Calculate steps using accelerometer

I am working on an application to calculate the steps to find the heartbeat rate a开发者_高级运维nd the distance using the accelerometer. Is there any algorithm on how to do the calculation?

I tried to get a heart beat from the accelerometer. It is only possible with a highly motivated subject in the midst of exercising, holding the iPhone out in a certain way. There is just not enough acceleration to get it reliably.