Make Every Step Count

Every step you take over the next 4 weeks will count towards your team total kilometres and progress on the leader board. 

You can measure your activity in steps, kilometres or miles – you can send your team captain a mix of these but don’t double count. Your team captain will convert miles and steps to km*. 

Here are some ways to make sure you never miss a step.

No Technology

You can count your walking steps. Tedious, yes, very!  

If you know how many miles or km you have walked just log the distance. 

Pedometer

If you don’t have technology then a simple pedometer is what we recommend – wear it on waistband all day and keep moving. Every step will count, whatever activity you are doing.

Your Phone

Here are some, simple free step counting apps recommended by Good Housekeeping: 

• Pacer – free to use pedometer
• Fitbit – you don’t need a Fitbit to use the app. for counting steps for free
• GoogleFit – apparently very good for Android
• MyFitnessPal – good for calorie and step counting!
• MapMyWalk – tracks your route, but can drain your phone battery
• StepsApp – a nice, sleek step counter with at a glance checker
• Activity Tracker – a step counter with bar graphs!
• AppleHealth – iPhones only – no need to download

GPS Running Trackers

Whilst there are many more trackers and counters, Runkeeper and Strava are the two apps used by millions of runners and cyclists:

Runkeeper has a wide array of features, accuracy, and is easy to use. You can use the GPS capability to track your distance, pace and overall time, and mix up your running routine by following the pre-created routes. You can set goals and watch your progress to stay motivated. It also syncs with other apps and devices, such as Fitbit and Apple watch. All of these features are available free on iOS or Android.

Strava if you love the social and competition aspects of sports, Strava is the app for you. It allows you to compare times with other members of the Strava community or with your own group of friends to boost your motivation. It also has a safety feature called Beacon, which allows up to 3 people to know where you are running (they don't need to have the app or be Strava members, either). You can use Strava to set up group challenges, such as fastest 5K or most miles in a set period of time, to keep each other going. You can use Strava on any iOS or Android device and Apple Watch.

Fitness Tracker

If you have a fitness tracker the hard work should be done for you. 

If you don’t have one, then here’s some pointers from TechRada.com (who show daily best prices on their website:

Less than £50: Huawei Band 3 Pro; Honor Band 5; Xiaomi Mi Band 4; Amazfit Bip; 

£50-£100: Fitbit Inspire; Garmin Vivosmart 4, Vivofit 4 and Vivosport

Over £100: Fitbit Charge 3 and 4, AppleWatch

So that’s a bit of insight into the world of step counting – I hope you find something to suit you. 

Next up: I’ll add a list of what counts and what doesn’t count for this challenge. 

*In the Ashendon Step into Christmas Challenge your steps will be converted to kilometres at 1,000 steps = 0.8km.