GPS Pedometer

If you ever used a GPS before, you have a pretty good idea of what their capable of. If your an outdoor enthusiast, that enjoys walking, hiking, biking, swimming, or even mountain climbing for that matter and have never used a GPS, then your in for a treat. Even if you've never used a GPS before, you probably have some idea what their for. The basically use satellites above the earth to help you navigate wherever you may be, or wherever you may be going. You can be driving, boating, flying, or even moving through human power, and your own 2 feet. The original pedometers were used for keeping track of the number of steps you ran or walked. While a GPS won't keep track of your exact steps, it does do practically everything a plain old fashioned pedometer can do plus more.

GPS vs GPS Pedometer

There are some limitations to a GPS pedometer. They may not work that well in areas surrounded by buildings, or indoors. The reason for this, is that they need access to the satellites in the sky. It can often depend however what kind of building your in. I've used one inside my fiberglass boat, or under a canvas cover with no problems. If I'm inside my car with my hand held GPS I often have problems getting a satellite lock. If I hold it up next to a window inside the car though, it may start working.

A GPS pedometer, also has some other features built in specifically for the runner or biker with fitness in mind. They can often do things, like determine calories burned during your workout, if you enter in a few parameters like your body weight to begin with. They can keep track of your pacing, distance, speed and other fitness goals during your workout.

Virtual Training Partner

With the digital microprocessor inside, the unit has the logical ability to do other helpful training tricks. Some units come with a virtual assistant, or partner to train with. You can input what your virtual partner is capable of, and the unit will tell you if your keep up with, falling behind of, or maintain pace with your partner.

Navigation

If your the type that enjoys long endless runs through the woods, but have a terrible sense of direction, a GPS pedometer could be just what your looking for. Most pedometers will keep track using it's GPS abilities of exactly where you've been. It's usually accurate to within a few feet or so. Once you've decided your run has gone far enough, just hit a button the the pedometer, and it will display a screen of bread crumbs to follow home. Some may use a small map, and some may just show an arrow telling you which way to turn, or when to go straight. If you happen to find a route you really enjoy, you can save that in memory, and use it for future runs, walks, hikes, or biking excursions.

History Logs

With the ability of connecting your unit to a computer, you can store a limitless database of workouts. The better pedometer units will come with software that runs on your desktop / laptop computer and provides added functionality. They can take your route, and put it superimpose it onto a real map for instance. You can analyze your workouts over the days, weeks, months, and years. If your improving, you'll see that quite easily, and unfortunately if your regressing, you'll see that as well. The other nice feature you'll get with a GPS pedometer, is altitude readings. All GPS's can detect what altitude your at. So, if your trail is all uphill, or all downhill it will know that as well. As all runners know, altitude is something that can make a huge difference in your run.

As digital technology continues to improve, it's amazing to see how many more features get crammed into the new GPS pedometers for even less money. It pays to shop around a bit to see what available, and what features you think would be important for you. Good luck, and happy running, hiking, climbing, boating, sailing, crawling, or however it is you get around.