My workplace just instigated a "Walking For Wellness" program, and to encourage people to sign up they offered a free pedometer to the first 100 who did. Although the program is geared mostly to the office staff who sit in front of their computers all day and get no exercise I signed up because I wanted the free pedometer.

Now I've always been able to walk really really fast. Five miles an hour is my comfortable cruising speed. Since I'm short I've always assumed I take short strides but move my legs quickly.

Not so. One of the scientists in my building helped me calculate my stride length. Turns out my stride length is huge, 36 inches. The scientist was surprised and so was I. My stride length is longer than his, and he's over six feet tall. Of all the people for whom he helped calculate stride length mine was the longest.

I never would have guessed this myself but it's good to know.

How do you calculate your stride length? My podometer stride lenghts to choose frrom and I always just use the smallest one, because I'm short.

The scientist marked out a measured section of hallway and had me walk it at my normal pace while I mentally counted how many steps it took me to do it, then did some calculations. I think he divided the distance by the number of steps, but I'm not sure.

What I am certain of is that the distance was 57 feet and I covered it in 19 steps.

Wow! That's funny, but really interesting, too!

Just wanted to add:

I asked the scientist how he did his calculations. He said he converted feet to inches and then divided by the number of steps to get the final answer.

This is precisely why I walk fast as well.

Wow that is pretty neat! I stole my husbands pedometer because he wasn't using it. Wish my work did something like that.