Thinking about getting a FitBit, but...
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AJL_Daddy
Posts: 525 Member
How would it track when I mow my lawn? I have a double lot, so the steps are substantial.
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It's going to depend on the model you get. The ones you wear on your wrist are supposed to track while pushing things... but my flex tends to toggle into sleep mode pushing shopping carts or biking on rough roads so I have to imagine that's going to be an issue with the lawnmower as well. I've taken to putting it in my pocket or on my belt loop during those activities.0
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I suggest getting either the Zip or One. I like the concept and design of the Flex, but my boyfriend's mother says the accuracy of hers is slightly thrown off for similar reasons as stated above (lack of or excess arm movements). On the other hand, I have a Zip and LOVE it. I've tested it several times by starting at zero and counting one hundred steps in my head as I walk, and it's proven accurate each time.
Your lower half tends to make more regular movements when you walk, so a pedometer-type tracker that actually clips to your clothing (or, again, fits in your pocket) is likely to be a safer (and cheaper!) bet. c:0 -
It probably depends on the type of mower (gas, electric, or manual) and whether the tracker is wrist based. Worst case scenario would probably be a wrist worn tracker and a gas powered mower. Lots of vibrations from the mower, but the wrist is isolated from the acceleration of your steps because you're holding onto the handle. I would expect that extracting any step data from the "noise" of the mower vibration would be near impossible. The result would either be way too high (interpreting mower vibration as steps) or too low (not seeing steps and properly filtering out mower vibration as not looking like steps). However, if you had your tracker in your pocket instead, I would guess that not too much mower vibration would get through and the steps would be felt. So, for anything except a Charge HR or a Surge, I'd just put it in my pocket. For the HR and the Surge, it depends on whether you're exerting yourself enough for your heart rate to go up and stay up - and on whether it would be able to read a reliable heart rate while you're mowing. If your heart rate is too low, or the heart rate reading too unreliable, then the answer is probably turn off the heart rate monitoring, take off the tracker and put it in your pocket.0
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Zip using step-based - terrible.
It sees me doing 2 mph - never mind the fact I'm pushing 20 lbs over bumpy ground against resistance of grass and cutting it.
So it think pretty low calorie burn - when actually based on HR it's better than 4 mph on slight incline of walking.
I wore HRM couple times just to compare, and that's what the HR is equivalent to, and at that low key, also the calorie burn.
And for a longer mowing session then my mere 45 min and calorie burn being 110 off, you could have a lot of calories unaccounted for.
If HR type device no problem.
If non-HR device, walk for 10 min at a pace that equals the HR and breathing rate you get mowing.
See what that calorie burn is, and do the math and manually log your mowing using the same rate.0 -
My Fitbit charge hr tracked me mowing the lawn yesterday0
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Zip using step-based - terrible.
It sees me doing 2 mph - never mind the fact I'm pushing 20 lbs over bumpy ground against resistance of grass and cutting it.
The Zip isn't terrible imo, it simply logs your steps, exactly as it is designed to do. It has no idea if you're walking uphill, barefoot in waist-deep snow, carrying your grandmother, nor is it meant to.
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snickerscharlie wrote: »Zip using step-based - terrible.
It sees me doing 2 mph - never mind the fact I'm pushing 20 lbs over bumpy ground against resistance of grass and cutting it.
The Zip isn't terrible imo, it simply logs your steps, exactly as it is designed to do. It has no idea if you're walking uphill, barefoot in waist-deep snow, carrying your grandmother, nor is it meant to.
What he meant is that the Zip would be terrible at accurately estimating calories when mowing the lawn. And, he's right. The steps seen by the device would not accurately track the level of effort involved in mowing most lawns with most mowers. I'm sure the Zip is a fine device, but the specific question was whether a Fitbit would track lawn mowing correctly.0 -
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How would it track when I mow my lawn? I have a double lot, so the steps are substantial.
Actually, there's the request, he knew the steps are substantial, so "how would it track" could have meant anything, I did assume calorie burn since that's usually the request on walking activities.
And yes, the Zip is actually very good at track steps, most find it to be most sensitive of hip worn units0
