All you need to start walking is a comfortable pair of shoes and a pedometer. If you're trying to improve your health or lose weight, counting your steps while walking can help motivate you.
However, it is not always possible to count the number of calories burned in 12,000 steps of walking. Calorie burning depends on each person's weight and walking speed.
How many kilometers is 12,000 steps?
Stride length varies depending on your height, but in general, it takes about 2,000 steps to walk 1 mile (about 1.6 km). That means walking 12,000 steps is equivalent to about 6 miles (about 10 km).
Shorter people can walk less than 12,000 steps and taller people can walk more than 12,000 steps.
How many calories do you burn with 12,000 steps?
Factors that help determine how many calories you burn in 12,000 steps include: Height, stride length, weight, speed, and terrain while walking.
However, according to Livestrong, walking 12,000 steps can burn about 400 to 600 calories on average.
Does walking 12,000 steps help you lose weight?
If you're trying to lose weight, burning calories by counting your steps as you walk may be helpful. A 2008 meta-analysis in the Journal of Family Medicine looked at the effects of counting steps while walking on weight loss. Even without changing their diet, people who used pedometers lost about a pound in two months, or about 4.5 pounds in a year.
However, you don't necessarily have to walk 12,000 steps a day. A May 2019 study in JAMA Internal Medicine found that just 4,400 steps a day can help women lose weight.