Which to buy and why
Not all pedometers are created equal - you can spend anything from £3.99 to £30 plus. The US President's Council On Physical Fitness And Sports recommends testing a pedometer's accuracy by walking 100 steps, counting them as you go, and comparing the result to the pedometer's reading. Also try the 'shake test': if you shake the pedometer in its box, it shouldn't record any steps.
In recent trials at Loughborough University, the Fitbug pedometer (pictured) came out best. But you need to be techno-friendly to use it as, once you've registered your online membership, you need to upload information from the 'bug' daily in order to see your statistics and benefit from the support team's advice and encouragement. Weekly activity and dietary targets are set, and sent by email and text. Fitbug pedometer and membership, £29.95; online subscription, from £4.95 a month. For more information, visit
Fitbug.co.uk.
You can find an array of pedometers starting at £4.65 at
Boots.co.uk, some of which also count calories among other features. Just type 'pedometer' into the search box.