About forty years ago in Japan, the idea was developed that walking 10,000 steps a day would keep you fit and healthy without the need for additional exercise. Ideally then, between getting out of bed first thing in the morning and stumbling back to bed of an evening, we should have covered 10,000 steps during the course of the day. Depending on your stride length, this equates to anything between 3 and 5 miles (4.8 to 8 km).

One thing is clear, though - you won't know how many extra steps you need to take, or even know if you are really increasing your activity level, unless you know what you are currently doing. Keen to increase the amount of exercise I take (and being averse to gyms) I decided that the 10,000 steps a day system would be ideal for me: it would be cheap, it would keep my weight down, and it could be fitted in easily around my current routine. Most importantly, however, I used to be a walker (yes, even in the Ramblers Association) and while I was aware that my activity level had gradually dropped over time (my rambling group disbanded, my work became more sedentary…), walking seemed the obvious choice to get it back up again. The only financial outlay that this system requires is some comfortable shoes to walk in, which I already had, and a pedometer so you can see the harsh reality of what you are actually doing each day. So, it was off to seek out a pedometer.

Having used - and worn out or broken - very cheap pedometers in the past, I wanted one that was of decent quality and robust enough to stand full days of use, but not in the very expensive serious-hiker variety. I checked out a variety of sport and outdoor shops, eventually settling on the Stormlite pedometer, costing £9.99 from Field & Trek (www.fieldandtrek.com). I reasoned that £9.99 was sufficient outlay for a pedometer: high enough to avoid something that would stop working after five minutes, but not so much that it was going to break the bank, and Stormlite was a brand I trusted, having happily worn their walking socks on many occasions in the past. This particular model was small and neat (measuring 5.5 by 3.5cm), and had a flip-open design, meaning the LCD display would be safely protected during use (breaking the screen was one way that I had killed a pedometer in the past). It also had a number of added features of the more useful variety: a digital clock, a feature that translates steps taken into distance walked (in km or miles), and a calories counter to give you an idea of how much energy you have used up walking. At the time I ordered my pedometer I managed to get a free delivery offer, although standard Field & Trek delivery is £3.95; my order was dispatched quickly to me, and I was ready to start using my new toy within a couple of days of ordering it.

Pictures of Stormlite Pedometer

Stormlite pedometer

With the settings made, you are good to go. The pedometer simply clips to your waistband or belt (be warned if you are wearing a good belt - the clip is very tight, so you may experience some scuffing or marking when you put on or take off the pedometer), and each step you take whilst wearing it should produce a click, which will be audible if you are somewhere sufficiently quiet. I must admit that I felt quite self-important when I first clipped on my new pedometer; it was much sleeker than other designs I have used, and it is almost like wearing a pager! Be warned that using a pedometer can give you a harsh dose of reality, however: at first it was quite shocking how little activity I was doing on some days, and after my first week when I was only averaging 5,000 steps a day, I quickly resolved to change my routine. On days when I was sitting at on office desk all day I made the effort to go for a short walk after work, while weekends gave opportunities for longer walks, such as walking into the town centre instead of catching the bus, visiting local country parks or taking a trip out to the coast. Other potential source of extra steps gradually presented themselves: using the stairs instead of taking the lift, parking at the far end of car parks, getting off buses a couple of stops early and walking the rest of the way. After two months of daily use, my pedometer is still working and my daily step rate has increased to around 7,500 steps a day over the course of an average week. The Stormlite pedometer is not completely accurate - I have noticed that you need to make quite firm steps for it to register a count, and it particularly struggles on soft surfaces such as thick carpet or sandy beaches - but it has demonstrated a definite increase in my activity levels since I have started wearing it. It fact I find it quite an incentive to keep my walking levels up: anyone remotely competitive will find themselves wanting to beat previous counts, and you start to look for new ways to earn some steps! The director of the British Heart Foundation centre for physical education recommends that while at least thirty minutes of your daily activity should come from having a "proper" walk, there is no reason why more of your steps cannot be earned from activities such as doing housework, moving around the office, or pacing along the platform while waiting for your train. (Although you will look a bit odd doing the last one!)