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 Miles
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 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 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:
