Need some more activity in your day? Want to improve your energy levels? Try a pedometer: this nifty gadget keeps track of your steps and a recent study shows people who use them are likely to be more active.

Health groups recommend that adults complete 30 minutes of exercise each day or take around 10,000 steps, as part of their daily routine.

Yet recent research has found that those who use pedometers to measure their steps while walking were more likely to walk further than those without. Those without pedometers averaged 5,700 steps a day, or less than half of those who made the pedometer a regular part of their routine.

Researchers also found that those who used the pedometer and were told to walk 10,000 steps each day instead averaged about 12,000 steps on their ‘exercise’ days. But even on days they didn’t manage to go walking, they still upped their step total to about 8,000 steps.

With the new wave of wearable fitness trackers now available, pedometers are a fun and easy way to help keep you motivated and working hard toward your fitness goals.

From 16-22 March 2015, you can join thousands of Australians taking part in CARE Australia’s Walk In Her Shoes Challenge. Over the course of one week, walk 25km, 50km or 100km – or choose your own distance! – to help raise funds for women and girls living in poverty around the world.

Download the official Walk In Her Shoes App for your smartphone today – there’s an in-built pedometer to help you keep track of your steps! Visit www.walkinhershoes.org.au to find out more.

Fernwood Fitness are proud partners of CARE Australia’s Walk In Her Shoes Challenge. All ladies taking part in the Challenge will enjoy free access to all Fernwood Fitness clubs during the week of the challenge – 16-22 March. Simply sign up for the challenge and show your registration email at any local Fernwood club. Plus, there are free memberships up for grabs for the highest fundraisers and social media savvies! Visit Fernwood’s blog for daily fitness and health tips that will help you step it up.