Hiking

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RebeccaD22
RebeccaD22 Posts: 202 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello,

So I am going on a 7.7 mile, Moderate difficulty hike this weekend. The first 1.5 are stairs and uphill. I will probably be carrying a small pack. Website says it will take about half a day to do the whole loop.

I also have a fitbit HR.

Should I use my fitbit (set and time the activity), or should I just log it in with MFP?

Thank you for the help!

Replies

  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    Exercise logged in MFP overwrites your Fitbit burn during that time, so I always log in Fitbit—never MFP. If you have a Charge HR or Surge, tracking your hike will show you a GPS map.

    There's a discussion about hiking in the Fitbit Users group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10192173/hiking-with-poles
  • Edwardshar
    Edwardshar Posts: 271 Member
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    What are you trying to gain by logging it? Extra calories to eat? Or just what you did?
  • RebeccaD22
    RebeccaD22 Posts: 202 Member
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    @editorgrrl - Thanks for the link, I will check it out.
    @Edwardshar - I am actually just curious about what I will burn, not so that I can eat more.
  • minkky
    minkky Posts: 73 Member
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    I always just log my hikes on Fitbit too. And it will tell you how many calories you burned to and give you a map of your route and your active minutes. I do miss the the accolades and ata girls of posting my exercise on mfp tho...
  • RebeccaD22
    RebeccaD22 Posts: 202 Member
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    Ok, so I will just set and time it with my fitbit. Thanks, everyone.
  • 7lenny7
    7lenny7 Posts: 3,493 Member
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    I like Fitbit logging for walking or running on paved roads or trails, but for hiking I prefer to use MapMyWalk (or one of the varients). The caveat is that it will use your phone battery, and is only as accurate as your phone GPS. If my course shows jumps in the path that I didn't take, then I don't keep that workout because it's inaccurate, and instead rely on the FitBit.

  • RebeccaD22
    RebeccaD22 Posts: 202 Member
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    @7lenny7 Thanks for the info...Maybe I'll try both and compare.
  • jhard728
    jhard728 Posts: 52 Member
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    I'll second the MapMyRun app suggestion. If the GPS keeps the signal I prefer it because it will also show you elevation changes. As for me, the calories always seem extremely high but I (like you) am not tracking to get calories back. I stay motivated when I can see what I have done and accomplished.
  • RebeccaD22
    RebeccaD22 Posts: 202 Member
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    @jhard728 thanks for seconding that. I am right there with you. When I see my accomplishments, it keeps me motivated. Beautiful baby, btw. :)
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
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    Do not try to track the exercise as an exercise on Fitbit. Your battery will be dead before you finish. Trust me as someone who has a Surge and regularly hikes such distances.

    Just wear the Fitbit as you always do... you will still get the calories logged from HR, steps, etc. The only difference is that you won't get a specific detail from Fitbit for that hike time.
  • RebeccaD22
    RebeccaD22 Posts: 202 Member
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    @midwesterner85 Ok, perfect. Thanks for the heads-up! (cause that's what I was going to do haha). I've only have my fitbit about a month.
  • jhard728
    jhard728 Posts: 52 Member
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    @RebeccaD22 Thanks, that little boy is a lot of my motivation to succeed. good luck with everything!
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    RebeccaD22 wrote: »
    @Edwardshar - I am actually just curious about what I will burn, not so that I can eat more.

    Just use your fitbit.
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
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    On a sort of unrelated note, I also suggest using the Road ID app, especially if you're doing it alone.
    It allows for set contacts to track your progress and be alerted if you go down.
    I wish it also tracked pace but Road ID app will show distance and the time between starting and stopping. So then you can do the math if you wish. It doesn't show calories burned but your Fitbit calculates that...
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    RebeccaD22 wrote: »
    @7lenny7 Thanks for the info...Maybe I'll try both and compare.

    No, don't do that.

    Ever hear the expression, "A man with a watch knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure."? Well, guess what happens when you use multiple methods to estimate calories?
  • RebeccaD22
    RebeccaD22 Posts: 202 Member
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    jhard728 wrote: »
    @RebeccaD22 Thanks, that little boy is a lot of my motivation to succeed. good luck with everything!

    Good for you and good luck as well!

    @jacksonpt Thank you!
  • RebeccaD22
    RebeccaD22 Posts: 202 Member
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    @lishie_rebooted Thanks for that tip! I appreciate it.

    @jacksonpt ok, It was really just for comparison. I don't care in the sense that I will be eating the calories back. But if you really think it is a bad idea, then I will take your advice into consideration. I appreciate it!
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    edited June 2015
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    minkky wrote: »
    I always just log my hikes on Fitbit too. And it will tell you how many calories you burned to and give you a map of your route and your active minutes. I do miss the the accolades and attagirls of posting my exercise on mfp tho.

    If you want your Fitbit exercise to appear in your newsfeed, post a status update. That way you get the best of both worlds—an accurate burn + likes.

    7lenny7 wrote: »
    I like Fitbit logging for walking or running on paved roads or trails, but for hiking I prefer to use MapMyWalk (or one of the varients). The caveat is that it will use your phone battery, and is only as accurate as your phone GPS.

    Connect MapMy to Fitbit, and Fitbit to MFP.

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