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Measuring Your Stride
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If your pedometer has an adjustable stride feature, it's important to be accurate when programming your measurements into the pedometer. Here's an easy way to measure your stride.

Measuring one’s stride takes a few minutes and is best to do as a separate activity prior to programming the pedometer. Each person can do their own measuring at home. Some group walking programs find it more convenient to set up an area and measure everyone’s stride in one location. This helps to make sure measurements are consistent and each person is measured correctly. Most pedometer instructions do not go into detail about HOW to measure stride. Here is a suggested method.
Materials needed: 10' or longer measuring tape, and masking tape or adhesive address labels. A calculator will help for dividing and averaging numbers.
To measure your stride:
1. Place a measuring tape on the ground, extended to 10 feet or longer.
2. Put a small piece of masking tape (or an adhesive address label) down to denote a “starting line” at the beginning of the measuring tape. Have a second piece ready for another person to mark near the other end of the measuring tape.
3. Stand at the beginning of the measuring tape with your toe at the starting line and walk toward the other end of the tape. Count the number of steps you took up to 10 feet (usually 4 or 5).
4. Mark the spot where your toe touched on the final step with a piece of tape.
5. Divide the total number of inches walked by the number of steps taken. This is your average stride. Example: You took 5 steps and walked a total of 100 inches. Divide 100 inches by 5 steps, and your average stride is 20 inches.
Tips:
- Round off all numbers to the nearest inch.
- Walk at a pace you will normally walk while wearing the pedometer. You are trying to find an average length which will represent a typical stride.
- Taking multiple measurements and finding the average will increase overall accuracy.
- If measuring by yourself, you may be able to tell on heavier carpet where your toe leaves an impression. It is more accurate to have someone help you by marking the point where the tip of your toe lands so your stride is not broken.
6. Write down the number so you are prepared once you begin setting up your pedometer. If doing measurements as a group, a Post-It pad will come in handy for giving everyone their personal measurement. It is also a good idea to keep the number available in case the battery is removed and the pedometer needs to be reprogrammed.