Activity Trackers ..

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Jocgaye0724
Jocgaye0724 Posts: 15 Member
edited January 2016 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everyone well my question is I recently purchased a garmin vivofit 2 and someone had to rain on my parade and told me that activity trackers such as Fitbit and garmin will sometimes track movement (ex: such as moving your arms ) while your not walking has anyone encountered this problem ? :/

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  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    I don't wave my arms that much, so I don't think it's an issue for me. I've been using mine since July (Charge HR) and found it to be accurate.
  • Jocgaye0724
    Jocgaye0724 Posts: 15 Member
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    I don't move my arms much either and I don't know if I believe this person because they don't own one they were just reading some reviews
  • SyllyReth
    SyllyReth Posts: 59 Member
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    I have the Fitbit Surge and used the suggestion to mark it as being worn on my dominant arm even though I don't wear it on my dominant arm. Seems to have done the trick for me. Step count is much more accurate (or 100 or so under) instead of way over. Don't know if Garmin has a similar setting option.
  • hope516
    hope516 Posts: 1,133 Member
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    My coworker was recently disappointed with her fit bit which she realized was highly inaccurate because it logged that she had taken 6000 steps by the time she had gotten to work that morning. I don't know if she just had a bad one because another co-worker loves her and she feels it is accurate.

    I don't think being COMPLETELY accurate should be too important though. Unfortunately there is no way to be completely accurate. However, it shouldn't really be the most important thing. I think if it motivates you to move more than normal, than it has done its job.


    Lets say my one coworkers fit bit is wrong and she didn't actually take 6000 steps that morning. She could still strive to make it log 8000 steps the next day and 8500 the next. Progess. Its like if your scale is off 2 pounds, as long as its going down you have still lost 2 pounds. Its still progress, IMHO.

  • Moretakitty
    Moretakitty Posts: 168 Member
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    I have a Fitbit Charge HR and I used to have a Fitbit Flex. The Flex I used to wear around my ankle as I was pushing a stroller, cart etc. This is common. This isn't what you are asking, but it does somewhat answer arm movement.
    WILL CHARGE HR COUNT STEPS WHEN I’M PUSHING A STROLLER OR A SHOPPING CART?

    Charge HR will count your steps when you are pushing a stroller or a shopping cart because we do want to give you credit for this activity. That said, because your hands are not moving, your step count will be lower during this activity.


    Now with the Charge HR, I am back to my wrist. The difference I am seeing however, is small. I walk 2-5 miles before work and I am seeing comparable steps to when I wore it on my ankle.

    https://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/How-accurate-is-my-Charge-HR
    WHY DO I GET EXTRA STEPS SOMETIMES?

    Fitbit trackers have a finely tuned algorithm for step counting. The algorithm is designed to look for intensity and motion patterns that are most indicative of people walking and running. When working at a desk, cooking, or doing other arm movements, the tracker can pick up some extra steps if it thinks you are walking. Many of these situations—such as working or cooking—do include steps in between stationary periods so the tracker tries to give you credit for those steps.

    For the vast majority of customers, the amount of stray steps accumulated is negligible when compared to the entire day.


    Hope that helps!

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