Placing a pedometer correctly will give you the most accurate count of steps, whether walking, running, strolling or simply going about activities of daily living in your home, workplace or outdoors. Accurate step counting also translates to accurate calorie counting, total distance or other parameters on a multifunction pedometer. Correct placement also means secure placement. Accidental disconnection is a common cause of lost information, dropped and broken pedometers.
Front, Middle or Back?
Put it all behind you, according to Mark Abel, a kinesiology researcher at the University of Kentucky. He reports placement at the back on the waistline is best for people with above-average waistlines, walking or running to slim down, on level ground or a treadmill. A "noise canceling" feature of some high-end pedometers (omitting incidental movements like standing up and sitting down) is also accurate when worn at the hip or around the neck.
Clothing Considerations
A pedometer should be oriented upright, not tilted, while in use, except for the slight swaying that a walking or running gait produces. Fastening to a stiff belt is more stable than a cloth or elastic waist band. Manufacturers of most units recommend placement directly over the knee or pants pleat, unless body form or clothing prevents this. Women may find placement on a brassiere is stable. Pocket placement can cause random tumbling and significant inaccuracy.
Security
Pedometers should be secured with a strap or tether through a belt loop or fastened with a safety pin. Outer clothing can help stabilize a pedometer attached to the waist band of undergarments. But even with careful attachment a pedometer can disconnect, as when lowering slacks or shifting clothing in a bathroom. To prevent such losses affix your name, address, phone number or other contact information to a pedometer.
Obstructions
Some people can't attach a pedometer upright on a belt over their abdomen because their stomach tilts their belt. The back-of-the-belt placement is best in those cases because the back is almost always flatter and straighter even when a waist line is super-sized, whether by diet or pregnancy.
General Considerations
Proper placement of a pedometer is best judged by its accuracy. A new user should walk a specific distance, for example exactly 100 yards or a quarter mile or for a specific number of precisely counted steps, on level ground and at his expected walking or running speed. The best placement produces the most accurate correlation between measurements, counts and readings. Manufacturers usually recommend a placement best suited to their design and the kind of exercise they built the pedometer for.
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