pronounced. The devices seem to be in step with the times as a result of new health guidelines that recommend walking 10,000 steps a day or about five miles. However, they can be notoriously fickle. If your next step is purchasing a pedometer, we refer you to Barbara Arrigo of the Detroit Free Press, who wrote an excellent consumer guide. For more technical details on how pedometers function, members of the Department of Physical Education and Recreation at the University of Alberta offer this handy explanation.
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