Counting Steps FAD
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I have the Zip. It doesn't register anything but a step. I wear an old pedometer that measures steps with a small pebble along with the Zip every so often. Every time the two are within 7-12 steps of each other. I am satisfied with the accuracy of the Zip. I wear it on my waist band usually.0
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OP are you a shill for the anti-activity tracker industry? Is there some new product coming out soon that is going to put these activity trackers out of business and you are just planting the seeds? I just don't understand the animosity towards these devices that so many people find to be helpful tools to achieve our overall goals.0
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I said "300 pages" of negative reviews and I only browsed first 50 pages. I believe those that involve inaccurate "step counts" due to hand motions are true because I found that out by doing laundry and blow drying my hair.0
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koinflipper wrote: »Your Fitbits are not counting your steps at all. They are counting your HAND MOTIONS.
Then I would like to thank my hand motions from the bottom of my inactive little heart for the scale registering 25 pounds lower this morning than it did nine weeks ago.
Or maybe the scale is just registering my wishes and not actual weight loss. That's probably it.
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WinoGelato wrote: »OP are you a shill for the anti-activity tracker industry? Is there some new product coming out soon that is going to put these activity trackers out of business and you are just planting the seeds? I just don't understand the animosity towards these devices that so many people find to be helpful tools to achieve our overall goals.
I'm starting to wonder this as well.0 -
koinflipper wrote: »I said "300 pages" of negative reviews and I only browsed first 50 pages. I believe those that involve inaccurate "step counts" due to hand motions are true because I found that out by doing laundry and blow drying my hair.
You still haven't answered simple questions such as how is getting people to increase overall daily activity and baseline fitness a bad thing? What do you do for your activities that puts you in a position to say what others do isn't sufficient?
The new one, why the change from step counting isn't helpful to the bashing of one form factor of counter from one manufacturer? Another new question .. how does one devolve from citing their studies to Amazon reviews as the intellectual basis of a position?
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brianpperkins wrote: »koinflipper wrote: »I said "300 pages" of negative reviews and I only browsed first 50 pages. I believe those that involve inaccurate "step counts" due to hand motions are true because I found that out by doing laundry and blow drying my hair.
You still haven't answered simple questions such as how is getting people to increase overall daily activity and baseline fitness a bad thing? What do you do for your activities that puts you in a position to say what others do isn't sufficient?
The new one, why the change from step counting isn't helpful to the bashing of one form factor of counter from one manufacturer? Another new question .. how does one devolve from citing their studies to Amazon reviews as the intellectual basis of a position?
Exactly...I'd like to know too....0 -
There's difference to being PHYSICALLY ACTIVE and PHYSICALLY FIT. Steps are fine for keeping up physical activity. If one wants to get more physically fit, they train in exercises and activities that improve it.koinflipper wrote: »I am a big disbeliever in the idea that counting steps taken under any circumstances during the day are actually has any meaning to becoming physically fit. My physiology classes in graduate school taught me that to contribute towards fitness, there must be sustained physical activity for at least 30 minutes at cardio training level.
A friend proudly showed me his fitbit today saying he had 10,000+ steps for the day. How many of those steps were from his office down the short hall to get cup of coffee and back to his office chair (drinks at least 10 cups of coffee a day) ? Do those steps matter in the overall fitness? What about meandering around WalMart avoiding cart collisions and frequent stops to select item and put in cart? Do those steps contribute anything? How about multiple trips from family room to kitchen to get snacks to watch TV? He finally admitted that only half of those steps were during his morning run.
Is it the hypothesis that to get in 10,000 steps per day, you had to have been pretty active during the day? If I walked slowly all day to get 10k steps, is that equivalent to random steps taken throughout the day of any duration and any pace?
Step-Counting gadgets have become big business. Can anyone point me to a single peer-reviewed scientific article that indicates that step counting is a proven method to improve fitness? I doubt it. It is just a FAD that may lull many into the illusion that they are getting physically fit merely because they logged a certain number of steps each day. Is 10k steps the "daily recommended" amount for physical fitness? What happened to cardio exercise as the gold standard?
I think the problem here is that you're confusing ACTIVE with FIT.
And how can it be a fad if it actually encourages people to increase their activity with hardly any additional cost?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Personally I have a Fitbit for one reason...................to see if I've been ACTIVE enough in a day.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition 0 -
Just popping in to leave this study...
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2108876
OP if you don't like it, then don't use one. I've had mine for almost four years now and I like it. My main reason for purchasing it was to motivate me to remain active during the day, not just during the one hour I spend at the gym.
The inaccurate step counts that you and the Amazon reviewers are complaining about could easily be explained by user error and not understanding how the device works.0 -
Personally I have a Fitbit for one reason...................to see if I've been ACTIVE enough in a day.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Exactly. Even if, as claimed here, Fitbit grossly overestimates steps (the margin is much lower than OP is led to believe) it would still be a valid tool to gauge activity. Even if we go for broke and assume that half these steps are false positives, seeing 5000 one day and 15000 the next still indicates an increase in activity.0 -
amusedmonkey wrote: »Personally I have a Fitbit for one reason...................to see if I've been ACTIVE enough in a day.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Exactly. Even if, as claimed here, Fitbit grossly overestimates steps (the margin is much lower than OP is led to believe) it would still be a valid tool to gauge activity. Even if we go for broke and assume that half these steps are false positives, seeing 5000 one day and 15000 the next still indicates an increase in activity.
exactly. If it's inaccurate in a fairly regular way, then it's doing its job as far as I'm concerned.
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Dude, you're just whining now. Find ANY tracker (HRM, Bodybugg, etc.) and they will ALL have faults on accuracy of reading calorie burns. Same with any cardio machine in the gym because the body and how one trains has so many variables. Unless you're hooked up to a direct/indirect calorimetry device at all times, we're just speaking of estimates.koinflipper wrote: »I said "300 pages" of negative reviews and I only browsed first 50 pages. I believe those that involve inaccurate "step counts" due to hand motions are true because I found that out by doing laundry and blow drying my hair.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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OP, your anger on this subject is really odd.
As ninerbuff and many others have noted, there is a difference between being active and being fit. Step counting helps you to be more active. Why you are so focused on the idea that people think step counting makes you fit is also odd.
When I got my Fitbit Flex, I wore it for two days along with an old fashioned pedometer clipped to a belt loop. The total difference after two days was less than 100 steps, so not an issue for me, I don't need it to be perfect, just to give me an idea of how I'm doing.
Most people I've known who were getting weird info from their trackers had set them up incorrectly as far as their stride, wearing it on their dominant arm and not changing the settings, etc.
I have a moisturizer I love that I have used for years, and the Amazon reviews mostly say it is either too oily, too drying, or gave someone hives.0 -
I've been using one for years to help guide me toward the correct caloric intake. I set MFP to sedentary and allow it to add activity based on my steps - which is a basic tool to gauge how active I am on a given day.
Do I think it makes me fit? No. I work out for that.
Does it help me gauge activity so that I can be reasonably sure that I am eating at a slight caloric deficit? Yes.
Does it help me to know when I have been far too inactive on a given day? Yes.
Does it motivate me to keep moving? Take the stairs? Walk from the back of the parking lot? Walk to the farthest restroom? Absolutely. What does that amount to? Increased activity. But I certainly don't fool myself into thinking that this makes me more fit. It's a tool and it works for me.0 -
I had a Jawbone Up3 briefly, and it gave me 'odd' results from arm movements. I didn't get angry, I didn't decide that my circumstances meant it wouldn't be more accurate for someone else, I didn't even leave a bad Amazon review ;-)
I simply bought a tracker that clips onto my clothing (Withings Ox, which comes with a wrist strap and a clothing clip).0 -
OP, your anger on this subject is really odd.
As ninerbuff and many others have noted, there is a difference between being active and being fit. Step counting helps you to be more active. Why you are so focused on the idea that people think step counting makes you fit is also odd.
When I got my Fitbit Flex, I wore it for two days along with an old fashioned pedometer clipped to a belt loop. The total difference after two days was less than 100 steps, so not an issue for me, I don't need it to be perfect, just to give me an idea of how I'm doing.
Most people I've known who were getting weird info from their trackers had set them up incorrectly as far as their stride, wearing it on their dominant arm and not changing the settings, etc.
I have a moisturizer I love that I have used for years, and the Amazon reviews mostly say it is either too oily, too drying, or gave someone hives.
Great post.0 -
I set my goal to walk 80 miles in February, tracked with runkeeper. That takes about 10k steps per day 5 days per week. While I don't count my steps, I make sure to take walks each day. Walking more than you would have to hit a goal works.
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ForecasterJason wrote: »
One day about two months ago, it was way off though. I woke up out of bed and had 1 floor climbed, and IIRC when I checked my dashboard it said it was around 5:30AM. I'm 99.99% positive I didn't go downstairs and come back up, or go up into my attic and come back down in my sleep. Then I was out shopping later in the day and literally watched my floors climbed increase as I was walking on level floor.thankyou4thevenom wrote: »ForecasterJason wrote: »
FWIW, not all Fitbit devices are based on hand movements. I have the One and most of the time it's in my pocket, so it's picking up motion from my hips/legs. I can tell you that there are times when I'm moving my hands and it does not register any steps from that.koinflipper wrote: »Your Fitbits are not counting your steps at all. They are counting your HAND MOTIONS.
21. Yesterday I walked 2 miles (according to my SHealth) on this thing it was 7 flights of stairs, over 10,000 steps!
22. Records THOUSANDS of extra steps in a day, and DOZENS of extra flights
COUNTING STEPS IN BED OR IN SLEEP
1. Counted steps when I was in bed
2. I've woken up and it's said I've walked over 100 steps while asleep
3. Shows hundreds of steps as I was a sleep
4. FitBit says I've walked 95 steps before even getting out of bed in the morning. I don't sleepwalk.
5. it had me walking over 10,000 steps on a day I was home sick in bed
6. The first morning I wore it, I checked it before even leaving the bed. It said I had taken 14 steps already, burned over 1,000 calories, and walked over 1 mile. All before even getting out of bed.
7. I was sick this past Monday and stayed in bed all day and it logged 2,000 steps.
As for extra floors climbed, I've had this problem before and mostly resolved it by resetting the device.
My device usually does count extra steps while I'm in bed, but I "make up for it" by just walking the extra 25-100 steps without the device. That's not a major deal IMO.
The Fitbit uses an althermeter (sp?) to measure your floors. So if you go up in a lift it'll register floors but not steps. Unless you're in a very shaky lift or walking on the spot no steps will be counted.ForecasterJason wrote: »
One day about two months ago, it was way off though. I woke up out of bed and had 1 floor climbed, and IIRC when I checked my dashboard it said it was around 5:30AM. I'm 99.99% positive I didn't go downstairs and come back up, or go up into my attic and come back down in my sleep. Then I was out shopping later in the day and literally watched my floors climbed increase as I was walking on level floor.thankyou4thevenom wrote: »ForecasterJason wrote: »
FWIW, not all Fitbit devices are based on hand movements. I have the One and most of the time it's in my pocket, so it's picking up motion from my hips/legs. I can tell you that there are times when I'm moving my hands and it does not register any steps from that.koinflipper wrote: »Your Fitbits are not counting your steps at all. They are counting your HAND MOTIONS.
21. Yesterday I walked 2 miles (according to my SHealth) on this thing it was 7 flights of stairs, over 10,000 steps!
22. Records THOUSANDS of extra steps in a day, and DOZENS of extra flights
COUNTING STEPS IN BED OR IN SLEEP
1. Counted steps when I was in bed
2. I've woken up and it's said I've walked over 100 steps while asleep
3. Shows hundreds of steps as I was a sleep
4. FitBit says I've walked 95 steps before even getting out of bed in the morning. I don't sleepwalk.
5. it had me walking over 10,000 steps on a day I was home sick in bed
6. The first morning I wore it, I checked it before even leaving the bed. It said I had taken 14 steps already, burned over 1,000 calories, and walked over 1 mile. All before even getting out of bed.
7. I was sick this past Monday and stayed in bed all day and it logged 2,000 steps.
As for extra floors climbed, I've had this problem before and mostly resolved it by resetting the device.
My device usually does count extra steps while I'm in bed, but I "make up for it" by just walking the extra 25-100 steps without the device. That's not a major deal IMO.
The Fitbit uses an althermeter (sp?) to measure your floors. So if you go up in a lift it'll register floors but not steps. Unless you're in a very shaky lift or walking on the spot no steps will be counted.
Fitbit recently released a statement covering that. An althermimeter (again sp?) uses the change in air pressure. So the recent storms and hurricanes both the USA and UK have been having have affected them. So yes while you're sleeping there was a big change in air pressure and that caused floors to register. It doesn't affect your calorie burn.
Also that could be the reason for the added floors while shopping.0 -
That makes sense, although I don't understand why that wouldn't affect everyone in the affected areas. I was with family members who also have the One and their floor count was normal that day.thankyou4thevenom wrote: »ForecasterJason wrote: »
One day about two months ago, it was way off though. I woke up out of bed and had 1 floor climbed, and IIRC when I checked my dashboard it said it was around 5:30AM. I'm 99.99% positive I didn't go downstairs and come back up, or go up into my attic and come back down in my sleep. Then I was out shopping later in the day and literally watched my floors climbed increase as I was walking on level floor.thankyou4thevenom wrote: »ForecasterJason wrote: »
FWIW, not all Fitbit devices are based on hand movements. I have the One and most of the time it's in my pocket, so it's picking up motion from my hips/legs. I can tell you that there are times when I'm moving my hands and it does not register any steps from that.koinflipper wrote: »Your Fitbits are not counting your steps at all. They are counting your HAND MOTIONS.
21. Yesterday I walked 2 miles (according to my SHealth) on this thing it was 7 flights of stairs, over 10,000 steps!
22. Records THOUSANDS of extra steps in a day, and DOZENS of extra flights
COUNTING STEPS IN BED OR IN SLEEP
1. Counted steps when I was in bed
2. I've woken up and it's said I've walked over 100 steps while asleep
3. Shows hundreds of steps as I was a sleep
4. FitBit says I've walked 95 steps before even getting out of bed in the morning. I don't sleepwalk.
5. it had me walking over 10,000 steps on a day I was home sick in bed
6. The first morning I wore it, I checked it before even leaving the bed. It said I had taken 14 steps already, burned over 1,000 calories, and walked over 1 mile. All before even getting out of bed.
7. I was sick this past Monday and stayed in bed all day and it logged 2,000 steps.
As for extra floors climbed, I've had this problem before and mostly resolved it by resetting the device.
My device usually does count extra steps while I'm in bed, but I "make up for it" by just walking the extra 25-100 steps without the device. That's not a major deal IMO.
The Fitbit uses an althermeter (sp?) to measure your floors. So if you go up in a lift it'll register floors but not steps. Unless you're in a very shaky lift or walking on the spot no steps will be counted.ForecasterJason wrote: »
One day about two months ago, it was way off though. I woke up out of bed and had 1 floor climbed, and IIRC when I checked my dashboard it said it was around 5:30AM. I'm 99.99% positive I didn't go downstairs and come back up, or go up into my attic and come back down in my sleep. Then I was out shopping later in the day and literally watched my floors climbed increase as I was walking on level floor.thankyou4thevenom wrote: »ForecasterJason wrote: »
FWIW, not all Fitbit devices are based on hand movements. I have the One and most of the time it's in my pocket, so it's picking up motion from my hips/legs. I can tell you that there are times when I'm moving my hands and it does not register any steps from that.koinflipper wrote: »Your Fitbits are not counting your steps at all. They are counting your HAND MOTIONS.
21. Yesterday I walked 2 miles (according to my SHealth) on this thing it was 7 flights of stairs, over 10,000 steps!
22. Records THOUSANDS of extra steps in a day, and DOZENS of extra flights
COUNTING STEPS IN BED OR IN SLEEP
1. Counted steps when I was in bed
2. I've woken up and it's said I've walked over 100 steps while asleep
3. Shows hundreds of steps as I was a sleep
4. FitBit says I've walked 95 steps before even getting out of bed in the morning. I don't sleepwalk.
5. it had me walking over 10,000 steps on a day I was home sick in bed
6. The first morning I wore it, I checked it before even leaving the bed. It said I had taken 14 steps already, burned over 1,000 calories, and walked over 1 mile. All before even getting out of bed.
7. I was sick this past Monday and stayed in bed all day and it logged 2,000 steps.
As for extra floors climbed, I've had this problem before and mostly resolved it by resetting the device.
My device usually does count extra steps while I'm in bed, but I "make up for it" by just walking the extra 25-100 steps without the device. That's not a major deal IMO.
The Fitbit uses an althermeter (sp?) to measure your floors. So if you go up in a lift it'll register floors but not steps. Unless you're in a very shaky lift or walking on the spot no steps will be counted.
Fitbit recently released a statement covering that. An althermimeter (again sp?) uses the change in air pressure. So the recent storms and hurricanes both the USA and UK have been having have affected them. So yes while you're sleeping there was a big change in air pressure and that caused floors to register. It doesn't affect your calorie burn.
Also that could be the reason for the added floors while shopping.
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