WalkMe

Creating a WalkMe Account

One of the first HealthVault applications I tried out was WalkMe. It is (as of 09/15/09) one of 12 applications that is compatible with the Omron HealthVault-compatible pedometer. No need to spend a lot of money, though. You can use a less expensive pedometer, too.

When you sign up (this happens with every HealthVault-compatible application), you are given data sharing options. They explain what information will be shared and how - and even a brief "why" if you are interested. Kudos for a someone tailored system rather than a single yes/no for agreeing to share information.

When I signed up, the default daily walking goal was 2,500 steps. I was able to meet the goal without much effort on the first day. At this point, I am ignoring the distance and calorie goals. I haven't set my stride information correctly, so distance isn't accurate. At this point, I'm just keeping it simple by counting steps.

At the bottom of the page, it shows you where you are at compared to other people (by location, age, and BMI (an example of the information it read from HealthVault).

This is what one of the charts looks like. A little boring, but a little something to look at after only one day of counting steps.

After my first serious day of walking (read about it --> my feet hurt!) I took a break from walking and uploaded another days worth of steps.

My numbers (compared to other people) got bumped up a bit from all that walking.

Don't forget, you don't need a fancy pedometer. You can record your steps on paper and enter them in periodically.

This is the chart (default display) from week 1. By this time, I've changed my daily step goal from 2,500 to 5,000.

This is the chart (default display) from week 2.

I like the "Steps, Weekly" chart better. Here's one example.

And here's a second example.

HealthVault: What It Looks Like
MSN Route Tracker: What It Looks Like