How Many Steps in 3 Miles and Is It Enough for Your Health?

Written by Noleen Arendse

Walking 3 miles brings multiple health, physical, and mental benefits. 

For the average person, 3 miles is 6,750 steps.

For most people the average steps will range between  6,300 to 7,200 steps depending on your weight, age, height, and stride length. 

This step count works like magic to transform your life into a healthy lifestyle by creating an active, sustainable, and fun routine.

How many steps in 3 miles

Is walking 3 miles a day good?

At a minimum, fitness experts recommend walking for at least a mile every day. Walking 3 miles is a moderate exercise that keeps you alert and fit, even for people with delicate health conditions like arthritis.

In addition, the cardio and respiratory benefits you get from walking can improve your overall health and help you develop a sustainable exercise routine. 

Walking daily has the following benefits:

  • Improves your mood
  • Reduces stress
  • Helps burn calories
  • Keeps you away from certain diseases like heart disease and high blood sugar levels
  • Boosts your mental strength and physical health at no cost

Start with a low tempo and shorter time and build up to the 3-miles-a-day mark to get your body into shape. It will help you get the most out of your daily 3-mile walk. Once you’re hitting 3 miles comfortably, aim to walk a bit further every week, before you know it, you can easily double your steps to reach 6 miles. For more on this, read how many miles is 12,000 steps.  

How many steps in 3 miles of walking?

The number of steps in a mile depends on your stride length, height, and gender. For example, you’ll get approximately 6330 for men and 7200 for women in 3 miles. For more on this, read: What is 2 miles in steps?

How to convert miles to steps

To accurately convert miles to steps, you must know your stride length. To get an approximate number of steps in 3 miles, you use your standard gender’s stride length. Ideally, a woman’s stride length is shorter at 2.2 ft than a man’s (2.5ft), giving you an estimate of 7200 steps for women and 6336 for men. 

While if you want an exact number, measure your stride length. Divide 3 miles by your stride length to get the precise number of steps you’ll make in 3 miles. You can also search for a miles-to steps calculator to work out the numbers for you. 

How many steps is a brisk 3-mile walk?

A brisk walk, as per medical news, carries a higher intensity, about 4 mph, than regular walking. Its primary purpose is to exercise at higher heart rates for maximum health benefits. You’ll get about 5800 steps in a brisk 3-mile walk.

How many steps in 3 miles of walking?

The time you take to walk 3 miles depends on your age, weight, terrain, the purpose of the walk, fitness, and health level. Averagely, people take about an hour to do a 3-mile walk. Faster people can take 30 to 45 minutes for the 3-mile walk, while those with slower speeds can take up to 3 hours to complete 3 miles.

Is it better to walk longer or faster?

To distinguish between a fast and slow-paced walk, you must consider age, weight, and physical fitness. Walking faster or further both have some similarities regarding physical health gain. 

Walking faster is a high-intensity workout with numerous health benefits like reducing calories and keeping fit and healthy. As per Mayo Clinic, these workouts at higher heart rates benefit you more than moderate-intensity workouts but pose a higher injury risk.

Ensure you do enough warm-up and warm-down activities when you walk faster to avoid burnout and injuries. 

Long walks are moderate workouts that have more mental and physical benefits. They build endurance, pose fewer bodily injury risks, and help maintain your physical health and fitness. 

Health experts recommend you have at least one high-intensity workout weekly. You can mix it with several long-distance walks to free your mind and build longevity and stamina. Also, the purpose of your walk should help you decipher what’s best for you. To lose weight, you’d better do long walks to burn more fat and reduce weight.

How fast should I walk a mile for my age?

Middle-aged women, between 20 to 50 years, should take at most 15 minutes to cover 1 mile, while men will take an average of 14 minutes for the same distance. Men and women between 50 to 70 years take 16 and 18 minutes respectively to cover a mile. Gauge your walking time per these standard times to know how you rate.

Steps in 3 miles for other activities

How do 3 miles steps compare while doing other activities like biking or running? Check out these figures.

How many steps in 3 miles of running?

There are approximately 5853 steps in a 3-mile run when running 5 mph. While at 6 mph, you do 5100, and at 7.5 mph, there are 4200 steps in a 3-mile run.

How many steps in 3 miles on an elliptical?

There are approximately 6723 steps in 3 miles on an elliptical.

How many steps in 3 miles on a treadmill?

There are approximately 5000 steps when doing 3 miles on a treadmill at 6 mph. If you’re looking for a great treadmill for walking and running, read this NoblePro Elite E8i review

How many steps in 3 miles of biking?

There are, on average, 6336 steps in a 3-mile biking distance.

What is a good distance to walk every day?

Fitness experts recommend doing at least 5 miles to increase your health benefits. The higher the distance you cover, the more the health benefits.

Unfortunately, most people can only manage at most 2 miles a day. But getting the recommended step count helps you enjoy more health benefits and mood boosts as you age.

Is walking 3 miles a day enough exercise?

Walking 3 miles daily earns you approximately 7 hours of weekly exercise. Health experts recommend at least 2.5 hours of exercise weekly to keep up with your body’s physical and mental demands. Mind your age and health conditions before imposing specific workout requirements on your body. 

Walking is a medium to high-intensity workout that helps with promoting endurance and longevity and improves bone and muscle strength. It also improves your cardio and respiratory system, lowers your blood pressure, improves your flexibility, and helps you lose weight. Choose your walking pace and gain these health benefits from your daily walk.

Is walking 3 miles a day enough to lose weight?

Walking helps you burn calories. You lose approximately 100 calories for every mile you walk, translating to 300 calories daily. It results in roughly losing 1 pound every two weeks. Of course, other external factors, like the terrain, weight, age, and your walking pace, affect your weight loss during walking. 

High-intensity workouts have better results if you want to lose weight—plan to incorporate brisk walking at least once a week to improve your calorie loss

How long does it take to see results from walking 3 miles a day?

Every workout routine needs time to see the results. Consider other factors like food intake, consistency, and health status before setting your expectations. However, during your first walk, you’ll feel better, and your mood will brighten. 

You’ll start seeing physical and health changes from 4 days onwards, where you’ll lose weight, feel fitter, and better healthwise. For those targeting losing weight, you’ll start noticing changes in your clothes in 5 days. If you are eager to use your scale, brace yourself for at least a pound loss in 11 to 14 days of walking. 

Summary

  • Walking is an easy workout to do that yields health, mental and physical benefits.
  • A 3-mile walk has, on average, 6800 steps. 
  • Walking 3 miles helps you lose weight and feel good about yourself.
  • Use different walking paces to get the best from these walking workouts.