How Many Fitbit Calculate Steps Per Mile – Steps to Miles Calculator

Get more from your fitness tracker’s step counter

Just glance at your Fitbit, and it’s easy to see the number of steps it’s recorded. Since the emergence of the FitBit, How Many Fitbit Calculate Steps Per Mile seems to a pretty common question.  I mean we need to know! I need to close all three 3 rings on my Apple Watch! Don’t you?

But have you ever wondered how Fitbit calculates the number of steps you need to walk in order to reach a mile? Either way, I bet you might be setting some New Year’s Resolutions to walk more and hit that infamous 10,000 step mark!!

So we are asked…exactly how many steps in a mile? How many miles is 10,000 steps?  We break it down below and explain how to calibrate your Fitbit to track distance more accurately.

How Height Correlates to Stride Length and Miles Walked

Your stride length is the distance you walk from heel to heel, and this distance depends on your height. The taller you are, the longer your stride length, and the shorter you are, the shorter your stride length.

To get an idea of your average stride length, multiply 0.413 by your height in inches. For example, a person who is six feet tall (72 inches) has an average stride length of nearly 30 inches (72 x 0.413). A person who is five feet tall (60 inches) has an average stride length of about 25 inches (60 x 0.413).

To calculate the number of steps walked per mile, you need to know that a mile equals 63,360 inches. Doing a little math, we can calculate that:

• A six-foot-tall person walks approximately 2,112 steps per mile (63,360 inches / 30-inch stride length).
• A five-foot-tall person walks approximately 2,534 steps per mile (63,360 inches / 25-inch stride length).

These numbers are only approximate. Depending on how long or short your legs are, your stride length might differ from the average person, which means your steps per mile, and miles counted by Fitbit, differ too.

How Fitbit Calculates Your Steps Per Mile

So, how does Fitbit calculate the number of miles you walk? Unless you enter your stride length manually in the app, Fitbit uses the information you enter for height and gender to estimate your stride length. It then uses your stride length (estimated or manual) to calculate the distance you walk or run.

The short answer is about 2,000 steps make up a mile.

With that said – your stride can make a difference.

The Fitbit distance formula is: Steps x Stride Length = Distance Traveled

For example, if you walk 2,640 steps with a stride length of 24 inches, that’s one mile you’ve covered (2,640 steps x 24 inch stride length = 63,360 inches). Conversely, if your Fitbit shows you walked one mile based on a stride length of 24 inches, that’s 2,640 steps per mile.

HOW MANY STEPS SHOULD YOU DO TO LOSE A POUND?

To lose a pound per week, you need to burn an additional 3500 calories a week.

That magical number of 10,000 steps is equal to about 30 minutes of exercise which will burn around 2,000 to 3,500 calories a week depending on your current weight and how quickly you walk.

Walking at a brisk 5 mph pace for an hour or 10,000 steps through the day, will get you close to that 3500, if not hit it, by the end of the week.

So to lose a pound a week, shoot for hitting that 10,000 step mark each day.  If you’re hitting it but not seeing the loss, try picking up your pace.

How to Make Sure Fitbit Is Accurately Logging Your Miles

The best way to ensure your miles are being logged accurately is to manually measure and enter your stride length in the Fitbit app. Here’s how:

1. Pre-measure an area (in inches or centimeters) where you can take at least 20 steps, such as your driveway or a long hallway.

2. Count your steps as you walk across the pre-measured distance, walking at least 20 steps at a normal pace.

3. Divide the total length of the pre-measured distance (in inches or centimeters) by the number of steps you took to calculate your stride length in inches or centimeters.

4. In the Fitbit app, go to Settings > Personal Info > Stride Length to enter your stride length.

Walking and Running

For a quick rule of thumb, an older research study found these average steps per mile at walking and running speeds:2

Using these averages, here is how far you might go using various step totals. Keep in mind this will vary depending on your individual step length.

Estimations by Height

Many fitness trackers use estimates based on height and ask for your height during setup. Rough estimates of steps per mile based on a stride-to-height ratio are:3

Measuring Your Steps

You can use a step-counting fitness tracker or the step-counting function of your mobile phone to count your steps, or you can count them in your head. The best way to find your average steps per mile is to count them several times for a known distance and see your average:

Track

To find a measured mile, you can use a regulation quarter-mile track at a local school. You may have to ask the coach to ensure it is a quarter-mile track (1,320 feet) rather than a 400-meter track (1,308 feet). Walk in the inside lane only. Count your steps.

It’s best to go around four times to get a full mile on a quarter-mile track, so you won’t need to do any math. For a 400-meter track, go around four times and multiply your steps by 1.009.

ARE YOU SETTING A GOAL TO HIT THAT 10,000 MARK?

DO YOU NEED SOME HELP PICKING OUT A REGULAR EXERCISE PROGRAM TO GO ALONG WITH YOUR STEPS?

We would love to help!! Just leave us a comment