I went through quite a few cheap pedometers last year. Either they kept falling off, or they worked for a while and then either counted too many steps or not enough. So in January I was looking for a new way to count steps, and I found this pedometer in the Oprah magazine. If Oprah likes it, it must be good, right? But what really sold me on this pedometer was the promise of rewards. I’m all about rewards.

So, how is it going with this new pedometer? There are some things about it that I really like:
     It’s accurate.
     The numbers are easy to read.
     It doesn’t fall off – even when I bend over.
     It comes in pretty colors.

I forgot to mention that you buy this pedometer online at www.s2h.com, which stands for switch 2 health. It costs around $20. What I don’t like about it is that it only counts steps up to 10,000. Then it stops counting, and flashes a twelve digit alphanumeric code that you have to type in online. The website keeps track of your total number of steps and gives you 60 points for each 10,000 steps. When you accrue enough points, you may trade them for rewards. I like the fact that the website keeps track of the steps for me, but I don’t like the fact that the pedometer  won’t go over 10,000. If I’ve gotten to only 8,000 at the end of the day, I have to reset and lose those steps or carry them over to the next day. The problem with that is you may reach 10,000 at some awkward times. I’ve hit 10,000 in the middle of Wegmans, on the treadmill, walking on the beach, and while playing mini-golf. You get the idea.

The other drawback is that the rewards are pretty lame. You may spend the points on the s2h website to buy things like a new pedometer. You may also use them at fitness places I never heard of. They had a couple of rewards that I might actually use such as a $10 gift card to Macy’s or Target, but those rewards were N/A, which I assume means not available.

So, I’ve given up on logging in my steps and accruing reward points. I’m using my new pedometer just like I used the old ones,  resetting it every night. I simply record a yes or no on my calendar according to whether I’ve achieved 10,000 steps or not. If I have, I just take the pedometer off, and stop counting for the day. If I haven’t, I just reset and try again the next day.

 Don’t you wish we could reset the other areas of our lives so easily?