Fitbits are popular with everyone. And why would they not be? With their wide range of applications, most people want it on their wrists. You can view notifications and even track your heartbeat with a simple device on your hand. That said, the single most common use of Fitbit is to track steps.
With things becoming more and more quantifiable every day, people have incorporated that into healthcare as well. Research says that counting steps makes you more active and less prone to health problems. So, the fad of taking at least 10,000 steps per day has some scientific merit to it. However, converting steps into miles might give you some more clarity about your goals.
How Many Miles is 5000, 10000, 12000, 14000, 15000, 20000 Steps on Fitbit?
5000, 10000, 12000, 14000, 15000, and 20000 steps correspond to 2, 5, 6, 6.5, 7 and 9.3 miles respectively. However, this number varies between men and women. On average, men are able to cover more distance with the same number of steps when compared to women. Also, it depends on individual heights and stride length.
How Does Fitbit Count Steps and Distance?
You might wonder how the device on your wrist is able to count the number of steps you take. Sensing that you are moving is one thing but counting the exact number of steps might be too far-fetched? Well, not really. Fitbit uses a device, called a sensor, to sense things that happen around it. To count the number of steps you take, it uses an accelerometer. This device is sensitive enough to measure even vibrations.
When you move, your device and in turn the accelerometer inside it experiences a force. Now, your accelerometer is made out of a special type of material. When the material changes its shape, it produces an electrical force. So, your Fitbit has a system wherein, when you move, a force squeezes the material of your accelerometer. This produces an electrical force that corresponds to how much you move.
Then, your Fitbit can easily interpret these signals and calculate how many steps you took. To make the reading more accurate, a Fitbit uses a triaxial accelerometer. This means that it works in three axes that are perpendicular to each other. Thus, it measures the force in all these three directions at the same time. Once your Fitbit has calculated the number of steps you took in a day, it converts these into the distance.
The premise behind converting the number of steps into distance is based on the distance you cover in one step. So, if you cover a distance of 70 cms in one step, you will cover 700 cms in one step. Your Fitbit calls the distance you cover in one step as your stride length. You can either enter the length of your stride manually, making it more accurate or your device will approximate it.
However, you would have to enter your gender, and height for your device to do so. Then, your device uses the following formula to calculate the total distance you walked:
Distance = Number of steps * Length of each stride.
How Many Miles is 5000 Steps on Fitbit?
Your device calculates the miles you walked based on the number of steps you took. So, you might think that if it measures the number of steps correctly, you might be able to get the exact number of miles. However, you are forgetting a constant that is actually a variable – The stride length. Sure, the stride length would be more or less consistent for you. But you should also remember that it varies from person to person.
So, on average, 5000 steps on Fitbit are at least 2 miles. It is slightly more for the average woman and about 0.3 miles more for the average man.
How Many Miles are 10000 Steps on Fitbit?
You might see that your Fitbit starts with a goal of 10,000 steps. This is because it corresponds to half an hour of exercise for most people. It ensures that you get the minimum amount of exercise you need to remain healthy. Exercise aside, the amount of distance you would walk when you take 10,000 steps varies. On average it is about 5 miles. This is about 4.9 miles for a woman and 5.6 miles for a man.
However, this number changes depending upon your height and whether you are a man or a woman. Further, it also depends on your pace. This is because when you walk faster, you take longer steps. Thus, you end up increasing the distance you travel with the same number of steps.
How Many Miles are 12000 Steps on Fitbit?
It is not possible to say how many exact miles you would have covered if you took 12,000 steps unless you manually calculate it with your stride length. This is because this length varies for each individual on the basis of their height, gender, and how long their legs are. For example, if you have long legs for your height, you will take longer strides than assumed by Fitbit.
That said, 12,000 miles corresponds to 6 miles. If you calculate for a woman, it changes to 5.88 miles. On the other hand, the figure for a man is 6.72 miles. This is assuming that you are a person with average height and stride length.
How Many Miles is 14000 Steps on Fitbit?
Assuming average height, the number of miles a woman covers in 14,000 steps is about 6.24. On the other hand, a man goes about 7 miles when he takes 14,000 steps. You should remember that this is for the average population. If you are significantly taller than the average, you would cover much more distance in 14,000 steps. On the contrary, if you are much shorter than the average, you would cover a lesser distance.
Also, the distance you go would depend on how you walk. If you are tired and take shorter steps, the distance you travel would also be obviously less. Also, along with your height, it depends on your body structure. People with a short torso and long legs would cover more distance in the same number of steps when compared to other (long torso and short legs, or balanced torso and legs) people of the same height.
How Many Miles is 15000 Steps on Fitbit?
The number of miles you actually covered varies based on your gender and physical attributes. For example, if you are a woman of average height, you would cover about 6.8 miles when you take 15,000 steps. On the other hand, if you are a man of average height, you would be able to cover 7.5 miles with the same number of steps.
Other than your gender and height, the distance you travel also depends on how you take those steps. If you take those steps all at once, chances are that you would tend to take shorter strides towards the end. Thus, the overall distance that you cover would be less.
How Many Miles is 20000 Steps on Fitbit?
If you are a woman, you would be able to go 9 miles per 20,000 steps. On the other hand, if you are a man, you would cover 10 miles in 20,000 steps. This is because men are generally taller than women on average. Hence, they have a longer stride.
That said, the amount of distance you personally cover depends on exactly how tall you are and if you walk slowly or fast. Further, it also depends on how short or long your legs are. With all these factors in play, the average number of miles may or may not be close to the miles you have covered. It depends on how close you are to the average.
How to Make the Tracking More Accurate?
You might have certain health goals. But, if you notice that you are not able to track those goals accurately because your Fitbit counts wrong, you might be upset. You are not alone. According to a study, Fitbits produced accurate data with respect to the number of steps, only half the time.
While it may not happen to you, there is a good chance that your Fitbit might get the amount of distance you covered wrong about half the time. However, you should not have to settle for it. You can try a few ways to obtain better data from your device:
Wear It on Your Non-Dominant Hand
Your Fitbit experiences a certain force when you swing your arms. However, if you wear your device on an arm that is not dominant, you would move it less. So, when you push a cart, say in a mall, your Fitbit will not count them as steps. Even though your Fitbit would register them as a small number of steps only, you can do away with this inaccuracy. Further, since you move your armless, you would be able to avoid any damage to your device.
Make Sure It Touches Your Skin
When you wear your Fitbit, you should ensure that the tracker touches your skin. Only then would the sensors be able to get accurate data. Therefore, you should avoid wearing your device over clothes. Further, you should ensure that you wear it on your wrist. This will ensure that it functions properly. The best place to wear it is a little above your wrist bone.
Restart Your Device
Sometimes, you may not be able to figure out the exact reason behind your Fitbit not counting the steps properly. Further, there can be situations where your Fitbit stops tracking steps altogether. Instead of continuing to use it, you should simply restart your device. If this happens over and over again, check the battery. If your Fitbit device is running on a low battery, it may not be able to function properly.
Manually Enter the Length of Your Stride
If you notice that the distance calculated by your device is not close to the real value, you should consider entering the length of your stride. It could be that your device cannot correctly estimate the length of your stride.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you now got some insight into correlating the number of steps and the miles. The miles traveled vary between people based on their bodies. However, if your device is not giving you the right values, you would be able to fix it.
