How Many Steps in a Mile? & Steps to Miles for FitBit
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Since the emergence of the FitBit, how many steps in a 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?
Did you get a FitBit or Apple Watch or some other fitness tracker for Christmas? Or maybe you already own one?
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?
How many steps are in a mile?
The short answer is about 2,000 steps make up a mile.
With that said – your stride can make a difference.
As a former math teacher, I used to have a lesson on rotations per minute. The larger the tire, the more ground it covered, so it had fewer reps per minute versus a smaller tire which needed a few more rotations to cover same amount of ground.
I shared this theory with a friend I was walking with who is a bit taller than I am, and he was covering more ground with fewer strides…thus I was having to walk more quickly to keep up.
He insisted his 3 mph was the same as mine. You know…a pound of feathers is still a pound kinda thinking. Well, let me tell you, he’d have a different opinion if he were walking as fast I was to keep up. I definitely had more “rotations per minute.”
Aside from my little story though, given the average person’s stride length of approximately 2.1 to 2.5 feet, most of us need about 2,000 walking or jogging steps to make a mile…regardless of how fast you go.
How many steps are in a FitBit mile?
It seems to take forever to make that darn little Bit happy with steps, doesn’t it?! Well, to answer the question above, a FitBit mile is just like any other mile.
It’s still about 2,000 steps give or take a few depending on your height.
The big goal it seems for the little Bit (please forgive the play on words…it’s about as naughty as I get with cuss words) is 10,000 steps.
That’s how many steps are in 5 miles…10,000 is the magic number.
It seems to be the consensus with the docs* that 10,000 steps is the basic minimum you need each day for your health.
Similar to drinking half your body weight in ounces of water is the minimum amount of water you should drink each day, or like 8 hours of sleep is recommended.
The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that we get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity, or an equivalent combination each week (from the CDC site) and getting in these 10,000 steps each day seems to hit that mark.
Want to see your fitness improve?
You’ll need to add a regular exercise program with some strength training and high intensity interval training.
If you need some help finding the perfect at-home program, we can help!!
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Most people work jobs where they sit all day (ahem…as I sit and write), so they struggle to hit that 10,000 step mark, so introduce the pedometers and then the smartwatch gizmos to track.
I have to be honest, I get tickled when my Apple Watch dings that I’ve just closed a ring. Why is that? Why does a little ding saying I did well tickle me so much?
FitBit Versa vs Apple Watch: Which One Is the Best?
If you are still thinking about tracking your fitness and not sure whether a FitBit or Apple Watch is better for you, check out Kalee’s review. She’s tried them both.
How many steps in 5 miles? 3 miles? 2 miles?
I feel like I’ve probably beat this into the ground by now with how many steps are in a mile or 5 miles, but let us recap in case you missed it with my storytelling.
- 1 miles is approximately 2, 000 steps
- 3 miles is approximately 6,000 steps
- 5 miles is approximately 10, 000 steps
How many steps in a running mile?
Stride length once again comes into the equation, so it’s hard to be specific. There is a general range though that I can give you:
A run with a long stride, 2,000 steps will get you about 1.2 miles
A fast run with a very long stride, will have you about 1.4 miles with 2,000 steps.
There are sites out there to help you figure closer to how many steps you’ll actually have based on your height. I found some very helpful information at VeryWellFit.
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.
Already walking as fast as you can?
Check out your diet. We have several ideas for you.
We like to follow the 80/20 plan that way we can have a treat once in a while.
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 or email us at thegirls@soreyfitness.com
