That was a feature that they added some time last fall, if I remember correctly. I think it only works for devices with heart rate monitors (but I'm not sure about that. Somehow it will auto-detect certain activities - walks, runs, elliptical, aerobic workout (like Zumba), outdoor bike, and "sport". It's not perfect, but you can either turn off the auto-detect for an activity if you want or you can change the minimum time required before an activity is detected. I don't know anything about how it works. It's probably mostly using your heart rate to determine calorie burn for the activity, so it's as accurate as that is for any other relatively steady state cardio exercise.

pjmuise wrote: »

I've gone onto Fitbit and seen steps broken down into ellipticals and other equipment I'm not even using

That's why I have auto-detect turned off for outdoor biking and elliptical - I don't do those and I've seen other people say that it mistakenly logged those when they were doing something else. However, if I ever do get my bike down and go for a ride, I guess I'll have to remember to turn that back on.

After about a week of seeing your average resting HR - it should stop using HR-based calorie burn during normal daily activities, and just use the step-based as it normally does.

But if you have been turning HR off - it can't figure that out. Which is Ok too, since it's using what it would hopefully eventually get too anyway.

Also, they have programmed in the device the average movement that would be caused by the activity.

Biking is a hard one since wrist is usually held steady, I'm betting they go by typical road vibration type impacts, short and soft but frequent. The type of motion that wouldn't match anything else.

My steps seen by Zip aren't related to anything my legs are doing on the bike. I have zoomed in on 5 min sections of steps that I know from GPS track were over rough payment for most of the time, and indeed more steps there then the following smooth section.
Which even if steps were accurately seen, "steps" on a bike have no relation to calorie burn of steps walking/running. Obviously at some speed you could make the calorie burn match - but good luck knowing what speed that is which matches out of pure coincidence.

BodyMedia was attempting to do this way back prior to HR ability to get better estimate on exercise. They had the formulas for more accurate calorie burn for other activities - but since their desire was for totally automatic - they had no way to move to a specific exercise at that time, motions not that known, and they didn't want a user to have to select it.

The device on ankle is merely to get more "steps" seen for people that can only look at step goals as the big goal.
I've seen them recommend on Fitbit putting it on barbell too so at least the up and down motion gives more steps when lifting - obviously nothing with calorie burn applies there either.

I'm not sure why those folks just don't sit there during the set rests and shake their device for some steps - obviously just as bogus as their other "steps".

Of course, forgot that motion is about the same. Stroller on gravel probably close too.