Sunday, December 21, 2008

Why I Love The HJ 720 ITC Pedometer

By Ron Packardy

I know there are quite a few different pedometers available at the moment, but there are a couple of very good reasons why you should pick an HJ 720ITC from Omron.

The first reason is that this is a pedometer that uses a much improved measuring system for determining how much movement actually counts as a pace. In other words, it's brilliant at accurately keeping track of how many steps you've taken.

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.

And not only that, the HJ 720 ITC also lets you download all the information it collects to your own computer. It's got a short 7-day memory, and a longer 42-day memory. You can see the 7 day information on the pedometer itself, but then you can also download 42 days worth of information to your computer.

There's also some software to go with the download facility, which is specially designed to help you manage the data with charts and such. The software is from Omron and is called the Health Management Package because it also works with information from the Omron blood pressure monitor and other equipment. That's going to be very useful if you want to look at more than a few days worth of pedometer data.

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.

One thing I realized as I'm writing this, is that the Omron 720 ITC is actually a brilliant idea for a gift. Yes, it's a lot of fun to use, but it's also a really practical and useful bit of kit. So if you buy one for your partner, not only will you be getting them a very cool gadget, you'll also be getting them something which will help take care of their health. What better way to show someone you care about them? - 16752

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