How to Calculate How Far You Walked

Knowing how far you walk is useful information in terms of analyzing your level of fitness, as well as tracking your progress. You can guess at your walking distance, or you can obtain a more precise measurement by using a pedometer and performing some simple measurements and calculations. A pedometer is a device that keeps track of the number of steps that you take. Once you determine the length of your step, you can use these bits of information to determine how far you walk. The number of steps that you take can have a profound effect on your fitness and overall health.

Things You'll Need

  • Tape measure
  • Pedometer
  • Calculator
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Measure a set short distance, such as 10 or 20 feet. Use a tape measure and mark your beginning and ending points.

    • 2

      Stand with your heels on the beginning point and walk the length of the measured area. Count your steps as you walk.

    • 3

      Divide the length of the distance that you walked by the number of steps that you took to get the length of your step. For instance, if you took 15 steps to walk a distance of 20 feet, then your step length is 1.33 feet.

    • 4

      Walk while wearing a pedometer. The pedometer will record your total number of steps.

    • 5

      Multiply your total number of steps by the length of your step to find your distance. For example, if your step length is 1.33 feet and you walked 10,000 steps, you would multiply 1.33 by 10,000 to get 13,300 feet.

    • 6

      Divide your answer from step five by 5,280 if you want to know how many miles you walked. In this example, you would divide 13.300 by 5,280 to get 2.52 miles.