ONE-MILE STEP COUNTAT WALKING AND
RUNNING SPEEDS
by Werner W.K. Hoeger, Ed.D., FACSM, Laura Bond, M.S., Lynda Ransdell, Ph.D., FACSM,
Jane M. Shimon, Ed.D., A.T.C., and Sunitha Merugu, B.S., P.T.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE• After reading this article, health and fitness professionals will beable to: 1. help clients estimate the number of steps taken while
walking or running a mile at different speeds, 2. determine
additional walking or running distances required to accumulate
10,000 steps per day, and 3. explain the impact of higherintensity exercise on the general recommendation of accumulating 10,000 steps per day.

Key words:
Pedometer, Steps per Mile, Predicting 1-Mile Step Count, 10,000
Daily Steps, Physical Activity

Health/fitness professionals are awareof the declining levels of physicalactivity along with the alarming
increase in overweight and obesity rates in the
United States and most other developed countries around the world. The obesity epidemic iscommonly blamed on overconsumption andsedentary living. Whether our portion sizes
have become too large or technological advances
have lulled us into a sedentary lifestyle, mostAmericans do not engage in sufficient daily
physical activity to maintain health and recommended body weight (1,2). A direct result of
our current way of life is that none of the goals
to increase participation in physical activity andfitness specified in Healthy People 2010 are
being met (1).
In the last few years, a clear distinction has
evolved between physical activity and exercise.
Physical activity is bodily movement producedby muscle contraction that significantly in-14

creases energy expenditure and is conducive toprogressive health benefits (3). Examples ofphysical activity include walking, taking thestairs, bike riding at a leisurely pace (e.g., 8 to
10 mph), doing household chores, yard work,
gardening, dancing, and washing the car byhand. Current physical activity guidelines encourage Americans to participate in moderate
physical activity and accumulate a minimumof 30 minutes on most, if not all days of theweek (4).
Exercise is a type of physical activity that
requires planned and structured activity performed to maintain or improve selected components of fitness (3). Examples of exercise arebrisk walking, running, cycling, aerobics, swimming, hiking, and strength training. Exercise isusually viewed as an activity that requires avigorous intensity effort (e.g., sweating, increased breathing, and heart rate). Current
cardiorespiratory exercise recommendations by
the American College of Sports Medicine(ACSM) suggest that Americans participate invigorous intensity activities for at least 20
minutes, 3 days per week (5). Although all
exercise is considered physical activity, not allphysical activity is viewed as exercise.
There are a variety of physical activities andexercises that can help clients expend energy
and produce positive health and/or fitness
benefits. Walking, a popular activity, is perhaps
the easiest way for people to meet general
physical activity guidelines. Most clients canaccess safe walking areas such as parks,
recreational fields, sports complexes, and even
shopping malls in times of inclement weather.
Clients can easily and effectively monitor
daily walking by wearing a pedometer on a
waistband that counts the vertical rise and fall of

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Photo courtesy of New-Lifestyle, Inc. Used with permission.

mate the number of steps men and women take to walk or run
a distance of 1 mile at various speeds based on height or leg length.

HOW WE TESTED

the hip during each step. Health/fitness professionals suggest
using a pedometer to track steps per day and develop daily step
count goals. General guidelines for improved health recommend
accumulating approximately 10,000 steps per day (6,7),
although this goal may be difficult to achieve in the early stagesof activity by many sedentary and obese clients (8). The 10,000
step recommendation has been most specifically directed atmoderate intensity walking. Recommendations for using pedometers to guide more vigorous physical activity have not beenpresented.
Regardless of exercise intensity, people who monitor daily
steps by using a pedometer often want to know how many steps it
takes to walk or run 1 mile. Although some pedometers allow
individuals to program in an average step length to estimate
distance traveled, many pedometers only measure number of steps
taken. To date, limited research has examined how height or paceaffects step counts and walking distance (9).

OUR OBJECTIVES
Given the need to more accurately quantify the number ofsteps in a mile for clients wearing pedometers, we set out
to determine the number of steps individuals take while walking 1-mile at a 20- and 15-minute pace and while running
the same distance at a 12-, 10-, 8-, and 6-minute pace. A second objective was to develop prediction equations to estiVOL. 12/ NO. 1

Forty-four people were tested at the two walking speeds, and
34 individuals participated in the running protocol. All
individuals gave informed consent and were cleared forparticipation using the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire. We measured standing height (inches) and leg length(inches) from the upper edge of the greater trochanter to thefloor and body weight (pounds) before testing. The generalcharacteristics of our participants are found in Table 1.
All volunteer participants performed as many of the six
different walking/running speeds as they could in a random
order on a precalibrated motor-driven treadmill. The fastest
speed for each participant was determined if that mile pace
had been performed a minimum of 3 times during the previous
15 days. Regardless of fitness levels, at least 23 hours wereallowed between all 1-mile exercise bouts.
A Yamax 200 pedometer was used for each test on allparticipants. To further ascertain the accuracy of the pedometer before each 1-mile walk or run, participants walked or ran for
50 steps on the treadmill at the speed that they performed thatparticular day. The 50 steps were verbally counted by the person
administering the test and cross-checked against the displayed
steps on the pedometer. In all instances, the range of steps
displayed on the pedometer was between 48 and 52 steps (96%accuracy). At the conclusion of the reliability check, thepedometer was set back to zero, and the participant began the
1-mile walk/run at the designated speed. One-mile step counts
were recorded at the conclusion of each mile test.

MILE STEP COUNT AND PREDICTION EQUATIONS
Separate statistical models were used to analyze the walking
and running data. The number of steps differed significantly foreach pace, for walkers and runners. Within the two exercise
modalities (walking and running), the number of steps
decreased as pace increased in all cases. Step counts for the
speeds tested are provided in Table 2.

TABLE 1: General Characteristics
of Participants
All (n = 44)(Mean T SD)

Variable

Women (n = 25)(Mean T SD)

Men (n = 19)(Mean T SD)

Age, years

27.0 T 9.7

25.8 T 7.7

28.5 T 11.7

Body
weight, lbs

155.5 T 42.8

131.5 T 26.1

185.5 T 40.8

Height, inches

67.5 T 4.4

64.5 T 2.8

71.2 T 3.0

23.7 T 4.4

22.2 T 3.7

25.7 T 4.6

2

BMI, kg/m

BMI indicates body mass index.
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One-Mile Step Count at Walking and Running Speeds
Photo courtesy of Werner W.K. Hoeger, Ed.D., FACSM.

TABLE 3: Prediction Equations to Estimate
the Number of Steps to Walk or Run a
Mile Based on Height (Inches), Speed(Minutes per Mile), and Sex (Walking Only)
Walking
Women

steps per mile = 1,949 + [(63.4  pace) j(14.1  height)]Mensteps per mile = 1,916 + [(63.4  pace) j(14.1  height)]

Running
Both men
and women

The average number of steps required to run/walk a mileranged from 1,064 steps for a pace of 6 minutes per mile in men to
2,310 steps for a walk of 20 minutes per mile in women. An
interesting finding is that, on average, individuals took more
steps while running (jogging) a 12-minute mile than while
walking a 15-minute mile (1,951 steps vs. 1,935 steps,
respectively). This finding is most likely related to the smaller

TABLE 2: Mean Step Counts(No. Participants) for Walking andRunning 1 Mile at Various Speeds
Activity

All

Women

Men

20 minutes

2,252 (44)2,310 (25)2,176 (19)

15 minutes

1,935 (44)1,987 (25)

1,868 (19)

12 minutes

1,951 (35)

1,979 (19)1,919 (16)

10 minutes

1,672 (28)1,709 (14)1,635 (14)8 minutes

1,400 (19)1,469 (7)1,360 (12)6 minutes

1,080 (9)1,213 (1)1,064 (8)Walking*

Running** The number of steps decreased significantly (P G 0.05) for each pace,
for walkers and runners.

16

steps per mile = 1,084 + [(143.6  pace) j(13.5  height)]

distance between steps that people tend to take while jogging at a
slower speed (12-minute mile) compared with walking at a 15minute-per-mile pace. The number of steps that men and women
took while walking a mile was significantly different. Thus, two
sex-related prediction equations were developed for walking
speeds. The number of steps that men and women took whilerunning was significantly different at the faster speeds only,
possibly because fewer women completed the faster 8- and6-minute-per-mile runs. As a result, only one prediction equation was developed for running speeds to be used by both
men and women.
We also examined whether height and leg length would
influence the number of steps people took while walking a mile.
Both height and leg length significantly impacted step countresults, but only height impacted step count results for runners.
No differences were found in the steps-per-mile predictions using
either height or leg length. Thus, Table 3 presents 1-mile step
count prediction equations based on pace (minutes per mile)and height (inches). An example of how to use these equations
with a client is presented. The following computations are used
to estimate the number of steps per mile and the number ofmiles a male client with a height of 5 ft 10 inches would haveto walk to accumulate 10,000 steps if he typically walks at apace of 16 minutes and 30 seconds per mile:

1. Convert body height to inches. One foot equals
12 inches, so 5 ft 10 inches would be 70 inches[(5  12) + 10].
2. Because 1 minute has 60 seconds, seconds need to beconverted to minutes in decimal form (divide seconds
by 60), and the minutes are added to it. In our example,
a mile walked in 16:30 converts to 16.5 minutes[16 + (30 / 60)].
3. Using the walking equation for men in Table 3, theestimated number of steps to walk a mile is computed
as follows:
Steps per 1-mile walk = 1,916 + [(63.4  16.5) j(14.1  70)] = 1,975 steps.

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TABLE 4: Estimated Number of Steps to Walk or Run a Mile Based on Heightand Speed for Men and Women
HeightPace, minutes per mile
Walking

Running

20

18

16

14

12

10

8

6

5 ft 0 inch

2,371

2,244

2,117

1,991

1,997

1,710

1,423

1,136

5 ft 2 inches

2,343

2,216

2,089

1,962

1,970

1,683

1,396

1,109

5 ft 4 inches

2,315

2,188

2,061

1,934

1,943

1,656

1,369

1,082

5 ft 6 inches

2,286

2,160

2,033

1,906

1,916

1,629

1,342

1,055

5 ft 8 inches

2,258

2,131

2,005

1,878

1,889

1,602

1,315

1,028

5 ft 10 inches

2,230

2,103

1,976

1,850

1,862

1,575

1,288

1,001

6 ft 0 inch

2,202

2,075

1,948

1,821

1,835

1,548

1,261

974

5 ft 4 inches

2,282

2,155

2,028

1,901

1,943

1,656

1,369

1,082

5 ft 6 inches

2,253

2,127

2,000

1,873

1,916

1,629

1,342

1,055

5 ft 8 inches

2,225

2,098

1,972

1,845

1,889

1,602

1,315

1,028

Women

Men

5 ft 10 inches

2,197

2,070

1,943

1,817

1,862

1,575

1,288

1,001

6 ft 0 inch

2,169

2,042

1,915

1,788

1,835

1,548

1,261

974

6 ft 2 inches

2,141

2,014

1,887

1,760

1,808

1,521

1,234

947

6 ft 4 inches

2,112

1,986

1,859

1,732

1,781

1,494

1,207

920

4. Without taking into consideration any other daily
walking or jogging/running activity, our client would
need to walk 5.1 miles (10,000 / 1,975) to accumulate
10,000 steps at a pace of 16 minutes and 30 seconds
per mile. Keep in mind, however, that most adults
in the United States accumulate between 5,000 and
6,000 steps per day through activities of daily living.

Thus, prediction equations in

If your client also accumulates this many steps, hewould only need to walk an additional 2.0 to 2.5 miles
on most days of the week.
Health/fitness professionals need to be aware that there
are many different pedometer models, and previous research
has shown that variation in accuracy exists among pedometerbrands (10). Furthermore, some pedometer models undercountsteps in overweight or obese individuals. Pedometer tilt
angle, waist circumference, and BMI affect pedometer accuracy (11). The pedometer used in this study was selected becauseof its accuracy in counting steps in individuals with normal
weight. Thus, prediction equations in this study are specific topeople with normal weight, and the accuracy of these equations
may vary if a different pedometer model is used.

this study are specific to people
with normal weight, and theaccuracy of these equations mayvary if a different pedometermodel is used.

VOL. 12/ NO. 1

PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Using the prediction equations derived from our data, wedeveloped Table 4 to help clients establish the estimatednumber of steps required to walk or run a mile at selected
speeds. You may post this table in a visible area in your fitness
facility or at the workplace to help motivate clients to increase
their level of physical activity. Clients who regularly wear apedometer and do not achieve the recommended 10,000 daily
steps through activities of daily living alone may use thesetables to determine the additional distance required to achieve
this goal through a walking or jogging program.
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One-Mile Step Count at Walking and Running Speeds
Currently, healthy adults in the United States average
between 5,000 and 6,000 steps per day, (12Y14) a range ofsteps that fall in the Blow active^ category according to adultactivity levels (7). Based on the physical activity recommendation that individuals accumulate 10,000 steps on a nearly
daily basis, your client could reach or exceed the remaining
steps (e.g., 4,000 to 5,000 steps) by participating in morestructured moderate-to-vigorous walking or running activities.
Practitioners can now help their clients reach those remaining
steps by specifying the distance to walk or run. It is important toremember that the number of steps taken per mile varies
considerably depending on walking or running pace and, to a lesser
extent, on sex. The faster a client walks or runs, the fewer the steps it
takes to cover the distance. Thus, as health/fitness professionals, weneed to be careful not to generalize the 10,000Ydaily step
recommendation to all people. Clients in higher intensity programs
take far fewer steps and less time to cover a given distance. Vigorous
intensity exercise, however, provides better improvements inaerobic capacity and greater benefits in terms of coronary heartdisease risk reduction and overall cardiovascular health (15).
Using a hypothetical example, if we accept a brisk pace of
15 minutes per mile as Bmoderate-intensity activity^ (an equivalent oxygen uptake of 14.2 ml/kg per minute or 4 metabolic
equivalents [METs], using ACSM prediction equations (5)), one
can easily determine the additional number of steps that a client
would need through higher intensity exercise to meet theequivalent of 10,000 steps per day.
For instance, a male client may meet the 10,000 daily step
recommendation by accumulating 3,225 steps through activities
of daily living and adding another 6,776 steps by walking 3.5
miles at a pace of 15 minutes per mile (1,936  3.5). If a second
male client accumulates the same number of steps throughactivities of daily living but chooses to run 3.5 miles at a pace of
8 minutes per mile for exercise (an equivalent oxygen uptake of
43.7 ml/kg per minute or 12.5 METs), he would only
accumulate 8,125 daily steps, that is, 3,225 through activities
of daily living and 4,900 (1,400  3.5) through exercise.
Although the second client seems to be short of the 10,000 daily
step recommendation, he is meeting the 30-minute guideline ofdaily physical activity recommended by most national health/fitness organizations, and he is doing so through a high-intensity
exercise program. Clients who are pressed for time, and choose
to exercise at higher intensities, should not become discouraged
if they do not meet the 10,000 daily step guideline. As a health/fitness professional, you can explain this concept to them andencourage them to maintain their current exercise program.
The vast amount of scientific evidence points to the fact thatno current drug or medication provides as many health benefits
as a regular program of physical activity. Pedometer use will
most likely continue to increase in coming years to help people
monitor and adhere to physical activity. Being able to quantify

18

the distance required to accumulate 10,000 daily steps, andunderstanding the equivalent number of steps taken to meet thisgoal when exercising at faster speeds, can help clients meet
daily activity goals to maintain recommended weight and attain
substantial health and fitness benefits.
Werner W.K. Hoeger, Ed.D., FACSM, is a
professor of exercise physiology and directorof the Human Performance Laboratory at
Boise State University. His research focuses
on exercise programs to promote andenhance fitness and wellness. He has written
10 college textbooks on this subject and has
published 42 editions of these books.
Laura Bond, M.S., is a statistical consultant
at Boise State University where she works
with faculty, staff, and graduate students on
appropriate data analysis and study design.

Lynda Ransdell, Ph.D., FACSM, is chair anda professor in the Department of Kinesiology
at Boise State University where her research
focuses on designing, implementing, andevaluating physical activity programs andensuring the health of active and athletic
girls and women.

Jane M. Shimon, Ed.D., A.T.C., is an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Boise State University where her
research focuses on youth physical activity.

Sunitha Merugu, B.S., P.T., is a graduate
student in the exercise and sport studies
program at Boise State University and serves
as a graduate assistant in the Human Performance Laboratory.

References
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Carbohydrates, Fiber, Fat, Protein, and Amino Acids (Macronutrients):

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A Report of the Panel on Macronutrients, Subcommittees on Upper
Reference Levels of Nutrients and Interpretation and Uses of Dietary
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CONDENSED VERSION AND BOTTOM LINE
General physical activity guidelines to improve and maintainhealth encourage adults to accumulate a minimum of
10,000 steps on most days of the week. To estimate how
far people need to go to accumulate 10,000 steps, clients
often want to know how many steps it takes to walk or run
a mile. We tested individuals at a walking pace of 20 and 15
minutes per mile and a running pace of 12, 10, 8, and 6
minutes per mile. The number of steps required to cover a
distance of 1 mile varies considerably according to theselected walking or running pace. The average number ofsteps ranged from 1,064 steps for a pace of 6 minutes permile in men to 2,310 steps for a walk of 20 minutes permile in women. One-mile step count prediction equations
based on sex, pace, and height were formulated from thevarious walking and running speeds. Health/fitness professionals, however, should be aware that clients who choose
to exercise at higher intensities take far fewer steps and lesstime to cover a given distance and may actually derive
greater health and fitness benefits than those who exercise
at lower intensities. Thus, clients who choose to exercise ata high-intensity level may not need to achieve the daily
10,000-step count.

13. Hoeger, W.W.K., and S.A. Hoeger. Principles and Labs for Fitness
and Wellness. 9th ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2008.

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