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

Walking is associated with so many tremendous benefits for your body and mind.

From improving aerobic fitness and strengthening the heart and lungs, decreasing blood pressure and stress, and strengthening the muscles in the legs, going for daily walks is one of the best ways to stay fit and improve your physical and mental health.

Walking 15000 steps a day can sound nearly impossible to beginners, but if you build up gradually, a daily step goal of 15000 steps per day can absolutely be attainable.

In this article, we will discuss how to walk 15000 steps a day, how many calories you burn walking 15000 steps per day, and tips for walking 15000 steps per day.

We will cover:

• How Many Miles Is 15000 Steps?

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

• 6 Tips for Walking 15000 Steps a Day

Let’s jump in!

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 walk 15000 steps a day 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 full gait cycle, or right foot to right foot landing again).

The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center created a table with the average step length based on height, so you can figure out 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 a day works out to walking 7.5 miles (12 km) for the average man and 6.2 miles (10 km) for the average woman.

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 a variety of factors, including the intensity and duration of the workout, your body weight, sex, etc.

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 because your heart rate data will give an indication of the intensity level of your workout and the GPS running watch can tell you how far and how fast you are walking.

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.

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.

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 it is the accumulated daily step count that matters, rather than the need for the workout to be in continuous endurance walks.

Therefore, if you want to walk 15000 steps per day, you can break up your step count into 2-3 shorter deliberate walks.

#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 (walking to the mailbox, walking around the house, walking from the car into the store, etc.).

Rather than just sitting around before and after your walking workouts, try to stay active throughout the day.

#3: Get Good Walking Shoes

If you’re going to be walking 15000 steps a day, you need to be wearing 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 best support your walking gait.

#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, either with a handheld water bottle or a hydration pack.

#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 as well.

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 yourself and your health is never the wrong choice, and 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 would like guidance on how to walk a half marathon, check out our guide here.