The Omron Go/smart Pocket Pedometer HJ-112 Has it All

I have always purchased cheap pedometers from Super Wal-Mart. They are the GoWalking ones that come in a multitude of colors, and cost around $5. They do last me a year or so, and work great on some of my shorts, but miss steps on other clothes.

It really frustrates me when I count the steps as I am walking. I do one hundred and the pedometer tells me I have walked 56. I don't like spending money on things that I feel are a luxury, but when I was sent an amazon gift card for $50, I was happy to buy the Omron Go/smart Pocket Pedometer, model HJ-112 for $21.49.

Upon opening it there was the pedometer, strap, clip, holder, battery, and the manual. It states that it has a screwdriver, but there wasn't one in mine. Lucky for me hubby has every kind of tool you can think of.

The first thing that needs to be done is putting the battery in. On page 10 of the manual there are instructions and a diagram. You do need the screwdriver to remove the back cover to insert the battery into the machine.

From here you can set the time, this is important so that it can tell you the information for each day. The next mode is setting your weight, and then the following one is your stride length. Once these are done then you are ready to use your pedometer.

I slid the Omron pedometer into it's holder and was ready to go.

The first time I used it I placed in on the waist tie of my dressing gown. My cheap pedometer wouldn't work on it. I then walked around the house several times and every step was counted. My pedometer showed 161 steps, 0 aerobic steps, 3 calories, 0.05 of a mile. All I had to do was press the mode button each time to get the readings.

From here I moved the pedometer onto my front short's pocket. It tells you to clip it on the edge of your pocket to prevent it from dropping. I did a little walking and checked my results against counting them. It was spot on, 357 steps, 0 aerobic, 7 calories, and 0.11 of a mile.

My final test was to put it on my handbag. It shows in the diagram that it is clipped onto the side of the bag, and the person is holding it in front of them. I tried this and it didn't work. I then had my handbag in my hand and walked with it. Again it didn't work. I then put it over my shoulder even though it doesn't have a shoulder strap, and this way it worked perfectly.

A little later I wanted to try out the aerobic side of it, so I got one of my keep fit videos to test it out.

I started the 'In Shape with Sharon', and then worked out with her. I did 2 sets which lasted 11 minutes. When I checked the Omron pedometer the figures were, 2306 steps, 1253 aerobic steps, and it stated 11 minutes, 49 calories, and 2.7 g of fat burn, 0.72 miles.

This is so much more information than any other pedometer I have used. It gives far more information than the Brookstone pedometer, my husband Len had, that cost $25.

Some information from the packaging and the manual:

"Pocket Pedometer with 2D SmartSensor Technology. Place in your pocket, bag or clip on your hip. Steps - distance - calories and fat burned- aerobic steps and time. Track your activity to achieve your goals! Accurate. Motivating.

Tracking daily: steps, distance, calories and fat burned, aerobic steps and time. Has a clock, 7-day memory, auto-reset at midnight."

It also states that the pedometer will not be accurate if you place it incorrectly, which is at an angle of less than 60 degrees, when it is clipped incorrectly, playing sports, climbing stairs, when your walking isn't consistent, such as in a crowd. It will not work on vibrations such as riding a bicycle, or being on transportation. If you shuffle along or you walk at a snails pace.

Apart from the battery the unit has a 1 year limited warranty. For customer service visit www.omronhealthcare.com or telephone 1-800-634-4350.

So far I am very happy with the Omron pedometer, and feel that it will, more accurately give me my daily steps, and what I am achieving. So when I am at the beach and walk 23,000 steps in a day, I will really know if that is correct, or whether I actually walked more.