Treadmill option or not for treadmill walks with charge 2?

Francl27

Hear me out...

If I walk outside for 1h and 40 minutes and I get a 600 calories burn in that time (it's a bit hilly but for less than a mile total).

If I walk on the treadmill for 1h and 40 minutes with a 5 to 6% incline and I get a 540 calories burn using the treadmill option... it also says that I walk at 2.5 miles an hour when the machine is set to 3.2 or 3.3.

Is it even worth using the treadmill option? Which one is more accurate, do you think?

daj150

Are you using GPS when you walk outside? If not, then either one could be accurate or inaccurate. Any device that tracks your steps is highly dependent on consistency and fluidity of movement. If you, for example, are on a treadmill with your water bottle and a TV on the treadmill, and you are turning the channel a bunch or getting a drink using the hand that has your FitBit, but outside you don't do anything, your outside walk (without GPS) will typically be more accurate. Also, your burn is dependent on your heart rate. Unless you have identical heart rate for both instances, you will get a different value, regardless if you go the same distance.

Francl27

I think it automatically uses GPS outside.

I did both to compare (with and without using the treadmill workout on the treadmill) and it seems pretty close though, but I think it counted less steps if I didn't select the Treadmill option.

daj150

Sorry, forgot about connected GPS. So yeah, if you select a non-indoor activity and you phone is with you, it should enable the GPS. And yeah, you will get more difference with treadmill vs non-treadmill option because they use extra logic to try and account for the fact you are on a stationary device and can have random erratic movements. So, yes, it's worth using treadmill option. Keep in mind most people have a different stride length when walking on a treadmill, so you unless you have the exact same rate of walking inside and out, then you will get different step counts as well.

heybales

It used to be that when you used the GPS option, a Workout record would overwrite the actual step/distance stats that were seen. (as opposed to an Activity Record that was merely a snapshot of the stats during that chunk of time).
It was figured the GPS was more accurate for distance to calculate calories than steps - so use it if available.

Whereas the treadmill option doesn't use a different formula or anything - it merely doesn't enabled GPS ability - so totally step based distance estimate.

And either your treadmill needs to be calibrated, not unusual, or your stride-length does.
Outside on a known distance track (not GPS) doing average daily pace would be more accurate.
It may not be 100% accurate for your exercise pace walking - but how much of your day is spent at that pace, compared to normal daily pace?
Which should be more accurate for daily accuracy - 1h 40min, or the other potential 14 hrs of the day?

But - your calories should be based on HR anyway - not step-based, during exercise.

So distance is a moot point then.