I Would Walk 500 Miles

If we were to count the miles traveled by a hiker who walked the Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine, they would clock 2,178 miles. The average walker in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure walk would hit 60 miles. If we measure the miles walked by the average American adult each day, however, the number dwindles to about two miles, or 4,000 steps.

You may be thinking to yourself, "That sounds pretty good." Unfortunately, it's not. Those 4,000 steps merely account for those walked from the car to the office, from the workstation to the cafeteria and from the office back to the car.

In 2006, the North American Association for the Study of Obesity reported 64 percent of American adults were classified as being overweight or obese, and this is not a new trend. Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop founded the Shape Up America! program in 1994, and since then the program has adopted a fitness benchmark for Americans: to walk 10,000 steps a day, every day.

Taking and tracking 10,000 steps sounds daunting, but there's a little device that makes this large task more manageable. "A pedometer is a product that people love to receive and use, and more people are using pedometers now that the weather is starting to change," said Pete Catone, business development representative for Polyconcept North America, New Kensington, Pa., parent company of Leed's, Bullet and Journalbooks/Timeplanner Calendars. "People are taking walks at lunch or walking with a child or pet when they are home." For a distributor, all of that walking represents a prime opportunity.

A Step in the Right Direction

There are numerous reasons to sell, and markets suited for, pedometers. For an easy example, take a look at a local gym—you'll notice it's more empty than normal, and not because people are becoming more lazy. According to Sandra Coburn, marketing supervisor for Ariel Premium Supply, St. Louis, gyms and health clubs are another victim of the recession.

"Gym memberships are down [but] people still need to exercise, and a group walk or jog is a great replacement for the gym," she said. "For the promotional product industry, this is a great opportunity because it means that so many other types of organizations can promote fitness instead of just limiting it to the gym."

Some of these other organizations include schools and universities, fundraising events (particularly races and walk-a-thons), health insurance companies and hospitals. Catone cited an example of one such promotion that Leed's was involved in. "Health giveaways have been a very popular trend for Nurses Week* this year," he said. "We did a pedometer with a free online subscription to Men's Health or Women's Health for all the nurses at a hospital."

Step-Counting Countdown

Not all pedometers are created equal when it comes to features, quality and accuracy. In fact, one of the most important things a distributor should do before placing a pedometer order for a client is to give the product a test drive first. "I have spoken to distributors who feel that they have been burned by this market because products were sold untested," Coburn said. "A distributor can really win over a client by letting them know that the product being shown has been tested by the distributor."

When shopping for the right product, here are some high-end pedometer features to ask suppliers about:

• Does the pedometer have a seven-day memory feature to keep track of steps each day of the week?

• Is the pedometer battery-powered or solar-powered?

• Does the pedometer count calories burned as well as steps taken?

• Can the pedometer be tailored to the end-user's height, stride length and weight for increased accuracy?

Survival of the Fitness

CNN reported that losing weight is still tops when it comes to New Year's resolutions. In fact, look at any list of New Year's resolutions, and exercising is bound to make it into the top 10. The long-standing nature of this goal is why Coburn believes the walking craze will be long-lasting. "Fitness is a great niche to serve because it is something that all consumers have a need for," she said. "Weight loss is an issue that many people feel close to. Because of the amount of health problems that people can have from a lack of fitness, healthy habits are something people can promote across several industries, so this niche will only continue to grow."

With fitness programs, the biggest uptick in sales is seen in the spring and summer, so now is the time to act. "People's mind-sets seem to change with the weather," Catone remarked. "It seems that people are tired of sitting around waiting for something to happen and are ready to get out and be active again. Whether it's stress or rust, they are ready to work it off."

*National Nurses Week will be celebrated May 6 to 12, so there is still time to get in on the action.