How do I determine the speed at which I am walking?

Options
mariposa224
mariposa224 Posts: 1,269 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I don't use a heart rate monitor, but I do have a fitbit, which counts my steps, number of floors climbed and a few other things. It gives me a general idea of calories burned by the number of steps taken. But I know that's not the only thing to consider... So how do I tell the rate of speed at which I'm walking and the number of calories burned as a result?

Replies

  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    Options
    If you have a smart phone, download a free app like Cardiotrainer (my fave) or Runkeeper which will give you a good estimate of distance travelled and average speed based on GPS readings.

    Otherwise, plan your route in advance using MapMyRun so you know the distance then calculate your speed form the time it takes you.
  • mariposa224
    mariposa224 Posts: 1,269 Member
    Options
    Downloading now & then going out for a morning walk. :) Thanks!
  • bj6886
    bj6886 Posts: 60 Member
    Options
    Try using a smartphone and download an app like Endomondo. It will track your route, average speed and gives you more data than you might like.
  • EricNCSU
    EricNCSU Posts: 699 Member
    Options
    Will the fitbit tell you distance or only steps? The easiest way is to take the distance and divide by the amount of time it took, 4 miles in 2 hours is 2 miles per hour etc.
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    Options
    I used cardio trainer a lot, then kept having issues with it and my HRM. I switched to Endomondo, it does the same thing, but seems to handle the blue tooth stuff better.
  • migoi357
    migoi357 Posts: 173 Member
    Options
    My fitbit has a distance function also. Look at the distance at the beginning of walk, look at distance at end of walk. Subtract beginning distance from ending distance. Divide the time walked by the distance walked and you will have your pace in minutes per mile.
    :happy:
  • jtcc91
    jtcc91 Posts: 88 Member
    Options
    I use the app for MapMyWalk (Android). Tracks your route while you walk, distance, and speed. I love it! It's a great website.
  • mariposa224
    mariposa224 Posts: 1,269 Member
    Options
    Will the fitbit tell you distance or only steps? The easiest way is to take the distance and divide by the amount of time it took, 4 miles in 2 hours is 2 miles per hour etc.
    The fitbit only counts steps but it also gives an estimate of how many calories burned. I guess if I actually knew how far it is around the parking lots here at work, it might be easier for me to figure out on my own. lol Since I don't, I'm looking for an easy fix. I downloaded CardioTrainer and may download Endomondo as well.
  • militarydreams
    militarydreams Posts: 198 Member
    Options
    Go to googlemaps and map your route to get the distance. Use a watch for time. Speed = Distance/Time

    Tip: time is in hours so if it took you 11 minutes to run 1 mile then it's S=1/(11/60)
  • mariposa224
    mariposa224 Posts: 1,269 Member
    Options
    My fitbit has a distance function also. Look at the distance at the beginning of walk, look at distance at end of walk. Subtract beginning distance from ending distance. Divide the time walked by the distance walked and you will have your pace in minutes per mile.
    :happy:
    That's true, I forgot that was on there! I'm going to give these other apps a try as well. :)
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Options
    You can also set your trip odometer in your car to 0 and drive your route and see what it says.
  • mariposa224
    mariposa224 Posts: 1,269 Member
    Options
    CardioTracker gave me 119 calories burned and Endomondo gave me 153 calories burned (19:45 minutes, 1.24 miles, approx 3.8 mph). I think the difference is because I hadn't reset the weight in Endomondo from the default, which was 9 lbs heavier than I am. Do those numbers seem about right??? I weigh 156 lbs.
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    Options
    CardioTracker gave me 119 calories burned and Endomondo gave me 153 calories burned (19:45 minutes, 1.24 miles, approx 3.8 mph). I think the difference is because I hadn't reset the weight in Endomondo from the default, which was 9 lbs heavier than I am. Do those numbers seem about right??? I weigh 156 lbs.

    When I use my HRM the numbers are always slightly lower than just the GPS. I think if you set your weight its going to be fairly accurate. Also if I'm on a hill the GPS isn't always 100% accurate if the satellites are kind of off.
  • kdrew1
    kdrew1 Posts: 36 Member
    Options
    bump... I was wondering this too!
  • itsuki
    itsuki Posts: 520 Member
    Options
    If you walk a set path outside, you can also time yourself and then use google maps to determine how far you walked.

    Then calculate like this:

    [distance (in miles) / time (in minutes) ] * 60 (since there are 60 mins in an hour)

    Or, just

    distance (in miles)/time(in hours)
  • fimary
    fimary Posts: 286 Member
    Options
    Try using a smartphone and download an app like Endomondo. It will track your route, average speed and gives you more data than you might like.

    this is a good one, i am using it and has loads of info.
  • mariposa224
    mariposa224 Posts: 1,269 Member
    Options
    Thanks, everyone, for all the helpful info. :) I recorded the walk on my fitbit as well so I can look at it later (I don't have the base here at work for it to sync up the information) when I get home. Finding my approximate rate and the distance with the apps is very useful & I imagine I will be using one or the other of them from now on when I walk. :)
  • gwenguin
    gwenguin Posts: 74
    Options
    i just guess, but you can take the amount of hours walked and divide the steps by the hours... :) if you know how long on average you walked total that day :D

Categories