Is the steps counter accurate!?

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haleylocker5764
haleylocker5764 Posts: 1 Member
in Getting Started
Hey there.. I'm new on here, would love advice and support.. I'm a mom of three and I've always been satisfied with my weight, but lately I really need to tone things up. And I've honest never exercised. I'm an outdoorsy and active person but still never have really exercised. My first question would be is the steps counter accurate or should I buy one? Thank you!

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  • MellowGa
    MellowGa Posts: 1,305 Member
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    I have a Garmin Vivosmart HR and it works pretty good and accurate.
  • rdix333
    rdix333 Posts: 111 Member
    edited September 2017
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    I love my fitbit. I checked the accuracy when walking a known distance and it's spot on. Within a few steps per mile. But it will sometimes add steps that I didn't take. Like just sitting at my desk I notice 30 or 40 steps an hour. Also some activities will fool the fitbit. When I ride my Motorcycle to work it will clock 4000-5000 steps. But if I go into my account I can add motorcycle riding during that time and it will remove the added steps.

    I think having something that tracks steps is well worth it. I look at mine all the time and think, Wow I don't have enough steps today, and it encourages me to get off my butt and walk around.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
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    No, step counters aren't accurate. Some brands are closer, but still inaccurate: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5214549/ Here's the thing though... if having a toy that says you worked out less today than yesterday motivates you to move more today, it's a good tool. It can tell the differences between days if the margins are large enough.
    Personally, I am less interested in daily movement and more interested in how far I'm walking/running/cycling for exercise, so I turn on MapMyFitness/RunKeeper and at the end it tells me how many miles I went with a map. I track weekly miles and have weekly and monthly goals.

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