Journey to Walking 26.2—Gadgets

I always find that I'm more motivated to walk when I have some cool little gadget to use.  Some can be quite expensive, but some are actually free.  (See the video linked below for more detail.)  Here are four gadgets, ranging from free to pretty expensive than just might get you walking out the door!

Charity Miles

Now this is an app you just HAVE to start using.  First of all, it's FREE.  The idea behind it is that for every mile you walk (or run or bike), a sponsor donates money to the charity of your choice.  How can it get better than that?  You are motivated to get your body moving and someone else donates money on your behalf.  Just go to the app store on your smartphone and search for Charity Miles.  Set up your account, select your charity, and start walking!

RockMyRun

This is also a free app that allows you to download playlists for free.  There is a paid option, but there are tons of songs available as a free user.  The best part is that you can select your playlists based on Beats Per Minute (BPM).  So, for a fast walker like me, choose songs at around 150 BPM and it keeps you going at just under a 15-minute mile.  And the songs are actual songs by the actual artists.  They're not remakes.  Very cool!

New Lifestyles Pedometer

There are a lot of pedometers out there.  Some are really cheap and some quite expensive.  The really cheap ones break if they're dropped.  The really expensive ones (like FitBit) are probably not necessary if you're only using them as pedometers.  The best pedometer I've found is by New Lifestyles and it is accurate, durable, and costs around $20.  Can't beat that!  I found the most updated version of this pedometer on Amazon—Fit Solutions SW-200 Yamax Digiwalker Pedometer (affiliate link).

Garmin Forerunner 220

And finally, the most expensive gadget in this post is a GPS sports watch.  If you're going to be doing consistent long-distance walking and entering races, you need one of these, so save your pennies.  There are all kinds of brands, but I've always used Garmin.  My current one is the Garmin Forerunner 220.  You can get it with or without a heart rate monitor.  It measures your distance, pace, and overall time, has training programs, buzzes your wrist at each mile, keeps track of your exercise history, and has a cool online community (sort of like Facebook).  Affliliate link: Garmin Forerunner 220 - White/Violet Bundle (Includes Heart Rate Monitor)

So, what are you waiting for?  Grab a gadget and get moving!

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