How important is stride length when using a pedometer?
If you are using a pedometer to count your steps you can also use it to find out how far you have walked by entering your stride length. Stride length, or how far you move for each step, will of course vary depending on the length of your legs so you will need to find out exactly what your own stride length is. Pedometers work by counting your steps using the movement of your hips and do not know how long your stride is without you telling them!
How to measure your stride length
One way to do this is to walk a measured distance counting the steps. So if you walk fifty feet in 25 steps your stride length will be two feet. A mile is 5280 feet do this will make it around 2640 steps or strides. You could also use Google maps to find somewhere that is exactly a mile away. Walk this distance counting the steps then divide 5289 by the no of steps to find the length of each stride.
Another way is to walk at your normal pace in sand or soft earth then measure the distance from one heel imprint to the next with a tape measure. It is a good idea to actually measure two strides, the right and left leg as most people’s strides are different between legs. Average the two lengths to give you the stride length to input into your pedometer.