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More than ten years have passed since the first Fitbit arrived to kickstart the step-counting craze, yet our collective obsession with hitting that daily goal hasn't faded.

Using a wearable is a practical way to keep tabs on your movement and ensure you don't stay sedentary for too long. Whether worn on your wrist or as a ring, these gadgets act as constant nudges to stay active, using haptic alerts to prompt a walk or digital dashboards that track your momentum in real time.

The greater question, though, is: do these step counters actually work? The companies behind your favorite smartwatch have spent millions of dollars on research and development, honing their step counters and calorie trackers to monitor every footstep you take and log it in their operating system.