“Walk Me” – A New Microsoft HealthVault Application that connects via USB to your Computer

The folks over at the Microsoft HealthVault have been busy and have created what is called the "Sandbox for HealthVault". The Sandbox is called such as the applications are created by Microsoft employees. What is even better is you can now find a pedometer that will connect to the HealthVault. That’s right, no manually having to type in data.

Omron 720 ITC pedometer

Track days, weeks, months and years of exercise with the Omron 720 ITC pedometer. It measures steps, aerobic steps (10 minutes or more of continuous movement), calories and distance.

You can click on the picture to locate and purchase one at Amazon. Now there’s a simple and easy way to collect data on how much walking you are really doing.

You will need to download the HealthVault Connection Center software, which works for all connectable devices.

To view all connectable devices you can go here for additional information.

You will find Weight Scales, Blood Glucose monitors, Blood Pressure Monitors, Peak flow meters, Pulse Oximeters, and Heart Rate Monitors that all connect via the USB ports on your computer, and that means no typing and manual input.

If you do not have a pedometer that is HealthVault compatible, you can always enter the data manually, but in my opinion, for the small purchase amount I would much rather “auto pilot” the solution. Looks like a neat feature and an easy way to monitor and see how exercise and walking you have going on, and again, with using the USB port, easily done. BD

First --- a few days ago we launched a great new HealthVault application. It's called "Walk Me" and the idea is simple. Just start counting your steps - a little thing that research says can add up to a lot of positive change. You can use a fancy HealthVault-connected pedometer, but it's certainly not required. I use an old one I had hanging around - passable units are available for just a few dollars.

The real hook behind Walk Me is the connections it makes with other people. You're automatically placed into groups organized by location, age and BMI, and can see how your progress stacks up (still first in my BMI group, folks!). Even better, you can create Walk Me "widgets" to place on your own blog (look over on the right side of this page), Facebook or MySpace page, even in your email signature. And of course, the steps you track with Walk Me are available in any HealthVault application.

Family Health Guy : Walk This Way