Personal Trainer Walking Review

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This game is a neat idea, and it has been encouraging me to walk more. For me having something that tracks my activity is a motivator. When you haven't completed the 3000 steps a day (user adjustable at any time, 3k is default, but if you continually surpass the daily goal the game will suggest raising it) the pedometer blinks red, making me feel like I need to get out there and walk. Yesterday I went for a walk when I never would have before. So the game is nice if that sort of thing can motivate you. I would think if you have someone in your family to compete with it would be an even bigger motivator.

The little games are ok. Walking 10K steps gets you a picture. As you walk more the picture slowly fills in like a connect the dots kind of thing. It gives you hints as the picture fills in, and some of them are very hard to guess, obscure things. You can also see your daily activity in graphs, but it would be a lot more interesting if the pedometers worked better. Since the meters only register activity of at least 10 seconds, it doesn't count all those quick walks across the house or office that can add up.

The pedometers seem to be well built and tough. 4.5cm x 3.75cm and about 1 cm thick. A little light flashes red when you haven't met your target and green when you have. It shuts off by itself and the manual says the battery will last about 6 months with normal use. There is a large button on it used to sync it with the DS. Syncing is usually very quick and easy, you press the button for one second and it's done. I occasionally get an error and have to try again though. Never an issue though.

After syncing it runs through your day making little comments like "This is the earliest you have started this month" or "This is the longest walk you have ever gone on." It then compares your walking to an animal which usually seems pretty inaccurate. I went on an hour long walk in the day, but had a lot of short walks around the office in the evening. The game said I was very active in the evening although I had a huge block of aerobic steps in the day (aerobic=activity over 10 minutes).

The game also gives you a mini goal for the next day like do some stretching or cut fats out of your diet. When you sync the following day and tell it you are done for the day it asks if you completed your mini goal. Nothing happens if you do or don't, I guess it's just an encouragement to think about what you do and eat.

Each pedometer comes with a clip for attaching to your pocket. You need a small screwdriver to attach the clip. I have not yet used the clip myself and not sure if I will since putting the meter in my pocket is easier. Seems to work well loose in a pocket. It also has a place to attach a lanyard, although I have read that if it can swing on a lanyard you will not get accurate results.

At first I thought most of my steps weren't registering due to walking barefoot, something the manual warns against. But after further reading, as I said above, it only registers activity of over 10 seconds. I was seeing great lengths of inactivity, that were inaccurate because I was moving, but it was inconsistent movement so it didn't register. The game was saying I didn't move for 2 hours, which wasn't true. Stop and go stuff won't register. It did seem to log jogging even though the manual said it may not be accurate. I am not sure if it was accurate or not (It did not give me an error message as another reviewer has stated, I will try again at a greater duration and see what happens and change this review if necessary). I also ran in place for a few minutes and it logged that fine.

For walking outside on the road at a steady pace I found it to be quite accurate. I walked at the same pace for 20 minutes and the graph for those 20 minutes was even for the whole duration. No spikes or drops. I walk at a fairly brisk pace also, and the game had no problems with it.

A major drawback for me is that there is no off button on the pedometers. I cycle to work sometimes and with a pedometer in my pocket all the shaking it gets from the road registered thousands of steps. If the pedometer is lying horizontal (for instance in a bag on the bike's rack) it isn't supposed to register as well, but it still does register some. Not as much when it's my pocket though. So unless I have a place to lay it somewhere flat on the bike, it greatly skews the number of steps I supposedly took for the day.

Also the game does not measure miles walked. A minor drawback but at least you don't have to calibrate the pedometer because of it.

Overall I am happy with it. I just really wish it had an off button so I could better results when biking to work. For me the game is helping me get more exercise, even if it's just walking.

Update: I have to say I have enjoyed seeing my walking patterns everyday and I am walking just to make sure I reach my goal in the game. I still have not had any errors after almost a weeks use due to jogging or fast movements.

I looked into getting a real pedometer today, specifically this one: Omron HJ-720ITC Pocket Pedometer with Advanced Omron Health Management Software. It seems to be a full featured pedometer that you can upload your daily stats to a PC. I read the reviews and read the manual for it. The Omron has much of the same warnings of inaccuracies as the games pedometers (may not be accurate with high impact, jogging, etc). You can't switch it off, but you can read your daily steps on the unit unlike the game's meters that just blink a light. The Omron resets at 12 AM the games at 3AM. The Omron's included software looks to be far better than the DS's though, but much more straight forward. The Omron is cheaper, but the DS game gives you two meters and is meant more as a family fun game that might interested kids over a real pedometer.

After looking at a few pedometers, the game's included ones seem pretty typical except for not being able to read you exact steps on the unit. They all have their inaccuracies. When I grow sick of PT: Walking, I just pay pick up a fancier meter.

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I've only had the game for two days, but I am quite pleased I got it. One of the things I like is that the pedometer is so small and can easily and discreetly clip to my waistband (or on other clothing). You can set a goal for the number of steps you take each day and the flashing light goes from red to green once you achieve your goal (the faint light only flashes while you are walking). When you upload your steps, you can see your activity by the hour for each day (there are also other graphs so you can see your information in a few different ways you can see your weekly activity patterns, monthly activity patterns, average steps, etc.). The game also has 100 images that you unlock by achieving a certain amount of steps. For example, after you walk 10,000 steps, you unlock the first picture, and 10,000 more steps unlocks the second picture (I haven't unlocked this one yet). You can also compare your steps and records with other family members or use wi-fi to see how your records compare with those of other people. You can import a mii from the wii or else create one in the game. Aside from seeing your records in various ways, unlocking images, and editing your mii, there isn't much to do with the software. However, the fact that the pedometer is so easy to carry around and that you have little goals to meet definitely motivates me to walk more. I would highly recommend it if you don't already use a pedometer regularly. However, if you already use one, I doubt this game would really increase your motivation.

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I've had this Trainer since it came out and it told me 2 days ago that its known me 10 days now and enjoyed everyone of them! I have to say I have really like it too! I just started working at home and wanted to make sure I got the proper exercise each day. I've had a pedometer before, but just noting that my steps were up to 5000 did nothing to get me to increase my walks. This little gadget let me import my Mi and now I have a familiar look as I hear about my day. Some people have mentioned that they had trouble getting an accurate count with socks or bare feet...I did not. I like being able to quickly look at the trainer during the day and seeing red or green. When I see green early in the day; I get a big smile. I now always make sure I make the goal for the day. At night when I check in I'm told what kind of an animal my walking resembled that day...deer, ant, and others; plus it gives you little reminder tips for the day (eat more vegetables, eat less sugar, stand straight when you walk etc.. I like to look at my calendar and see my walking graph rising, never less for me! The data I submit is saved for 5 years. I like the way it encourages me to up my goal when I met mine for some. I would not be this interested with a simple pedometer. I am a retired adult. When the software communicates it gives a squeaky sound for the voice, that I could do without. I have had an error message a few times when I tried to load my data; but I know that's because I wasn't holding it dead on. When I went back one step and tried again it worked smoothly. I am sold on this product and would recommend it to anyone who likes this type of trainer. I paid $45.00 for it and feel it was worth it.

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So I've used this game/ds cartridge/activity meter/whatever you want to call it for a few days now. I really love it. I purchased this to enhance my DSi experience, not because I expected to lose weight. I love all these gadgets that make our life better while we fool around on the DS. I didn't expect some high tech pedometer--just a fun little thing to play with for a while.

I walk around barefoot all the time. I work at home. I never wear shoes, unless I absolutely have to. The activity meter registered my steps just fine. It also registered my steps when I ran as well. Overall, it worked well despite the warnings.

Miis For the first activity meter, I imported my mii from the wii. I wish there was more interaction back and forth, because my mii on the wii is getting a little porky due to my wii fit activity! However, my mii on the ds is getting a bit healthier looking. Super easy to connect. For the second activity meter, I created a mii, which was also pretty easy and fun. Being the first DS game to use mii's, I was quite impressed. Like I said, I wish they were more connected to the wii.

DogI am waiting for my third activity meter to arrive so I can clip it to my dog. You can't really leave it on a dog while you aren't home, but it's an added little feature that makes the overall experience of Personal Training:Walking fun. Soon, one of pugs will be helping to illuminate the house and joining in on the space walk, with his own little mii to represent him!

Mini-Games These are like little goals. Keep the house lit and walk the world. Space Walk is a combined game with people from all over the world. While these may not be super fun for children, I enjoy plugging records in to see how far my household and I have progressed. I'm also trying to win some trophies before the other in my household do.

View Worldwide Rankings Using wi-fi, you can compare and compete with people from all over the world. Seriously, you can despite the other reviews saying you can't. This could be a huge motivator for some people. It's also just plain fun to see how you rank globally.

Activity Meter It's charts and graphs mostly, but you can rate your day and leave notes. This is helpful if you had a particularly lazy or eventful day. The DS has yet to call me fat, which my wii fit has several times when I don't weigh in every day. "Why have you gained 5 pounds, is it because you haven't exercised? huh, huh?" Okay, maybe it's not quite that bad, but you get my drift. I was called a koala on a particularly lazy day. It's really fun to go back and see when you were active. Oh that is when I walked to the car. That is when I walked the dog, etc...

Compared to Pedometer I busted out my old pedometer, which has the same inaccuracy warnings as the nintendo activity meter about being barefoot and running. I compared the results over the course of a day, and they were pretty close, about 60 steps apart. That is a normal day, with some running after dogs, walking, etc... Nintendo does not bill this as a pedometer and it really isn't...I would not buy one of these instead of a pedometer if you are trying to start a fitness routine. I use my nike+ for that. It allows for calibration and has all sorts of features. The nintendo activity meter is for fun! It just has a natural side benefit of promoting good health and exercise. (Of course, I didn't give up my yoga routine when I got the wii fit either, to each his own, i suppose.)

Overall, I'm super happy with this game and the activity meter.

EDIT: My partner just checked his first rhythm and was super excited, as he was able to see exactly when he did what by the activity chart. It was obvious when he walked the dog at 7 a.m., when he walked from his desk to the car around 8 p.m., etc... He is also way too excited that he reached his step goal before me today. He's not so excited that we only generate enough power for a flashlight. Perhaps, if we set our step goal higher, we'll be motivated to walk more and power something stronger.

Overall, it's a ton of fun to see how your activity changes through the day. We'll be working on not being so lazy during the day perhaps...

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I was excited that something "new" in the pedometer world was entering the picture. As someone who coaches others to "get moving more" as a weight loss instructor, I was excited to get to try this out even if it motivates to move just a little. First, I should state it's not a "fitness game" as some, in discussions elsewhere about this new item, have thought because of Nintendo being the maker. It is a pedometer used to "chart your life's rhythm". according to Nintendo although it has some electronic features to it. I clipped it on my shoelace but it's easily placed anywhere...That said, the Nintendo aspect of it is that you can view charts showing you when you were most active during the day and which days you were most active.

Also, you can unlock pictures but not in a game-play kind of way. It'll just show you a picture after you met your step goal and you get to see more of it the next time you walk. You can sync up to compare how far you walked with other walkers who are on the same game cartridge.

If you wish to know how many steps your dog took while at work you (seriously; it has this) create an aniimal for your mii and put it on his or her collar and it will chart them too. I am not sure why I would need to chart this, but I thought I'd throw out that part of the instructions for those who are curious of Rover's goings on..I guess it could be handy if they jumped the fence while you were at work and you wondered how far they walked before coming home???? :-)

That said, it does have some glitches that I think would steer me to simply recommend a regular pedometer that counts all your steps for over the price of this. And what are the glitches?

First, it only counts your steps in ten second intervals. So that step accuracy is lower than my currently cheaper old school pedometer. My basic cheap pedometer reacts to movcment rather than amount of time within the movement so, when I compared the two and counted my steps, my ten dollar pedometer caught ever step and this one missed several.However, if I walk slowly this one worked pefectly so I do think this could fit the bill for being different and being accurate for many but if you speed up your steps know that you may actually be taking many more steps than will register according to the manual and my own count vs. what showed up.

This from the product manual noting when your reading will most likely be inaccurate:

Walking in a crowd or other situation where you stop and start repeatedly.

If the meter is loose inside a bag or held or attached loosely by a strap.

If the movement is different from walking, like jogging, running or other vigorous activity. (THIS IS THE ONE THAT GETS ME MOST; IT WILL SHOW YOU AN ERROR MESSAGE IF YOU MOVE TOO QUICKLY; IT IS MY GOAL TO GET PEOPLE TO INCREASE THEIR INTENSITY AS THEY WALK IN ORDER TO BURN MORE CALORIES...THIS MAKES INCREASING INTENSITY A "NEGATIVE"...IT WONT COUNT UNLESS YOU WALK SLOWLY!)

If the movement is softened by shuffling, walking barefoot or wearing slippers or sandals. (TAKE IT OFF WHILE IN THE HOUSE? HOW DOES THAT HELP YOU COUNT STEPS ALL DAY LONG?)

If the meter is horizontal.

If the meter is used in a very humid environment. (IF YOU LIVE IN HOUSTON, RUN AWAY! HE HE HE)

Let's face it, if seeing a chart comparing how far you walked each day motivates you then it's worth the extra cost, no matter what the cost...Anything that motivates someone is worth it as you cant put a price on health...but it's got some glitches that something of this price could possibly be improved on. Ideally, one that benefits both walking and running since this will only work for walking.

What do I love about it? If you reach your number of steps goal for the day, it signals you with a green light. And, it did for my own reading, show accuracy although I only used it for one day and didn't venture to humid climates or run.

CONCLUSION: From discussions it seems many are saying the Omron pedometer which was out before this one offers more software and accuracy. I plan to try that one next. As for this one, I could live without the step goals lighting up for the extra cost when I can still read my current basic ten buck pedometer and see if I've reached my goals...so...I gotta pass on the recommendation for the current pricepoint in my opinion. I do like that it signals you when you've reached your step goals. It is my hope that there will soon be a pedometer in the works that truly makes a game of it in order for you to increase your steps with motivation, but it would need to be one that also counts steps if you have to run after your child or dash down a hallway or take the steps at work, or walk at a fast pace rather than cancelling them out when you walk fast as this one did for me.