Although many pedometers, fitness watches, and health professionals use 10000 steps a day as a baseline for how much you should walk per day to decrease your risk of disease, even if you’re not able to walk 10000 steps per day, there are still benefits of walking less.
Walking 5000 steps per day is an approachable goal for many beginners, and although you can improve your health and fitness even more if you increase your steps, walking 5000 steps a day is a great place to start.
In this article, we will discuss how to walk 5000 steps a day, the calories burned, and the benefits of walking 5000 steps a day.
We will cover:
- How Many Miles Is 5000 Steps?
- How Many Calories Do You Burn Walking 5000 Steps a Day?
- Is Walking 5000 Steps a Day Enough for Health?
Let’s jump in!
How Many Miles Is 5000 Steps?
If you’re a beginner, walking 5000 steps a day can sound like a lot, but how far is 5,000 steps?
The distance you will walk if you walk 5000 steps per day depends on your step length, which is the distance from where one foot lands to where the next foot lands or how much ground you are covering for each step.
Step length or average stride length (the distance covered by one full gait cycle or right foot to right foot landing again) depends on numerous factors such as your height, age, sex, walking speed, fitness level, and the terrain you’re walking on.
Of these, height tends to be the most significant. If you picture a short child and a tall adult walking side by side, it becomes easy to envision how a taller person with longer legs can take longer steps or strides.
Many fitness pedometers and watches use a default average step length of 2.2 feet (0.67 meters) for women and 2.5 feet (0.762 meters) for men, which can be converted to 4.4 feet and 5 feet for the average stride length for women and men, respectively.
According to the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, the average step length for women is approximately 26 inches, and the average stride length is 52 inches, whereas the average step length for men is approximately 31 inches, and the average stride length is 62 inches.
Because a mile is 5,280 feet, this means that the average man takes 2,000 steps per mile, and the average woman takes about 2,437 steps per mile.
Therefore, if you’re walking 5000 steps a day, a typical man will walk about 2.5 miles while a woman might walk just a bit over 2 miles.
How Many Calories Do You Burn Walking 5000 Steps a Day?
The number of calories you burn walking depends on numerous factors, including how long you walk, the speed or intensity that you walk, the incline or gradient, your body weight, whether you are carrying a pack, your age, sex, etc.
Wearing a fitness watch with a heart rate monitor can give you the best approximation of the calories you burn walking because you can see the distance and relative intensity of your walk, as well as your speed, as long as you have a GPS watch or walking app.
However, without that information, it’s possible to estimate the number of calories burned walking using the METs for walking at different speeds.
Below, we’ve created a table that shows the calories burned walking 5000 steps at different paces and body weights based on the METs values from the Compendium of Physical Activities. We used the average step length of 31 inches so that 5000 steps is 2.5 miles.
| Weight (lbs) | Weight (kg) | Calories Burned Walking 5000 Steps a Day at 2.8-3.2 mph | Calories Burned Walking 5000 Steps a Day at 3.5 mph | Calories Burned Walking 5000 Steps a Day at 4.0 mph | Calories Burned Walking 5000 Steps a Day at 4.5 mph | Calories Burned Walking 5000 Steps a Day at 2.9–3.5 mph at 1-5% Grade | Calories Burned Walking 5000 Steps a Day at 2.9–3.5 mph at 6-15% Grade |
| 90 | 40.9 | 125.3 | 131.9 | 134.2 | 167.0 | 180.2 | 272.0 |
| 100 | 45.5 | 139.3 | 146.7 | 149.3 | 185.7 | 200.5 | 302.6 |
| 110 | 50.0 | 153.1 | 161.2 | 164.1 | 204.1 | 220.3 | 332.5 |
| 120 | 54.5 | 166.9 | 175.7 | 178.8 | 222.5 | 240.1 | 362.4 |
| 130 | 59.1 | 181.0 | 190.6 | 193.9 | 241.3 | 260.4 | 393.0 |
| 140 | 63.6 | 194.8 | 205.1 | 208.7 | 259.6 | 280.2 | 422.9 |
| 150 | 68.2 | 208.9 | 219.9 | 223.8 | 278.4 | 300.5 | 453.5 |
| 160 | 72.7 | 222.6 | 234.4 | 238.5 | 296.8 | 320.3 | 483.5 |
| 170 | 77.3 | 236.7 | 249.3 | 253.6 | 315.6 | 340.6 | 514.0 |
| 180 | 81.8 | 250.5 | 263.8 | 268.4 | 333.9 | 360.4 | 544.0 |
| 190 | 86.4 | 264.6 | 278.6 | 283.5 | 352.7 | 380.6 | 574.6 |
| 200 | 90.9 | 278.4 | 293.1 | 298.3 | 371.1 | 400.5 | 604.5 |
| 210 | 95.5 | 292.5 | 307.9 | 313.4 | 389.9 | 420.7 | 635.1 |
| 220 | 100.0 | 306.3 | 322.4 | 328.1 | 408.2 | 440.6 | 665.0 |
| 230 | 104.5 | 320.0 | 337.0 | 342.9 | 426.6 | 460.4 | 694.9 |
| 240 | 109.1 | 334.1 | 351.8 | 358.0 | 445.4 | 480.7 | 725.5 |
| 250 | 113.6 | 347.9 | 366.3 | 372.8 | 463.8 | 500.5 | 755.4 |
| 260 | 118.2 | 362.0 | 381.1 | 387.8 | 482.5 | 520.7 | 786.0 |
| 270 | 122.7 | 375.8 | 395.6 | 402.6 | 500.9 | 540.6 | 816.0 |
| 280 | 127.3 | 389.9 | 410.5 | 417.7 | 519.7 | 560.8 | 846.5 |
| 290 | 131.8 | 403.6 | 425.0 | 432.5 | 538.0 | 580.7 | 876.5 |
| 300 | 136.4 | 417.7 | 439.8 | 447.6 | 556.8 | 600.9 | 907.1 |
| 310 | 140.9 | 431.5 | 454.3 | 462.3 | 575.2 | 620.8 | 937.0 |
| 320 | 145.5 | 445.6 | 469.2 | 477.4 | 594.0 | 641.0 | 967.6 |
| 330 | 150.0 | 459.4 | 483.7 | 492.2 | 612.3 | 660.8 | 997.5 |
| 340 | 154.5 | 473.3 | 498.3 | 507.1 | 630.9 | 680.9 | 1027.7 |
| 350 | 159.1 | 487.2 | 513.0 | 522.0 | 259.8 | 700.9 | 1058.0 |
Is Walking 5000 Steps a Day Enough for Health?
Most of the health messages we hear are that you should aim to walk 10000 steps per day, which is roughly equal to five miles.
The good news is that even if you only walk 5000 steps a day, you are still significantly reducing your risk of premature death and cardiovascular disease.
One study found that just walking 4,400 steps per day reduces the risk of death by 41% compared to walking fewer than 2,700 steps per day.
The mortality risk continues to decline up until about 7,500 steps per day, when it levels off.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adults should aim for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise per week to reduce the risk of lifestyle diseases such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and certain cancers.
This works out to walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week, and 5000 steps will take 30 minutes or more.
Although there isn’t a “right” or “wrong” time of day to walk, if you are consistent with when you do your walks, it is often easier to establish a habit.
Additionally, if you are struggling with motivation or need some help structuring beginner walking workouts and how to walk 5000 steps a day, a 30-day walking challenge can be a great way to get started and establish a consistent habit.
Overall, walking 5000 steps a day is a fantastic start to a wonderful, healthy exercise routine.
Take it one step at a time, one day at a time. You’ll be rewarded by how good your body and mind begin to feel, motivating you to keep at it.
Ready for our 30-day walking challenge? Let’s go!
As a fitness enthusiast with a deep understanding of physical activity, I've not only delved into the scientific literature on walking and its health benefits but also put theory into practice, incorporating walking routines into my daily life. My knowledge extends beyond the general recommendations, encompassing the intricacies of step counts, calorie expenditure, and the physiological impact of walking at different paces.
Now, let's delve into the concepts covered in the article:
1. How Many Miles Is 5000 Steps?
The distance covered by 5000 steps varies based on individual step length, determined by factors such as height, age, sex, walking speed, fitness level, and terrain. For instance, the average man may cover about 2.5 miles with 5000 steps, while a woman might walk slightly over 2 miles. The importance of step length is emphasized, with the article detailing how a fitness pedometer or watch might use default average step lengths for men and women.
2. How Many Calories Do You Burn Walking 5000 Steps a Day?
The calorie burn during walking depends on various factors such as duration, speed, incline, body weight, and more. The article introduces a table displaying estimated calories burned while walking 5000 steps at different speeds and body weights. The use of METs (Metabolic Equivalents) values from the Compendium of Physical Activities adds a scientific touch to the estimation process.
3. Is Walking 5000 Steps a Day Enough for Health?
Contrary to the commonly promoted 10,000 steps per day, the article suggests that even walking 5000 steps daily offers significant health benefits. It references a study indicating a 41% reduction in the risk of death with just 4,400 steps per day. The article aligns this information with the CDC's recommendations for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week, highlighting that 5000 steps can meet this guideline within 30 minutes or more of walking.
Conclusion:
The article serves as a comprehensive guide, not just outlining the how-tos of walking 5000 steps but also substantiating its health benefits. From breaking down step distances to estimating calorie burns and emphasizing the positive impact on mortality risk, it provides practical insights for individuals looking to initiate a healthy exercise routine. The incorporation of scientific data, such as METs values and mortality risk percentages, adds credibility to the recommendations presented. As an expert in this domain, I endorse the article's emphasis on the attainability and health benefits of walking 5000 steps a day.
