App of the Week: Pedometer Pro
September 25, 2011, By Craig J. Heimbuch 1 comment
The local health department was trying to promote general wellness not long ago by telling people that walking 10,000 steps a day was all that was needed to improve fitness. To encourage additional walking, they handed out pedometers and, wanting to improve my general health at the time, I took one.
It was cheap, plastic and only worked some of the time, but I was surprised how quickly it impacted my daily movements. Having that little counter on my side actually forced a degree of accountability, and I found myself disappointed if I didn't make my daily goal, elated if I went over by a significant amount. That particular pedometer lasted about a month before the belt clip broke off and the thing went to pieces. I bought another and continued to push myself a little farther.
Earlier this year, I got into running for the first time since high school with our Whole New Dad series. At first, I was okay with tracking my progress by time alone, but as I got more into it, distance became more and more important. I wanted to know if I was running farther in the same allotted time as I had on the previous run. I wanted data.
Serious runners invest in serious equipment. The most serious runner in the office goes nowhere without his Garmin 610, a wrist-top computer in the form of a sports watch that records everything from distance and pace to, I believe, his inner-most thoughts and fears. A little too hardcore for someone of my ilk.
I was frustrated and unwilling to make a huge investment. So, when I found Pedometer Pro in the App Store, I believed I had found exactly what I wanted. The app allows you to track your runs via GPS as well as set and manage fitness goals. It even offers tips for weight loss and has a built-in music player for your favorite playlists. The upgrade allows you to use real pedometer functionality (instead of just the GPS tracking) and track your progress.
Pedometer Pro probably isn't as robust as a $400 wrist top, but for the guy who just wants to add a little data to his three weekly runs, it's perfect. Check it out.
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