Toytown Germany

Robbie Williams has one. Cameron Diaz has one. They're this year's lifestyle accessory for those in the know. A pedometer counts the number of steps you take as you go about your daily life. Health experts say that 10,000 steps should be taken each day in order to keep in good trim. That sounds like a lot but in actual fact a casual stroll from Marienplatz to Odeonsplatz is already over 1,000 steps. And remember, all those paces from your desk to the coffee machine and back are counted as well. Try wearing a pedometer for a couple of days and you'll soon find yourself addicted. You won't be able to rest each day until your 10k steps have been walked. Where to get a pedometer in Munich? ...

[img]http://www.toytowngermany.com/munich/go_active.jpg[/img]

Pedometers are currently available from McDonalds. Yes, McDonalds! All 34 branches in Munich. Buy the "Go Active Happy Meal" for €6.49 and you get a pedometer "for free". They're pretty crappy though, as you might expect. They have one button only, a count reset, and they look as cheap as they are. It's not known how long this offer will last.

If you can't face buying anything from McDonalds, even if just for the pedometer, you can try collecting the tokens on packets of Special K instead (the Kellogs breakfast cereal that is, not the ravers' drug ketamine). Collect a bunch of tokens and send them off to Kellogs together with €3. You'll receive your pedometer in the post a few days later.

[img]http://www.toytowngermany.com/munich/sport_scheck_pedometers.jpg[/img]

Alternatively, there are quality pedometers available at SportScheck on Marienplatz (pictured above). They're priced €14 to €19 depending on the number of functions (daily diary, distance calculations, etc...). As with all pedometers, these gizmos have a little vibration detector inside them. They count 'one' everytime they sense the vibration of your foot striking the ground. Clip the gadget to your belt and off you go.

So, forget jogging, forget sweating it out in a gym, the path to fitness for the modern urban lifestyle is through walking! It's kinder to your knees than jogging, it's good for the posture, and anyone can do it. The average distance between two adjacent stops on the Munich U-Bahn is 1,330 paces (800m). Get off the train two stops early and walk the rest of the distance. Do that on your way to work and on the way back and you're half way there already.

10,000 steps is roughly 6 kilometers, or 90 minutes walking time. If you're looking to burn fat you need to walk continuously for a minimum of 45 minutes at a time.

Is there actually going to be anything, worthy of being on the frontpage soon?

If people are looking at this site, and thinking of moving to Munich, they are going to start thinking this city is full of nothing but schicky micky faddy pompous types... oh wait... ah.

somehow, I can't imagine anyone would decide to move into Munich on the basis of one website's content :-))) If they are then TT would need to be considered as one of the most influential websites on the internet. Congratulations Bob !!!

I know Tchibo was selling some awhile back. What a waste of time. I equivocate these pedometers to the shelves on german toilets.

I saw the headline and thought the article was going to be about prossies.

What a disappointment.

Thank the chaste editor, Shrek, that it wasn't, or one day you may be forced to confess:

>> Foolish as it now seems, I did on occasion want to read articles about... massage parlours and prossies.

Shrek, don't be disappointed. See this other TT page instead: Munich Brothels

So much for chaste editors.

This MP3 Player from Nike comes with a pedometer which actually keeps you up-to-date, via the audio, on how far you have run, at what speed, and whether you're on target, etc.

Pedometers (Schrittzähler) are also on sale in Conrad Electronik in Tal. They cost around €10.

Do yourself a favour and walk there from Marienplatz. It's only a few meters further than the Isartor S-bahn station anyway.

I don't really see the point - I mean, why not just say "I'm going to walk roughly six kilometers" and then do it, rather than looking at your shoes all the time?

I got one free from walkers crisps just by entering my address on their website.. Bit of a waste of time really.. but it's FREE

This is the address: walk-o-meter.co.uk

i really really want one please