Thursday, January 1, 2009

Why I Love The HJ 720 ITC Pedometer

By Ron Packardy

Even though there are several models of pedometer on the market right now, I've got a few very good reasons why you might want to take a closer look at the Omron HJ 720ITC.

Firstly, this pedometer makes use of an improved system for measuring exactly what counts as a step or pace. In plain english, that means it's more accurate at working out how many steps you've taken than other models.

For us, that means a much more accurate pedometer, but also one that doesn't have to be clipped to your belt. With these, you can just drop them into your pocket, bag or purse and forget about it. A small feature, but one that I think makes a huge difference. Just imagine you're in a rush and you have to make a quick decision about whether to take your pedometer with you. All you have to do is drop it into your pocket.

The other great reason to choose the HJ 720-ITC is that it lets you download information to your computer. It's actually got two levels of memory built into it - a quick 7 day memory, and a longer 42 day memory. You can view the last 7 days on the pedometer, but you can download the last 6 weeks worth of data to your PC.

The pedometer also comes with some special software called the Omron Health Management Package. You install this onto your PC and it allows you to view and manage the data with graphs and charts. It also works with other products from Omron such as their heart rate monitor and their blood pressure monitor. I think this is great for people that want to do more than just keep track of their walking or running progress.

I use the memory facility to track my activity from week to week and to see my improvements over time. Funnily enough, I find it also encourages me to do more exercise. I try to do a certain amount of exercise each week, and if my pedometer stats tell me I haven't quite managed to meet my goal for a particular day, I always do a bit extra the next day to make up the difference. I know for a fact I wouldn't bother doing that if I didn't have the figures in front of me.

I was just thinking, I know the Omron HJ 720-ITC is a great gadget for myself, but wouldn't it be a great gift for someone else? Why not buy them something that positively helps them maintain or improve their health? I think that would be a great way to show you really do care about them. Don't you? - 16732

About the Author: