Help · Accessibility
Activity Equivalents
Walk The Distance does not guess your effort from workout types on our servers. We pull very specific numbers from whichever single input source you pick in the app. This page lists exactly what that is for each platform—and how to use the optional calculator if you need to manually enter equivalent walking credit in the right place.
What Walk The Distance reads (by source)
The value that moves you on the trail is always whatever your chosen source exposes below. Other metrics in the same app—cycling distance, swim laps, Exercise minutes, and so on—do not affect us unless they also change the field we read.
| Source | What we pull | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Health (iOS) | Walking + Running Distance from HealthKit (HKQuantityTypeIdentifier.distanceWalkingRunning). | A typical outdoor bike ride logs cycling distance separately; it does not automatically increase Walking + Running Distance. Credit wheelchair or other movement only when it shows up in this same statistic (for example if your device records it that way). |
| Samsung Health (Android) | Daily step count from Samsung Health, converted to meters in our app when we sync. | What matters is the steps Samsung has for that calendar day—not Samsung’s other distance tiles by themselves. |
| Google Fit (Android) | Aggregated daily walking / running distance sourced from Google Fitness distance deltas synced from your Google account. | Activities that Google records only as cycling, swimming, and so on do not automatically flow into this walking-distance aggregate—log or convert credit in Google Fit first if your goal is to affect this metric. |
| Garmin Connect | Daily step count from Garmin’s wellness summary. We convert steps to meters (we do not use Garmin’s all‑day distance field for this sync path). | We skip Garmin’s reported distance on purpose: it can bundle in cycling and similar. To get credit here, your effort needs to show up in steps. |
| Fitbit | Fitbit’s daily Activities distance total (the “distance” series Fitbit exposes per day—kilometers converted to meters). | Whatever Fitbit counts toward that daily tracked distance is what we see. Check Fitbit’s own help if a workout is missing from that total. |
Need to convert an activity and actually get credit?
The calculator below only gives ballpark numbers. Credit depends on you (or your clinician) deciding a fair equivalent, then recording it in the same type of data your input source reads. If you put the number in the wrong bucket—say, only into a cycling workout on Apple Health—our Apple Health integration still will not see it, because we only read Walking + Running Distance.
Match your manual entry to your source
- Apple Health — Add or edit data under Walking + Running Distance (Browse → Activity in the Health app, or use whichever Health UI your iOS version shows). See also our FAQ on manually adding miles.
- Samsung Health — You need the day’s steps in Samsung Health to reflect the extra credit (per Samsung’s docs for logging or adjusting activity).
- Google Fit — Increase the walking / running distance totals Google aggregates for that day (per Google Fit’s docs for manually logging workouts or entering distance)—other activity types alone may not adjust the aggregate we sync.
- Garmin Connect — You need steps on that day to rise (Garmin’s logging tools, step‑based activities, or accessories that feed step counts—see Garmin’s support for what increments your step total).
- Fitbit — Add or adjust what feeds Fitbit’s daily distance total (often tied to steps or logged walk/run distances—check Fitbit’s help for manual logging).
When to use the illustrative calculator
Use it when there is no trustworthy automatic conversion from your workout to the exact field above—then carry the result into the correct manual entry flow for your device. Pair that with public intensity guidance (for example the CDC on MET‑based activity measurement). Pick a conservative estimate when you are unsure—it is OK to under‑credit yourself.
Illustrative equivalents calculator
Your illustrative range
- Brisk walking time (if effort matched)
- 23–43 minutes
- Approximate step count*
- 2,111–4,945 steps
- Approximate walking distance (~3 mph pace)
- 1.2–2.2 miles
Compared to moderately fast walking on foot (~90–115 steps/min) for the brisk-walking stretch above—not your wearable's proprietary step model when that differs.
Authoritative references
- CDC — Measuring physical activity intensity
- University of Michigan — Adult Compendium index for validating MET ranges: PAC Compendium
- Apple — Health and Fitness accessibility features
Need bespoke guidance?
Send us specifics about how your wearable records adapted activities. If we uncover a repeatable workaround, we will document it alongside this guide.
Email john@walkthedistanceapp.com