wearing Fitbit on ankle?
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Marianna93637 wrote: »Thank you everyone, very informative, although of course a lot of people will have very different opinions. But I get it, it doesn't seem beneficial to be wearing it on my ankle. And no, I don't want to look like I'm on house arrest, especially since I'm a teacher at a school where quite a few of my students are on it lol.
I'm not that worried about grocery shopping accuracy because that doesn't take up that much of my time and the calories I'd be burning don't amount to much.
But I do walk my dogs every day, I have 2 German shepherds and I'm holding both leashes in my right hand. They walk very nicely, but I have to hold the leash with a strong grip (2 dogs equal to 170 lbs) so that arm doesn't swing. I guess maybe during that time I could put it on my left wrist? When I jog with just the one dog my arm can swing, so it's ok.
Most of my exercise calories come from taking Zumba, about 3-4 times / week, (and of course walking, and I'm gonna really start jogging regularly), and I assume with Zumba and the heart rate monitor, it should be pretty accurate.
Nope sorry, Zumba is probably closer to HIIT so an HRM to calorie calculation is not accurate ..take a percentage and adjust based on weight over time (6-8 weeks)0 -
afatpersonwholikesfood wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »
Do you stop on the stairs? http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/34950765/#Comment_34950765
Interesting. I keep moving, but I do have to turn because the stairs are in a Z shape, so maybe that midpoint is enough to throw it off?
Not for my One - as long as I keep moving it records the fraction of the elevation change and gives me credit periodically.0 -
Nope sorry, Zumba is probably closer to HIIT so an HRM to calorie calculation is not accurate ..take a percentage and adjust based on weight over time (6-8 weeks)
Please explain this to me. Up until now MFP suggested that my 55 minute Zumba class was burning 500 something calories. I always just entered 350 or 400 based on how I felt. As I got in better shape, a lot of time I don't even sweat too much. I found another instructor, and it's guaranteed that it' at least 600 calories, I'm out o f breath, soaked and wet head to toe, I feel like I was running (fast) for the whole hour. I'm curious to see how my I am actually burning.
There was a lady at my class last week, she was wearing the Fitbit Flex (she just got it so I know she didn't know everything about it yet) and she told me it said she burned 630 calories during our Zumba class. I know it was way over, these classes I usually log 350-400.
So how do I adjust, what do you mean adjust based on weight over time?
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Marianna93637 wrote: »
Nope sorry, Zumba is probably closer to HIIT so an HRM to calorie calculation is not accurate ..take a percentage and adjust based on weight over time (6-8 weeks)
Please explain this to me. Up until now MFP suggested that my 55 minute Zumba class was burning 500 something calories. I always just entered 350 or 400 based on how I felt. As I got in better shape, a lot of time I don't even sweat too much. I found another instructor, and it's guaranteed that it' at least 600 calories, I'm out o f breath, soaked and wet head to toe, I feel like I was running (fast) for the whole hour. I'm curious to see how my I am actually burning.
There was a lady at my class last week, she was wearing the Fitbit Flex (she just got it so I know she didn't know everything about it yet) and she told me it said she burned 630 calories during our Zumba class. I know it was way over, these classes I usually log 350-400.
So how do I adjust, what do you mean adjust based on weight over time?
If you take 75% of the HR logged calories and have a 1lb a week goal weight loss then lost 9lbs in 6 weeks you know you can eat back a higher percentage
These are all just estimators and it's what your body does that counts
I think I'd have taken a similar calorie burn as you have ..sweat is no determinant of calorie burn unfortunately0 -
Marianna93637 wrote: »But I do walk my dogs every day, I have 2 German shepherds and I'm holding both leashes in my right hand. They walk very nicely, but I have to hold the leash with a strong grip (2 dogs equal to 170 lbs) so that arm doesn't swing. I guess maybe during that time I could put it on my left wrist? When I jog with just the one dog my arm can swing, so it's ok.
I wear my fitbit on my right hand, and I walk my dog, who pulls a lot, with the leash in my right hand, so my arm doesn't swing much. Its basically just sticking out straight for most of the walk because she pulls until she gets tired. But the fitbit seems very accurate. I've walked her around a track, and even with my arm not swinging, the distance walked is very accurate. So, if I were you, I'd try it out first before you start switching wrists and everything. Maybe best to go to a place you know is a certain distance, and walk that and see how accurate it is.
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I got my Fitbit today! It was late, 5 pm when I got to put it on (right wrist). It already calculated that I burned about 1000 calories and took 300 steps. Hm, interesting.
Then, it said during my Zumba class I burned 413 calories. This was shocking. I was jumping more than normal, sweating (which I know is not the best indicator, but I was out of breath, etc, and I'm in good shape) I expected 5-600 calories.
So it's definitely not overestimating.
I heard that during the first few days it's adjusting and trying to figure thing out so we'll see how it will work. I am taking a Zumba class every day M-F this week though and it will be interesting to see. Monday, Tuesday and Friday are with the same instructor, so the calorie burn should be similar. Wednesday night is much tougher, and Thursday, I haven't taken but heard that it's like Wednesday. So if it adjusts itself I will be able to see, right?
I know I shouldn't base anything on today since it was 5 pm when I put it on. Although it says, at 10 pm I burned 1933 calories.0 -
it does count steps when your arms arent swinging. it truly does. however, as to accuracy, mine alerted me that i reached my 10k steps the other night while i was sitting at my computer...so, you have to take it all with +/- of accuracy. its good but not perfect. (i have the surge and if i wore it on my ankle, i truly would feel like i was under house arrest. its enormous)
Funny thing, i have a Fitbit one. So just a step tracker, sleep tracker...no hrm. I wear it in my pocket so i don't lose it. I wanted someone to see what step count I'd hit without it changing when i walked over to him, so i held it perfectly still in my hand and walked without moving my hand or arm at all, and it still added those steps.
I was both sad and amazed, lol. I really want a charge hr, but you know.....0 -
Marianna93637 wrote: »I got my Fitbit today! It was late, 5 pm when I got to put it on (right wrist). It already calculated that I burned about 1000 calories and took 300 steps. Hm, interesting.
Then, it said during my Zumba class I burned 413 calories. This was shocking. I was jumping more than normal, sweating (which I know is not the best indicator, but I was out of breath, etc, and I'm in good shape) I expected 5-600 calories.
So it's definitely not overestimating.
I heard that during the first few days it's adjusting and trying to figure thing out so we'll see how it will work. I am taking a Zumba class every day M-F this week though and it will be interesting to see. Monday, Tuesday and Friday are with the same instructor, so the calorie burn should be similar. Wednesday night is much tougher, and Thursday, I haven't taken but heard that it's like Wednesday. So if it adjusts itself I will be able to see, right?
I know I shouldn't base anything on today since it was 5 pm when I put it on. Although it says, at 10 pm I burned 1933 calories.
I don't have any experience with the HR-based trackers, so take this for what it's worth...
Most activity trackers do better over longer stretches of time. That is to say, the estimates they come up with are more likely to be "correct" over longer timeframes - full days, multiple days, etc - rather than shorter increments of say a single workout or a few hours.
IMO, try to focus more on the bigger picture... on your activity level and calorie burns for an entire day or an entire week, not so much a trip to the grocery store or a walk around the mall or a single workout. IMO.0 -
I wear mine on the ankle during the winter and when I am running with my stroller or grocery shopping. In the summer I obviously always put it on my wrist only due to what it tends to look like around my ankle. I work out with it on myu wrist too (again unless running with the stroller). For me I've never had a problem with accuracy and also it seems to catch my HR well at the same time too on my ankle (the inside of my ankle). I don't mind it and I think that it works well. esepcially when I want to keep my hands in my pockets as it's cold outside while walking.0
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I was tempted to do this when grocery shopping because having my hand on the cart causes it not to register steps. Unfortunately, I can't fit mine around my ankle.
That. I realized some time ago that it does not track when I am in the store. Sometimes I will push the basket with one hand or I intentionally leave my basket and walk down the aisle to get what I need and go back to the basket. Otherwise, I just chalk it up to knowing that I have walked in a store for however many minutes.
I tend to use my other hand to just pull the cart around one handed as I like to have the steps for Fitbit challenges. Otherwise the HR feature seems like it covers the calorie estimating fine during it.0 -
Marianna93637 wrote: »But I do walk my dogs every day, I have 2 German shepherds and I'm holding both leashes in my right hand. They walk very nicely, but I have to hold the leash with a strong grip (2 dogs equal to 170 lbs) so that arm doesn't swing. I guess maybe during that time I could put it on my left wrist? When I jog with just the one dog my arm can swing, so it's ok.
Most of my exercise calories come from taking Zumba, about 3-4 times / week, (and of course walking, and I'm gonna really start jogging regularly), and I assume with Zumba and the heart rate monitor, it should be pretty accurate.
Holding leashes is not a problem. Your wrist is not "insulated" from the acceleration of your steps like it is when holding onto a shopping cart. If you really want to, you can switch it to your other wrist, but your arm does NOT need to swing in order for steps to be counted.
Go ahead and trust your Fitbit when it comes to Zumba classes. I've always used mine and it doesn't seem to over-estimate my calorie burn. MFP's estimate for Zumba was always way, way too high, but even my old Fitbit One seemed to do a pretty good job. Now, Fitbit's automatic exercise detection algorithm even detects it as "Aerobic Workout".0 -
STOP OVERTHINKING IT!!!
You're arms don't have to swing in a clear and definite walking/running motion for the fitbit to register. Just put the damn thing on and check the data at the end of the day.0 -
I'm not really hung up on how much I burn over one single workout, it's more like curiosity and having fun with it. But I have been logging food and exercise and taking Zumba classes for a year and a month now, and up until now I had to estimate my Zumba calories. So now I actually have something that might give me a more accurate number than just me guessing based on how I feel... there was a lady in my Zumba class 2 weeks ago (she's the one who gave the last push to get a Fitbit), she had the Fitbit Flex and it told her she burned 6oo some calories during our class (same instructor as yesterday). It was fairly new to her and without the HR so it probably overestimated, but I'm just dying to see how much I burn, of course knowing that none o f this is 100 % accurate.
I fee like I'm the 10 year old kid who got a microscope and now she can see all kinds of thing in a different way (yes, that was me lol)0 -
There's another device called the Moov Now that is designed to be worn on your ankle for running and walking. The strap is pretty secure. I tried it out, but I ended up returning it. It's more of a coach than an activity tracker. It represents your daily activity in active minutes, and sometimes my walking didn't count toward that. I had always used steps to measure my activity, so I ended up returning it. One thing I really liked about it was being able to hide it under my pant leg at meetings and conferences. I don't want all of my colleagues to see that I'm wearing an activity tracker, which is why I'm still using my fitbit one (clip on, worn under clothes) rather than upgrading to a wrist worn HR device. Personal preference.0
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I'm not really loving how bulky it looks. I have no problem telling my students what it is, but I wish I could hide it (right now in the winter it's no problem with sweaters and long sleeve shirts but in the summer it's in the 100s here.
I told my daughter that I was going to make a lot of beaded bracelets and wear them around it to hide it, she said "mom, that's silly! Everyone wears these type of trackers now, who cares?" lol0
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