How Many Miles is 10000 steps: Ultimate guide to achieving it in a day

How Many Miles is 10000 steps: Ultimate guide to achieving it in a day

walking 10000 steps

A person walking 10000 steps effortlessly covers 5 miles, i.e. 8.02 km. The step count depends on the stride length, which is based on the height of the individual person. So, the distance may vary depending on the stride length. 

How To Measure Steps

How many steps in a mile? 

#1. Whether it is a gentle walk or a form of exercise, the number of steps and the distance it covers is of prime importance, at least in this era of wearables and trackers. It is also a matter of achievement covering a specific distance, especially by breaking it down into a smaller, more manageable component called steps. 

#2. An average person’s stride length is 2.5 to 2.7 feet depending on the height so, it takes approximately 2100 steps to walk one mile. For the most accurate estimate of steps to miles, other variables need to be in place, such as height, gender, weight, the pace of walking and so on.

#3. Surprisingly, it is essential to note that the stride length will reduce by 0.33% with the increasing age each passing year.

#4. Here is a step to miles conversion formula that most of the calculators use.

    • Steps = Distance (5380 ft = 1 mile) / Stride Length (2.5 ft)
    • Steps = 2152 ( Approximately)

How to track your steps?

Pedometers, Trackers and different mobile apps can be used to track your steps. If you do not have any of it, just identify the distance you cover every day and use the above formula to calculate your step count. 

Once you start using gadgets for a week to calculate step count, you automatically get the average step count to understand your baseline. 

How long does it take to complete 10000 steps? 

One hour and forty minutes of walk equals 10000 steps, but you don’t need to complete it in one go. Most of us complete 3000 steps just by doing basic chores and walking around the house. 

If you are a nurse or someone on their feet all day long, you may clock more steps. It is always better to progressively add your steps. 

How to increase steps every day? 

It will be easy to identify the baseline of your daily walks with regular walks; adding 500 steps every day to your daily routine is the best way to increase your step count. For example, if you are walking 4000 steps per day, it is wise to increase your step count to 4500 in the next week and 5000 in subsequent weeks until the step count reaches 10000. 

Who coined the term 10000 steps a day? 

The 10000 steps per day started as a marketing slogan in Japan in the 1960s. Daniel Lieberman, a Harvard Paleoanthropologist studying the evolution of exercise, has written that Manpo – Kei (Literally meaning 10000 stepmeter) was invented by Japanese Company Yamasa Tokei, known to manufacture the first commercial pedometer.

It worked because it was easy for people to remember that walking 10000 steps is related to some health benefits, as per Lieberman.

What does the research say? 

#1. One of the research papers from NCBI by Kornanong Yuenyongchaiwat states that an increase in Physical Activity by accumulating at least 10,000 steps•d–1 over 12 weeks improves physical and mood states in sedentary, overweight individuals.

#2. A Journal of Health Research by the National Health Research Council of Thailand states that a 10,000 steps/day walking was considered an alternative recommendation on physical activity for public health, which is comparable with 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity physical activity.

#3. The National Obesity Forum, UK, states that you are moderately active if you are walking 7000 to 10000 steps a day.

30 minutes of exercise vs 10000 steps a day

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says that adults must engage in moderate-intensity aerobic activity for at least 150 minutes every week, which counts to 30 minutes a day. 

Moderate activity usually makes your heart race, and that includes walking at a brisk pace. Walking 10000 steps a day is a good exercise if you want to start off, but if you’re going to amp up the efforts, you can also include a strength training session twice a week. So it is never 30 minutes of exercise vs 10000 steps a day. It is how you can maximize your efforts to increase your fitness levels. 10000 steps a day is an excellent way to start your fitness regime. There are majorly three essential aspects of exercise. 

#1. Cardiovascular Conditioning

Walking at a brisk pace or running at a moderate speed comes under cardiovascular conditioning. It has to be progressively worked upon to get better results. 

#2. Strength Training

To enhance muscular strength and to achieve better body composition, strength training is equally important. Training with weights and doing callisthenics is a form of strength training.

#3. Stretching 

Stretching in the form of Yoga is essential for avoiding any injuries.

A well-balanced fitness regime should include all of the above to achieve fitness goals.

How many calories do 10000 steps burn?

#1. Most people burn 30-40 calories per 1000 steps. So with 10000 steps, one can burn around 300-400 calories. 

Do you have to break the sweat? 

#1. It is interesting to note that it is not essential to break a sweat to burn the calories; Sander Rubin, MD, sports medicine specialist at Northwestern Medicine, states that “Sweating is a much better indicator of a body’s temperature’s regulation opposed to calories burnt”.

#2. Jessica Matthews, the exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise, says in an article that it is not necessary to break the sweat while walking to burn more calories.

How to align 10000 steps to your fitness goals?

It is absolutely possible to align your fitness goals with 10000 steps a day; all you need to do is set up a baseline of your performance every day in terms of steps. 

General fitness improvement

Walking is the best way to come back to exercise after an injury. You can gradually start walking and slowly can improve on the baselines. 

Lose weight and keep it off

Weight loss with walking is very much possible only if we can understand a little bit of maths. To lose weight, one needs to burn 3500 extra calories. By walking 10000 steps a day, you can burn approximately 400 calories; in a week, the estimated calories burnt is 4000. 

With this, you should be able to lose 1 pound per week. Any physical activity helps keep up the mental and physical health; it is always better to keep up the walking to keep the weight off. 

The effect of NEAT (Non-exercise activity thermogenesis) 

#1. Off late, all the fitness people are going gaga about NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), which constitutes 20% of the body’s total calorie requirement. Increasing your Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis is like capitalizing on what we already have in our hands and burning those calories to create a calorie deficit.

Is walking 10000 steps a day a reasonable goal?

#1. It is perfect for beginners to clock 10000 steps a day to start their fitness routine, which can later be improved. Harvard School of Public Health states that 30 minutes of walking each day can cut the risk of stroke by a minimum of 20%.

Recommended steps per day by age

#1. An article in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and physical activity states that an inactive adult includes 30 minutes of brisk walking that counts to 3000 steps.

#2. For older adults, the requirement for the step count is lesser. A study in JAMA Internal Medicine found that older females who took between 4,400 and 7,500 steps per day experienced a lower risk of all-cause mortality than people who took under 2,700 steps per day as included in the Medical News Today article.

What is the downside of walking 10000 steps a day? 

#1. Though there is no downside of walking 10000 steps a day, if you are looking for weight loss and not really looking at what you are eating, you may not see any changes in scale as there is no calorie deficit. 

Eating Plan for Weight Loss with Walking

You can follow different eating plans for weight loss with a walking regimen.

#1. Intermittent fasting is the newest trend on the block and is worth trying.

#2. You can cut simple carbohydrates  and incorporate more vegetables and complex carbohydrates.

#3. Adding protein to your diet will keep you satiated and reduce snacking episodes, leading to a calorie deficit and weight loss.

FAQ – Walking 10000 steps a day

Is walking 10000 steps realistic?

#1. Walking 10000 steps is realistic. You can accomplish 3000 steps by doing just simple household chores inside the home. Rest of the steps, you can achieve this by taking some time out, parking the car before the destination and walking down to the destination. Taking a stroll every 30 minutes of desk work and so on.

Will walking 10000 steps help lose weight?

#1. Yes, if you are watching your calorie intake diligently, any extra calorie burn will result in Weight loss.

The eating plan for 10000 steps 

#1. Eating more fruits and vegetables while opting for complex carbohydrates instead of simple carbohydrates is the best eating plan for 10000 steps. Hydrating yourself is also crucial in hot and humid climates.

Does walking reduce belly fat? 

#1. Studies show that regular walks reduce the central adiposity ( fat deposits around the midsection and overall body fat). 

Should you walk before or after you eat?

#1. Planning your walk before you eat is the best way to amplify the effect of walking. 

Different apps and wearables to track your steps and progress

10 best Free Apps to track your progress

    1. Strava
    2. Apple Health
    3. Pacer
    4. Fitbit app
    5. Map my walk
    6. All Trails 
    7. StepsApps
    8. Walkmeter
    9. World Walking
    10. FootPath

What are the different 10000 walking challenges that are available?

  1. Walk1000miles
  2. World walking
  3. Time outdoors
  4. Millennium Running
  5. Race at your pace

How to include more steps in your day?

  1. Taking a walk every morning
  2. Add a walk in the evening
  3. Take a stroll around your cubicle as you complete 30 minutes of sitting
  4. Make a lunch break, walk break. Add in some steps while you go for lunch.
  5. If shopping, park a car far from the shopping centre
  6. Take a couple of more rounds in the supermarket
  7. Add some extra chores to your usual routine to add more steps like getting some on the go grocery or vegetables. 
  8. Take stairs whenever possible 
  9. Walk while you talk on the phone
  10. Add some dance moves while you are listening to music.

Conclusion

Walking is a natural activity that humans have been doing for ages. Capitalizing on it and making it your go-to activity for mental and physical health is the best thing one can do. Here is to the 10000 steps and the benefits that we reap from walking.

References: 

(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25566464/)

(https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/1998/10/exercise-can-reduce-stroke-risk-study-says/)

(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30603352/)

(https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/average-steps-per-day#recommended-steps)

(https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/does-more-sweat-equal-a-better-workout#1)

 

Snehal Joshi
mugdhaaa@gmail.com

Snehal is a Certified Nutrition Coach by National Academy of Sports Medicine. She is writing about her persuits of Nutrition Science since last 4 years.

2 Comments
  • Shilpa pimpalkhute
    Posted at 17:57h, 11 December Reply

    Very informative. Superb.

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