You won’t believe all the tricks today’s pedometer can pull off with the click of a few buttons.

Yes, it’s going to count your steps, but it will also record them – from day to day, month to month, so you can chart your progress.

The word ‘pedometer’ translates from Latin to a literal ‘distance counter’. Thomas Jefferson was proported to use a pedometer in all of his activities and it is also said that Leonardo da Vinci invented one of the very first models. Impressive roots and still being used today by tens of thousands of people around the world.

Today when we speak of a pedometer we generally mean a step counter. The term has become universal. It is important to note however that while some of these small and popular devices do count steps others work by measuring distance that has been travelled. One of the most exciting and recent accomplishments of a distance pedometer is the inclusion to working with Google Maps. Exciting as it may be, the distance counter styles may not be your best choice for fitness purposes.

For fitness purposes – especially if you are walking for fitness – you’ll want a step counter. These gadgets work best through their utilization of a pendulum mechanism that moves up and down as you take a step. Although pedometers may vary in sensitivity and quality most of them give a pretty accurate reading.

What else can a pedometer do? It all depends on the features you choose. Find one that plays music, tracks caloric burn, functions as a stop watch, connects to your home or work computer and via software tracks your progress and suggests new workout routines or walking routes to take to increase your level of fitness.

Some of the higher end units have pulse meters, FM radios, user-defined pace setting function, a heart rate monitor and, coming very soon, motivational messages and music selection based on a workout’s pitch. Since no one pedometer has been created to perform all these functions in one tiny gadget you’ll want to first decide which features are most important to you – then you’ll need to decide how much you have in your budget.

Don’t worry though they aren’t all that expensive. In fact the newest, most high tech pedometer to hit the market in years will be selling for just a little over $100 next month but if you just want a full-featured, highly regarded, accurate pedometer without the music check out our favorite in the sidebar at right. This Omron HJ-112 is a digital pocket pedometer currently selling at less than $25. This unit has held its place in the marketplace as being the #1 best selling pedometer since 2004 (2005). A close second costs a few dollars more (under $35) and made by the same company. Check out the Omron HJ-720ITC.

If there is some feature you’d like to see or buy in a pedometer but can’t find any information here on the topic please use the contact form below. We will help you fnd it!