Friday, December 19, 2008

What's So Good About The Omron HJ 720 ITC Pedometer

By Ron Packardy

Despite the fact there are a few good pedometers you can choose from at the moment, there are some pretty good reasons why you might want to consider an Omron HJ 720-ITC.

For a start, the HJ 720 ITC is one of the few pedometers to use the newer accelerometer technology to measure movement. What that means is that it's really good at recognizing what counts as a pace or a step.

What that means in practical terms for you and me, is that instead of having to mess about fixing it to your belt or whatever, you can now just drop it into your pocket, bag or purse and off you go. This might be a small improvement, but it makes a big difference to someone who is in a rush and making a quick decision about whether to take their pedometer with them or not.

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.

To complement the data download facility, the pedometer also comes with some software specifically designed to help you see it using graphs and the like. The software is actually the Omron Health Management Package and I think it also lets you view and analyze information from other Omron products such as their blood pressure monitor. This is invaluable if you intend to keep track of more than a few days worth of 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.

It's just struck me as I write this - the Omron HJ 720-ITC would make an absolutely brilliant gift for someone else. I like it for myself because it's fun to use and practical, but if you wanted to show someone else you care about them, what better way than to get them one of these? It's a cool gadget to have, but it's also something that will really help them either improve or maintain their health. How better to show them you really care? - 16083

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