First of all, the choice of which pedometer is particularly suitable for your own purpose depends on what exactly you are striving for, whether the device should help you lose weight, just measure distances or motivate you to exercise more. Many athletes and hikers use the pedometer to get an overview of the distance covered and the increase in performance, but a step counter can be useful and monitor one’s own movement behavior even without doing sports. Those who sit a lot, due to work or household chores, often hardly know how few steps they actually take. The result is faster weight gain and physical indolence. But also as an athlete or when hiking, the walking time itself is interesting in addition to the walking distance and step counting. In addition to this information, modern step counters also record the break in between or the actual stopping. The functions of the devices differ in the number and also in what is to be measured. In addition to simply counting steps, most modern models can also measure distance traveled and calorie consumption. Entering weight and stride length allows a very precise calculation. In addition, the body fat can also be determined again. Body fat is understood to be the ratio of the accumulated fat to the total mass of the body. If there is too much body fat, cardiovascular diseases can develop, but too little fat is not beneficial to health. A healthy average is the prerequisite for feeling fit. The standard values ​​for the necessary body fat percentage depend on the body type, age and gender. The step counter makes an effective check possible. The size of the pedometer also plays a role in the purchase decision. If you travel a lot and ideally want to count the steps every day, you should use a rather small and comfortable device that can be carried with you all day and is hardly noticeable when you use it. A display from which the information can be easily read is also useful. Many are illuminated so that even darkness is not an obstacle to counting the steps. An additional reset button allows all data to be reset, but should be configured so that it cannot be accidentally pressed as soon as movement occurs. A distinction is now made between step counters and so-called “activity trackers”, with the latter also determining additional data for the steps, including sleeping habits, pulse rate or the number of stairs climbed. Most devices allow synchronization with your own smartphone, whereby the data is then not evaluated via the computer, but via an app provided for this purpose, which must also be downloaded. An important additional function is also the storage of the daily data, which then, depending on the device settings, records the data of the last 7 to 30 days. In order to be able to understand your own performance over a longer period of time, including the increase in the number of steps, the data must be transferred from the device to a computer so that it is not lost. Another function is the “workout mode”. This is particularly useful for people who exercise daily or regularly, walk a lot or jog a lot. The “workout mode” allows you to differentiate between the form of movement and speed. Both the step length and the calorie consumption change with the course of the movement and are then evaluated and recorded separately by the device. In this way, the normal steps in daily walking can be distinguished from the number of those who take place while jogging. The average speed can then also be determined. Since the pedometer is often used during sporting activity, many devices contain a stopwatch, an alarm and a timer. Goals can also be compared. The comparisons are defined in a target and actual state.