New wave of pedometers can help step up healthy habits

Chances are you're reading this sitting down. In today's sedentary society, it is becoming increasingly important to get ourselves moving more. But how?

A simple solution is the pedometer, a low-cost step-counting gadget, invented by Swiss horologist Louis-Frédéric Perrelet in 1780. Studies have shown it is able to motivate and inspire increases in walking activity across all ages, leading to weight loss and lower blood pressure. The goal agreed on by medical experts is 10,000 steps a day.

In a 2007 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Stanford University researchers reviewed 26 studies that looked at the use of pedometers as a tool to encourage physical activity. Users were found to increase their physical activity by an average 2,491 steps a day (about 1.6 kilometres) more than non-users - and lowered their weight and systolic blood pressure.

Although it's not the most stylish accessory, now there are trendy pedometers that are starting to convert health- and style-conscious people into dedicated walkers. Recently, San Francisco-based company FitBit launched the Flex, a wristband that not only counts steps but also tracks the distance travelled, calories burned, minutes of activity and sleep quality - and automatically syncs all this data wirelessly to a computer or smartphone.

It joins an increasingly crowded market of wearable fitness-activity-tracking wristbands that share similar features. These include the Nike+ FuelBand, Larklife, Basis, Amiigo, Shine by Misfit Wearables and UP by Jawbone, among others.

Demand for these gadgets is set to explode over the next few years, according to the New York-based ABI Research. It predicts the total shipments of wearable wireless gadgets in sports and health care will grow from 20.77 million devices in 2011 to 169.5 million in 2017. Of that projected figure, 60 per cent will be fitness trackers, and the rest will be home- and remote-monitoring technology for patients and the elderly.