Attention people 5'2!

SWilkins75
SWilkins75 Posts: 277 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
What is your stride length??

Replies

  • TrimAnew
    TrimAnew Posts: 127 Member
    Depends. Am I running, walking, meandering through a mall, marching an "8 to 5" step on a football field (in which case each step is 22.5 inches) or something else?
  • SWilkins75
    SWilkins75 Posts: 277 Member
    I was wondering because I need to set my stride length on my pedometer and trying to figure out how many steps I would take to walk a mile. Just having issues with it.
  • TrimAnew
    TrimAnew Posts: 127 Member
    If you have a ruler/tape measure it isn't too hard to get an estimate.

    Pick two points of reference that you know you can measure the distance between (for example the distance from your mailbox to your neighbor's mailbox, or the distance between two doors on opposite ends of a hallway).

    Walk/jog/run at your "normal speed" towards your 1st point. As you move from point A to point B, count your steps.

    Then measure the distance between the points. (If you need to, lay out a path using a piece of string and then measure the string, or use a "string" with a known length such as 25ft long garden hose or extension cord).

    Distance divided by the number of steps should give you your stride length.

    I find it's hard to walk naturally if I have to start and stop from right against a wall, so a hallway or something outside, like mailboxes, is more accurate. You might also walk around normally a bit first before walking from your A to B points, so that you don't over think your stride length as you go.

    Everyone is going to be a bit different. I take longer steps in tennis shoes than in sandals or flip flops for example, so shoes can matter as well. Your stride length will also get shorter as you age.

    Supposedly the "average" step is 2.5 feet. So it takes most people a little over 2,000 steps to walk a mile. The popular goal of 10,000 steps a day comes out to about 5 miles.

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