The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends 150 minutes of physical activity for seniors per week. Physical activities such as walking, jogging, and hiking prevent and delay many age-related health problems.
You do not need a complicated smartwatch to count your daily steps, a simple step counter works just fine. Smartwatches need daily charging and are difficult to operate.
We have analyzed several simple pedometers for seniors evaluating them based on accuracy, ease of use, display size, and battery life. Here are the 5 best pedometers for seniors.
Quick Pick
All 5 products are reviewed in detail in this article, here are quick pick options if you do not want to go through the detailed reviews.
- Best Over All Option : 3DFitBud
- Pedometer with Most Features : 3DTriSport
- Best Budget Option : NESKLA 3D Pedometer
Detailed Review of 5 Simple Pedometers for Seniors
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1. 3DFitBud – Best Over All
3DFitBud is easy to use step counter for seniors that effectively counts steps and keeps the user informed and motivated.
The key features of 3DFitBud include:
- Simple and Easy to Use: It arrives ready to use, with no setup required. Press the button at the back to start and press and hold the Reset button to clear the step count at the end of the day.
- Track Daily Steps Accurately: 3D Tri-Axis sensor technology counts steps accurately in any position – up, down, flat, side, or any angle. The 10-step error prevention feature prevents irregular non-walking movements from being falsely counted as steps.
- Excellent Battery Life: Battery life of up to 12 months. No charging is required.
- Large Screen Display: Shows steps on the large screen in large font. Easy to read without glasses.
- Multiple Wearing Options: clip to your pocket or hip, place in your pocket or bag or wear around your neck
3DFitBud has been the #1 best-seller pedometer on Amazon for a long time. It is the easiest step tracker for seniors you can get.
Pros
- Easy to use step counter
- Accurately counts steps with 3D sensors
- No setup, smartphone or charging required
- Long battery life of up to 12 months
Cons
- No additional features besides accurately tracking steps
2. 3DTriSport – Most Features
3DTriSport is one of the best pedometers for seniors because of the extensive features it has.
The key features include:
- Accuracy: The 3D Tri-Axis sensor technology tracks your steps and distance (KMs and miles) accurately.
- Additional Features: Counts calories burned and exercise time.
- Easy to Set Up and Use: Easy to set up and operate. No Bluetooth, smartphone connection, or download is required.
- Large Display: Easy-to-read large display with built-in clock and steps goal
- 30 Days Memory: Stores up to 30 days of activity and total accumulated records
- Excellent Battery Life: up to 12 months with no charging. Standby mode to conserve battery power when not in use
All other standard features of the simple pedometers for seniors including multiple wearing options and 10-step error prevention.
The additional features such as distance calculation, calorie count, and 30 days memory make 3DTriSport a great gift for elderly parents.
Pros
- Accurate results with Tri-Axis Sensors and 10 steps error prevention
- Additional features: distance measurement, calories count, built-in clock and timer and exercise count
- Stores up to 30 days of activities and records
- Lightweight, compact and easy to carry and use
Cons
- Need to setup before first use (but comes with an easy-to-follow user manual and helpful setup and operation video to guide through the process)
3. Hearkent Watch – Wrist Pedometer for Seniors
If you are looking for simple wrist pedometers for seniors, Hearkent’s wrist pedometer watch is your best choice. You do not need to any phone or app to use it.
The key features include
- User Friendly: No app or phone is required to use it. Ready to use out of the box. No need to recharge.
- Waterproof: 50m waterproof. Ideal for swimming, cold water baths and washing hands
- Features rich: Step counter, alarm and hourly chime, calories & miles counter, countdown, and 5 seconds EL backlight
It is the most basic and simple wrist pedometer that does not require any charging, app, or phone connection to operate.
Pros
- No app, charging, phone connection required
- Large display to read count easily
- Extra features include calories count, mile count and alarm
Cons
- Basic features as compared to other smartwatches
4. NESKLA 3D Pedometer – Best Value for Money
NESKLA 3D Pedometer is well worth the money and is surprisingly accurate. It is an easy to use step counter for seniors with large display.
It has impressive user feedback and reviews on Amazon and tech sites.
The key features include:
- Simplicity: Very easy to use with no setup required. It only counts the steps and has fewer buttons to control. Press the Reset button for 3-5 seconds to get the steps to “0”.
- Accurate Counting: It is considered the most accurate basic pedometer by users feedback and tech site reviews. 3D Tri-Axis Sensor technology accurately calculates steps.
- Multiple Carrying Options: The pedometer is lightweight (26.5g) and easy to put in your pocket or bag. You can also use a removable clip to put on a belt or lanyard to hang on the neck.
NESKLA 3D Pedometer is one of the easiest step trackers for older adults.
Pros
- One of the most accurate step counters, even for short distances.
- Large display to show step count and a large reset button
- Up to 12 months of battery life which is very good for a large display
- Good feedback and ratings from users. Excellent reviews by tech experts. Highly recommended by all.
Cons
- Simple pedometer with basic functionality of counting steps
5. iGANK Simple Pedometer – Creative Design to Carry
The next on the list of best pedometers for seniors is the iGANK pedometer. It has a beautiful design and can be tied with a keychain or hook to your belt and easily read during your walk.
It has all the main features, such as:
- Tracks your steps accurately with 3D Tri-Axis Sensors
- Non-Bluetooth, no setup and no charging is required
- Creative design and multiple carrying options
- Easy to reset and long battery life
- Very light (14 grams) and compact design
The best feature of iGANK pedometer is the lanyard-free carrying option to hook it to a belt or keychain.
Pros
- Easy to use, no setup or charging required
- Accurately counts steps
- Creative design to use in keychain or hook to belt
Cons
- The screen size is a bit smaller than other pedometers
These are the 5 best simple pedometers for seniors from our research and on the basis of users’ feedback and ratings and tech expert reviews.
These pedometers and step counters make a great gift for elderly parents and loved ones and there are many reasons to use them instead of smartwatches for non-tech-savvy older adults.
Buyer’s Guide – 5 Qualities of an Ideal Pedometer for Seniors
Some of must-have features and qualities of an ideal pedometer include
1. Ease of Use
This is a very important factor when deciding which pedometer is good for seniors.
Simple functions such as step count and distance covered may be enough for older adults.
Look for a pedometer with fewer buttons that is easy to reset and does not have lots going on screen.
2. Large Display
Large displays with large fonts make it easy for the elderly to read on screen. They do not need fancy LED screens that are hard to read in sunlight.
The display should be easy and large enough for seniors to read.
3. Easy to Wear
Many seniors do not want to wear a watch on their wrist with a small display.
The pedometer should have multiple wearing options like clips, and lanyards to wear on the neck or easy to carry in small pockets.
4. Battery Life
The pedometer should have an excellent battery life (as all the above options). Changing the battery should be an easy task.
Do not settle for a few months of battery life, go for a year. Do not go for pedometers that require charging as it is a hassle the elderly should avoid.
5. Accuracy of Step Count
This is also an important factor to consider when buying a pedometer. It should have the 3D Tri-Axis Sensor to count moves properly and 10-step error prevention is another great option to have.
Also, read users reviews about the accuracy of tracking. This is one of the key factors we considered when evaluating all of the above step counters for seniors.
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