how to calculate calorie from pedometer?

Question

How can I convert pedometer steps to calories burned? Can anybody explain this to me?

I know there is a lot of variables (sex,age,weight), but, I don't know the heart rate.

I need to know how are they calculated.

I have found this formula :

Calories burned per mile = 0.57 x 175 lbs.(your weight) = 99.75 calories per mile.

But, I know I have to measure weight, distance, time and steps. Please help me with this

Thank you!

Answer 1

From a step count alone, I wouldn't bother as the error could be as much as +/- 40%. Primarily as your step length changes with speed, as does wind resistance and energy expended, the gradient of a walk, your body fat percentage and fitness level will also affect the calculation, but the errors these factors introduce can be reduced by aggregating several data sets. Say if you use your total steps / distance gathered over several weeks, in a single calculation, this should allow you to reduce the errors due to variations in your speed, the gradient (should appear flat if the data set is large enough), and wind speed, in an aggregated walk

To get a very rough number plug a few values into the ACSM equation:

Kcal/Min ~= 0.0005 * bodyMassKg * metersWalkedInAMin + 0.0035

Then multiply the result by the total time walked.

Still without data from an ECG and face mask based gas analyzers there aren't any accurate equations.

If you can guess the duration of your daily walks you could simply use the MET formula to estimate the calories, which will produce a number in the same ballpark as a pedometer based estimate.

See also: Walking Calorie Burn Calculator

For a bit of light reading:

• THE USE OF GPS TO PREDICT ENERGY EXPENDITURE FOR OUTDOOR WALKING
• Energy Expenditure of Walking and Running: Comparison with Prediction Equations
• COMPARISION OF ENERGY EXPENDITURE DURING WALKING AND RUNNING ON TRACK BEFORE AND AFTER TRAINING IN YOUNG HEALTHY ADULT WOMEN
• Reliability of pedometer data in samples of youth and older women
• Commercially available pedometers: considerations for accurate step counting.
• Measuring activity levels of young people: the validity of pedometers

Answer 2

thank you for your answers!

i think i have figured out an aswer, and my boss accepted it, because this little pedometer won't have any gps connection.

here is the formula:

1.) Calories burned per mile = 0.57 x 175 lbs.(your weight) = 99.75 calories per mile.

2.)Your_strip = height * 0,415.

3.) steps_in_1_mile = 160934.4(mile in cm) / strip.

4.) "conversationFactor" = stepsCount (what the pedometer provides) / step_in_1_mile;

5.) CaloriesBurned = stepsCount * conversationFactor;

what i need is: weight, height and stepcount.

and here is a java class show how i calculate it:

public class CalorieBurnedCalculator {


// Fill with your data


 static double weight = 67.0; // kg

 static double height = 178.0; // cm

 static double stepsCount = 4793;

//Don't edit below this


 final static double walkingFactor = 0.57;

 static double CaloriesBurnedPerMile;

 static double strip;

 static double stepCountMile; // step/mile

 static double conversationFactor;

 static double CaloriesBurned;

 static NumberFormat formatter = new DecimalFormat("#0.00");

 static double distance;

 public static void main(String[] args) {

  CaloriesBurnedPerMile = walkingFactor * (weight * 2.2);

  strip = height * 0.415;

  stepCountMile = 160934.4 / strip;

  conversationFactor = CaloriesBurnedPerMile / stepCountMile;

  CaloriesBurned = stepsCount * conversationFactor;

  System.out.println("Calories burned: "
    + formatter.format(CaloriesBurned) + " cal");

  distance = (stepsCount * strip) / 100000;

  System.out.println("Distance: " + formatter.format(distance)
    + " km");

 }
}

I know that this is only an approximate value, but in the absence of other data acceptable.

Answer 3

This has been answered here and codes are in java and objective-c using research of Compendium of Physical Activities.