Do you wear your Fitbit even when sitting down?

hoops1888
hoops1888 Posts: 95 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I have a tendency to remove my Fitbit to avoid adding false steps through arm movement.

Does anyone else do this and is it with doing? Sometimes I worry that by doing this, it’s not assessing calories burned accurately and I’ll miss out!

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    I don't move my arms that much when I'm sitting down, so I don't worry about it.

    Are you seeing a lot of steps pick up when you're sitting? If so, have you tried setting your dominant hand on your Fitbit account to see if that helps?
  • hoops1888
    hoops1888 Posts: 95 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    I don't move my arms that much when I'm sitting down, so I don't worry about it.

    Are you seeing a lot of steps pick up when you're sitting? If so, have you tried setting your dominant hand on your Fitbit account to see if that helps?

    Hmm well I did a wee test with it and it was picking up every now and then but not a huge lot. I have my watch set to my dominant hand but wear it on my non dominant just to reduce sensitivity and over estimating. I’m probably being over the top by not wearing it sitting down!
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    hoops1888 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    I don't move my arms that much when I'm sitting down, so I don't worry about it.

    Are you seeing a lot of steps pick up when you're sitting? If so, have you tried setting your dominant hand on your Fitbit account to see if that helps?

    Hmm well I did a wee test with it and it was picking up every now and then but not a huge lot. I have my watch set to my dominant hand but wear it on my non dominant just to reduce sensitivity and over estimating. I’m probably being over the top by not wearing it sitting down!

    Yeah, the Fitbit is designed to be worn all day. There are going to be instances where it will pick up some steps when you're not stepping (for instance, I sometimes get a few steps when I'm chopping vegetables), but overall they don't matter to the overall accuracy of my calorie burn estimate (I know because I've tracked my results over time) and I think this could be true for other people as well (at least some of them).

    (One instance where I *do* remove my Fitbit is when I'm driving because it does pick up lots of steps for that. But I only drive 1-2 times a month, so it isn't a big deal for me).
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    Davidsdottir wrote: »
    hoops1888 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    I don't move my arms that much when I'm sitting down, so I don't worry about it.

    Are you seeing a lot of steps pick up when you're sitting? If so, have you tried setting your dominant hand on your Fitbit account to see if that helps?

    Hmm well I did a wee test with it and it was picking up every now and then but not a huge lot. I have my watch set to my dominant hand but wear it on my non dominant just to reduce sensitivity and over estimating. I’m probably being over the top by not wearing it sitting down!

    You are over thinking it. I've noticed that sometimes walking my tracker doesn't record all steps, so I figure it all evens out.

    That's how I feel about it as well.

    It also doesn't generally pick up on extended standing or slow pacing.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    edited March 2018
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    hoops1888 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    I don't move my arms that much when I'm sitting down, so I don't worry about it.

    Are you seeing a lot of steps pick up when you're sitting? If so, have you tried setting your dominant hand on your Fitbit account to see if that helps?

    Hmm well I did a wee test with it and it was picking up every now and then but not a huge lot. I have my watch set to my dominant hand but wear it on my non dominant just to reduce sensitivity and over estimating. I’m probably being over the top by not wearing it sitting down!

    Yeah, the Fitbit is designed to be worn all day. There are going to be instances where it will pick up some steps when you're not stepping (for instance, I sometimes get a few steps when I'm chopping vegetables), but overall they don't matter to the overall accuracy of my calorie burn estimate (I know because I've tracked my results over time) and I think this could be true for other people as well (at least some of them).

    (One instance where I *do* remove my Fitbit is when I'm driving because it does pick up lots of steps for that. But I only drive 1-2 times a month, so it isn't a big deal for me).

    I hit a hilariously high step count after spending several hours in a uHaul. I did not eat those calories back. ;)
  • rayzerwolf
    rayzerwolf Posts: 203 Member
    I wear my fitbit on my non dominant hand occasionally it will pick up steps but that's not very often.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    MegaMooseEsq wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    hoops1888 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    I don't move my arms that much when I'm sitting down, so I don't worry about it.

    Are you seeing a lot of steps pick up when you're sitting? If so, have you tried setting your dominant hand on your Fitbit account to see if that helps?

    Hmm well I did a wee test with it and it was picking up every now and then but not a huge lot. I have my watch set to my dominant hand but wear it on my non dominant just to reduce sensitivity and over estimating. I’m probably being over the top by not wearing it sitting down!

    Yeah, the Fitbit is designed to be worn all day. There are going to be instances where it will pick up some steps when you're not stepping (for instance, I sometimes get a few steps when I'm chopping vegetables), but overall they don't matter to the overall accuracy of my calorie burn estimate (I know because I've tracked my results over time) and I think this could be true for other people as well (at least some of them).

    (One instance where I *do* remove my Fitbit is when I'm driving because it does pick up lots of steps for that. But I only drive 1-2 times a month, so it isn't a big deal for me).

    I hit a hilariously high step count after spending several hours in a uHaul. I did not eat those calories back. ;)

    This is how I discovered it too, I drove between several states in a day and didn't look at my Fitbit until that night. It was surprising!
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,223 Member
    rayzerwolf wrote: »
    I wear my fitbit on my non dominant hand occasionally it will pick up steps but that's not very often.

    This is what my coworker does as well. She believed that improved accuracy quite a bit.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    I would be afraid of forgetting it, losing it, or just being annoyed putting it on and off all the time!
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Unless it's charging or I'm in the shower, my Fitbit (well, I've moved on to an Apple Watch) is on me 24/7.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    I take mine off between upper body sets at the gym. I have noticed curls and barbell rows give me false steps. I put it on between sets because I walk between sets to up my steps and avoid the dreaded treadmill.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    The only time i take my fitbit off is when i have shower.
    I wear it on my non dominant hand, but have it set to dominant hand in my settings.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    edited March 2018
    Davidsdottir wrote: »
    You are over thinking it. I've noticed that sometimes walking my tracker doesn't record all steps, so I figure it all evens out.
    My Garmin often misses steps if I'm carrying something in that arm which keeps it from swinging normally (or even pushing a shopping cart around a store, where my arm isn't swinging), so as you said - I figure it all evens out.


    janejellyroll wrote: »
    (One instance where I *do* remove my Fitbit is when I'm driving because it does pick up lots of steps for that. But I only drive 1-2 times a month, so it isn't a big deal for me).
    We used to live on a bumpy dirt road, and my old Fitbit would give me as much as 1000-1300 steps for driving the few miles up that road until I reached pavement. We went back to the neighborhood today to visit friends and I noticed that my Garmin gave me 0 steps, driving the exact same road in the exact same vehicle.


    malibu927 wrote: »
    Unless it's charging or I'm in the shower, my Fitbit (well, I've moved on to an Apple Watch) is on me 24/7.
    Same (except mine is a Garmin, not Fitbit or AW). When I had the Apple Watch, I wore it all day and charged it overnight. The Garmin only needs to be charged once every week or two, so I leave it on at night for sleep tracking.


    psychod787 wrote: »
    I take mine off between upper body sets at the gym. I have noticed curls and barbell rows give me false steps. I put it on between sets because I walk between sets to up my steps and avoid the dreaded treadmill.
    Mine stays on in the gym. Number one because I use it to time my rest periods between sets, and number two because there ain't no way I'm faffling around with taking my watch on and off for every set. Too much cardio.
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