Road test

The challenge Take 10,000 steps a day, the number researchers say is good for weight maintenance and a healthy heart. (That’s five miles, and it’s hard to do when you sit in front of a computer all day.) A study in the journal Preventative Medicine found that when folks wear a pedometer, they amp up their step count by an average of 3,000 extra steps a day—maybe because they know they’re being monitored.

How it worked Five TOC staffers clipped on pedometers for two control days and went about their normal lives, noting their step totals at the end of the day. For the next week, the staffers were told to walk 2,000 more steps each day, aiming for 10,000 steps daily.

The results Four of the five of us (Joel Reese, you slacker!) significantly increased our step counts—we walked at least a mile more per day. (If we kept that up for a year, we’d lose about ten pounds—without dieting.) We’re cubicle-bound most of the day, but seeing the steps add up on the pedometer’s digital display inspired clever ways to up the total: Get off on an El stop that’s farther from work, split up errands in the office, pace while you’re waiting for a train, go to the Potbelly a few blocks away instead of the one around the corner, and take a walk after dinner.

Get it We loved the super easy-to-use ProStep by Body Tronics ($15 at bodytronics.com). Clipping that bad boy on your pants (a motion sensor detects every time your hip moves to take a step) makes you feel like you’re sporting a circa-1999 pager, but you get used to it.—Liz Plosser