Maybe you went to the doctor and they mentioned you need to start getting in 10,000 steps a day or maybe you are just looking to get moving and want to know how many steps are actually in a mile.
Just getting your body moving with walking can make a huge health difference as long as you are consistent. Do you realize even if you just improve your way of life a measly 1% a day you will be twice as good in 72 days. That means you will double your investment in yourself in less then 3 months. This is the compound affect.
So How Many Steps In A Mile?
On average there are 2,000 steps in a mile which is where the 10,000 steps a day comes from so you get about 5 miles a day walking. This is a rough average and can be made much more accurate by using a calculator or going off your measurements.
Now it may vary depending on the your stride of course which can relate to your height. However I am the same height as my brother in law and still have a shorter stride then him.
This won't really matter unless you are just concerned about distance. If you are just looking for calories burned if you will burn about the same as any other person that walks 2,000 steps based on your fitness level. Walking with someone that has longer strides you will burn more calories over the same distance.
If you really want to know exactly how many steps you are getting in a mile read further.
Steps To Miles Conversion Calculation
When it comes to converting your steps into a mile you just need to divide 5,280 by the length of your stride in feet. So let's say you have an average sized stride of 2.5 feet that would be 5,280/2.5 = 2,112 steps in a mile.
If it is around 2 feet per stride the calculation would look like this 5,280/2 – 2,640 steps per mile.
How To Measure Stride Length?
- Measure out a 20 foot area
- Start before the mark so you get your natural stride going and count your steps
- Measure this with a tape measure (or rope then measure that)
- Divide the number of feet into your measured distance by the number of steps you took.
- Distance In Feet (20) / Your steps it took = so for e.g. if you took 10 steps to cover that 20 feet your step would equal 2 feet
How Many Steps To Lose A Pound?
If you are looking to lose weight make sure you combine your walking with a healthy meal plan and at least keep track of your calories you are taking in versus burning.
That is how simple it can be to lose weight move around and don't eat too much. So we will take a look at a couple different weights to figure out how many calories it would take to burn a pound.
On average a 160lb person burns right around 100 calories per mile where a 200lb person will burn 125 calories in that same mile. Again these are just rough estimates if you want something more accurate look to get a fitbit or apple watch or something like that.
So if you average 2.5 feet per step and 2,000 steps in a mile. It would take you 2,000 steps to burn 100-125 calories. So in order to burn a pound of weight that would be 35 miles or 5 miles a day.
This is where that 10,000 steps to get healthier comes from so work on averaging over 10,000 steps a day and even if you don't change a thing you will lose around 1lb a week. Which you should be looking to lose around 1-2 lbs a week on average no more then that.
This is a very simple thing to add to your daily routine. Lets say you can't get in a 10,000 a day walk but can get in an extra long walk of 7,500 every other day then just try to get that 2,500 in on those other days. You can simply park further away at work and take the stairs to make up that difference.
How Many Miles Should You Walk In A Day?
How many miles you should walk a day will depend on what kind of shape you are in. I know of people that all they do is walk around all day but that isn't necessarily healthy either. If you are walking around all day on concrete you are going to be in rough shape at the end of every week and your knees will probably have problems later on in life.
I know this from my dad who has had two sets of knees and is still working on concrete unfortunately. So make sure you at least invest in a nice pair of comfortable walking shoes with support and maybe an extra padded insole.
From there maybe get a physical done and see what your doctor has to say. If they say go for 10,000 a day then do it. They may suggest something like 5,000 a day and that is find then increase from there week to week.
If you are way out of shape one advantage you have is that just doing anything you are going to burn some calories so just keep at it. Things like cleaning the house are very underrated on the amount of calories you can burn.
How Many Calories Burned Walking A Mile?
Each mile you are going to burn around 100-125 calories on average if you way between 160-200 lbs. If you weigh more then that you will burn more calories on average then that.
By the end of the week just try to get it to 35 miles which is 5 miles a day which will be right around a pound of weight lost.
Can You Lose Weight By Walking 10,000 Steps A Day?
You can lose massive weight by walking 10,000 steps a day you just aren't going to notice it as much day to day. You need to look at things on a longer term scale.
If you average 10,000 steps a day over the course of 2 years you will have burned an average of 100 lbs of weight based on a 160 lbs individual with a 2.5 feet stride.
The math says that it takes 3,500 calories to burn a pound of weight and if you are burning 100 calories for every mile then 35 miles a week would be 1 lbs a week. Take that with 104 weeks in two years brings you too 104 lbs burned.
The small things add up that is for sure. 10,000 steps a day should eventually be your minimum goal then you should start going for 12,500 a day.
How Many Miles Do You Need To Walk A Day To Lose Weight?
You should work your way up to 5 miles a day so you can try to burn around 1 lbs a week just from walking. Then if you reduce your calories by around 500 a day then guess what you have just doubled that weight loss to 2 lbs a week.
How Many Miles Is 6,000 Steps?
There are around 3 miles on average for every 6,000 steps a person takes.
How Many Steps In A Mile Fitbit?
There should be no difference if you are using a fitbit, apple watch or an old pedometer it should be around 2,000 steps to get to a mile walking.
Related Questions
How Many Steps In A Kilometer?
There are 1,250 to 1,550 walking steps in a kilometer on average.
How Many Steps In 5km Walk?
There are 6,250 to 7,750 walking steps in 5km walk.
How Many Steps A Day To Lose 2 Ponds A Week?
In order to lose 2 pounds a week from walking you would need around 140,000 steps or 20,000 a day instead of the usual suggested 10,000.
Conclusion
It all starts with that first mile so get out there and start walking. If you have an iPhone the Health app that comes pre-installed has a pedometer in it that will record your daily steps along with how many floors you climb it is surprisingly pretty accurate. Also android phones like the Samsung Galaxy have apps for recording your steps.
If you don't want to use that you can always download an app like SportsTracker that at the time of this writing was 100% free and can keep track of your steps, miles, calories burned, etc. It will also work for biking, hiking and other specific exercise activities.
Or go with the really cheap route and just get an old fashioned pedometer they ones that just go on your key-chain as well. Don't think to much about it just get out there and start moving.
If its a rainy day guess what get to cleaning that house and if you have multiple levels get that stair climbing on. If not get an exercise machine like a treadmill its not as good as being outside walking but if you have problems with your knees or want no impact maybe an elliptical may be your best route.
In the end it is the small consistent steps you take that matters. As I stated over the course of a year or two these daily small steps add up to huge amounts of weight. Then maybe you add in an at home workout program.
