How the step equivalent calculator works
The stride math
Walking stride length scales with height: roughly height × 0.414 for women and × 0.415 for men (research averages) — about 70 cm at 170 cm tall. Distance = steps × stride. Ten thousand steps at 170 cm is ~7 km, taking ~90–100 minutes of walking, burning roughly 300–350 kcal net at 75 kg.
Where 10,000 came from
Not a study — a 1965 Japanese pedometer marketing campaign ("manpo-kei," the 10,000-step meter). The subsequent research found real but gentler dose-response: mortality risk falls steeply from sedentary levels up to ~7,000–8,000 steps, then continues improving more slowly. The honest reading: 7,000–8,000 captures most of the benefit; 10,000 is a fine aspirational ceiling — and every increment above sedentary counts.
Equivalent activity, honestly
Steps are just walking with a counter. The calculator converts your input into the minutes of other activities earning roughly the same net burn — useful for trading (a 45-minute spin class ≈ ~9,000–10,000 steps at typical effort). Note what the equivalents show about intensity: you can walk a very long time or move very briefly for the same energy. Both count; consistency beats either extreme.