Walking 15000 Steps A Day: Benefits, Calories Burned + Tips

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Walking is a great, low-impact cardio form of exercise associated with tremendous health benefits for your body and mind.

There are a lot of trending walking challenges out there to get you moving and healthy.

Going for daily walks is one of the best ways to stay fit and improve your physical and mental health. It improves aerobic fitness and cardiovascular health, decreases high blood pressure and stress, and strengthens the muscles in the legs.

Walking 15000 steps as a daily routine can sound nearly impossible to beginners, but if you build up your fitness level gradually, a daily goal of 15000 steps can be attainable.

In this guide, we will discuss the estimated distance of walking 15000 steps per day, how many calories you burn, and our top tips for walking 15000 steps per day as your new fitness goal for health and wellness.

A group of people walking.

How Many Miles Is 15000 Steps?

Walking 15000 steps a day may sound unrealistic, especially to beginners, but how many miles is 15000 steps?

The distance you will walk if you have a daily step goal of 15000 depends on your step length or stride length, which can be thought of as the amount of ground you cover between each step (right foot to left foot) or each stride (the distance covered by one complete gait cycle, or right foot to right foot landing again).

The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center1STRIDE ANALYSIS. (n.d.). Ouhsc.edu. https://ouhsc.edu/bserdac/dthompso/web/gait/knmatics/stride.htm created a table with the average step length based on height so you can calculate how many steps you take per mile.

Alternatively, their data suggests that the average step length for women is approximately 26 inches, whereas the average step length for men is approximately 31 inches.

Thus, because a mile is 5,280 feet, the average man takes 2,000 steps per mile, and the average woman takes about 2,437 steps per mile.

Using these values, walking 15,000 steps daily works out to walking 7.5 miles (12 km) for the average man and 6.2 miles (10 km) for the average woman.

How Long Does It Typically Take To Walk 15000 Steps On Average?

The amount of time it will take to walk 15000 steps a day will depend on how fast you walk.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),1, the average adult walking speed is between 2.5 and 4 miles per hour. 

Therefore, walking 7.5 miles a day will take between just under 2 and 3 hours, and walking 6.2 miles between one and a half and two and a half hours.

A person walking in a park.

How Many Calories Do You Burn Walking 15000 Steps a Day?

No matter what type of exercise you do, the number of calories you burn during a workout depends on various factors, including the intensity and duration of the workout, your body weight, and your sex.

If you have a fitness watch with a heart rate monitor, you can get a decent approximation of the number of calories you burn walking 15000 steps a day.

Your heart rate data will indicate the intensity level of your workout, and the GPS running watch can tell you how far and how fast you are walking.

You could also use an Apple watch or a good old pedometer for step count.

If you don’t have access to this type of technology, you can calculate the number of calories you burn walking 15000 steps a day by using the METs values for walking at different speeds and inclines, such as those in the Compendium of Physical Activities.22011 Compendium of Physical Activities. (n.d.). https://download.lww.com/wolterskluwer_vitalstream_com/PermaLink/MSS/A/MSS_43_8_2011_06_13_AINSWORTH_202093_SDC1.pdf

‌Below, we’ve created a table that shows the calories burned walking 15000 steps at different paces and body weights. We used the average step length of 31 inches; therefore, walking 15000 steps is the same as walking 7.5 miles.

People walking 15000 steps.
Weight (lbs)Weight (kg)Calories Burned Walking 15000 Steps a Day at 2.8-3.2 mph Calories Burned Walking 15000 Steps a Day at 3.5 mph Calories Burned Walking 15000 Steps a Day at 4.0 mphCalories Burned Walking 15000 Steps a Day at 4.5 mphCalories Burned Walking 15000 Steps a Day at 2.9–3.5 mph at 1-5% GradeCalories Burned Walking 15000 Steps a Day at 2.9–3.5 mph at 6-15% Grade
9040.9375.8395.6402.6500.9540.6816.0
10045.5418.0440.1447.9557.2601.4907.7
11050459.4483.7492.2612.3660.8997.5
12054.5500.7527.2536.5667.5720.31087.3
13059.1543.0571.7581.8723.8781.11179.0
14063.6584.3615.2626.1778.9840.61268.8
15068.2626.6659.7671.3835.2901.41360.6
16072.7667.9703.3715.6890.4960.91450.4
17077.3710.2747.8760.9946.71021.71542.1
18081.8751.5791.3805.21001.81081.11631.9
19086.4793.8835.8850.51058.11141.91723.7
20090.9835.1879.3894.81113.21201.41813.5
21095.5877.4923.8940.11169.61262.21905.2
220100918.8967.3984.41224.71321.71995.0
230104.5960.11010.91028.71279.81381.22084.8
240109.11002.41055.41074.01336.11442.02176.5
250113.61043.71098.91118.31391.31501.42266.3
260118.21086.01143.41163.51447.61562.22358.1
270122.71127.31186.91207.81502.71621.72447.9
280127.31169.61231.41253.11559.01682.52539.6
290131.81210.91275.01297.41614.11742.02629.4
300136.41253.21319.51342.71670.51802.82721.2
310140.91294.51363.01387.01725.61862.32811.0
320145.51336.81407.51432.31781.91923.12902.7
3301501378.11451.01476.61837.01982.52992.5
340154.51419.91495.01521.31892.72042.63083.2
350159.11461.61538.91566.11948.42102.73173.9
A person walking.

Related: Calories Burned Per Activity Calculator (800+ Activities)

6 Tips for Walking 15000 Steps a Day

Here are some tips for how to walk 15000 steps a day:

#1: Break It Up

Walking 15000 steps a day in one continuous walking workout can be a little overwhelming and sometimes not feasible, depending on the confines of your schedule.

However, the majority of evidence suggests that the accumulated daily step count matters more than the need for the workout to be continuous long walks.

Therefore, if you want to walk 15000 steps per day, you can break up your step count into 2-3 shorter deliberate walks. Maybe you can sneak in a 30 minute walk before work, one at lunch, and one in the evening.

#2: Be Active Outside Of Your Walks

Keep in mind that some of your steps can also come from accumulated activity over the course of the day (e.g., walking to the mailbox, walking around the house, walking from the car into the store).

Rather than just sitting around before and after your walking workouts, stay active throughout the day. Keeping your activity level up will increase your energy levels and step count and help you burn calories if your goal is weight loss.

Walking shoes.

#3: Get Good Walking Shoes

If you’re walking 15000 steps a day, you need to wear proper footwear.

Get walking or running shoes for fitness walks that feel comfortable and support your foot in the proper position.

If you’re going to walk in running shoes, get zero-drop running shoes without a significant heel flare to support your walking gait best.

#4: Fuel and Hydrate

Walking 15000 steps a day burns a lot of calories and requires supportive nutrition and hydration.

Make sure you’re eating well, focusing on unprocessed, natural foods like vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, whole grains, eggs, low-fat dairy, seeds, and nuts.

Drink plenty of water, and carry water on your walks with a handheld water bottle or a hydration pack.

A person walking and smiling.

#5: Use Your Arms

Don’t forget to swing your arms while you walk, and keep your core tight. This will help improve the efficiency of your form, allowing you to walk faster and burn more calories.

#6: Sign Up For An Event

People often assume that road races like 5Ks, 10Ks, and half marathons are only for competitive runners, but most of these events allow—and even embrace—walkers.

A 10K is 6.2 miles, so if you’re walking 15000 steps a day, you’re more than covering this distance.

You can even push yourself to train to walk a half marathon (13.1 miles) by walking 15000 steps a day and having one longer walk per week.

Walking 15000 steps a day is a fitness routine you can feel really proud about.

Investing in your overall health and well-being is never the wrong choice. The benefits of walking 15000 steps a day will not only improve the quality of your life but the quantity or longevity as well.

If you want guidance on walking a half marathon, read this next guide:

References

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Amber Sayer, MS, CPT, CNC

Senior Fitness and News Editor

Amber Sayer is a Fitness, Nutrition, and Wellness Writer and Editor, as well as a NASM-Certified Nutrition Coach and UESCA-certified running, endurance nutrition, and triathlon coach. She holds two Masters Degreesโ€”one in Exercise Science and one in Prosthetics and Orthotics. As a Certified Personal Trainer and running coach for 12 years, Amber enjoys staying active and helping others do so as well. In her free time, she likes running, cycling, cooking, and tackling any type of puzzle.

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