When does a wrist based Fitbit count steps
carolemack
Posts: 1,276 Member
I wear a Fitbit One on my bra...I would like to upgrade to a Charge 2 HR...when wearing a wrist based Fitbit does it count the steps you do when you are holding on to something such as a grocery cart, buggy, dog leash, etc., where your wrist is basically still...I would hate for all the steps I do in say Costco not to count...lol
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I have a Charge 2 and it doesn't pick up steps as far as I can tell when pushing a cart or stroller. If it does, it's not many. I try to push a cart or stroller with one hand. Grocery cart is a bit harder to do with one hand but I try to do that as much I can.1
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lauraesh0384 wrote: »I have a Charge 2 and it doesn't pick up steps as far as I can tell when pushing a cart or stroller. If it does, it's not many. I try to push a cart or stroller with one hand. Grocery cart is a bit harder to do with one hand but I try to do that as much I can.
Thank you for your response! That is what I thought but some people have told me that I am wrong and that it does count every step. I don't know whether I could push a grocery cart with one hand but I sure will give it my best shot...lol...either that or quit buying more than one days worth of groceries at a time
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Since it's still trying to count impact of the steps to see them and determine distance (for calculating calories) - several have mentioned taking it off wrist and looping on belt, or just stick in pocket.
Some have mentioned going to putting it on ankle - but frankly most walking always has one foot on the ground while the other impacts - so it would normally only see 1/2 the steps, especially grocery store shuffle.
Belt loop or pocket is better.1 -
Since it's still trying to count impact of the steps to see them and determine distance (for calculating calories) - several have mentioned taking it off wrist and looping on belt, or just stick in pocket.
Some have mentioned going to putting it on ankle - but frankly most walking always has one foot on the ground while the other impacts - so it would normally only see 1/2 the steps, especially grocery store shuffle.
Belt loop or pocket is better.
Thanks for this...pocket it will be.0 -
I put mine in my pocket when I use a grocery cart.
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It sometimes misses those steps, BUT, boy does it think I'm stepping when I ride my motorcycle! Wish there was an off button on the damn thing. I can rack up 4k extra steps on my commutes.
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It sometimes misses those steps, BUT, boy does it think I'm stepping when I ride my motorcycle! Wish there was an off button on the damn thing. I can rack up 4k extra steps on my commutes.
Same road vibration issue on bike rides. I'm really surprised there isn't more from riding in car.
I'm surprised on motorcycle though, I'd think it would have shocks closer to a car than to a bike (which has none on the road).
There is an app (can't recall right now) that you do hit a start/stop button when driving, and when device syncs, it overwrites the block of time with a workout with 0 steps.
Fitbit has it in their database, unlike most workouts it does NOT maintain the steps seen, but wipes them, the app merely provides ease of start/stop to log that workout after device syncs.0 -
carolemack wrote: »I wear a Fitbit One on my bra...I would like to upgrade to a Charge 2 HR...when wearing a wrist based Fitbit does it count the steps you do when you are holding on to something such as a grocery cart, buggy, dog leash, etc., where your wrist is basically still...I would hate for all the steps I do in say Costco not to count...lol
My Alta doesn’t seem to count steps when I push a cart, so I try to push the cart one handed1 -
It sometimes misses those steps, BUT, boy does it think I'm stepping when I ride my motorcycle! Wish there was an off button on the damn thing. I can rack up 4k extra steps on my commutes.
Same road vibration issue on bike rides. I'm really surprised there isn't more from riding in car.
I'm surprised on motorcycle though, I'd think it would have shocks closer to a car than to a bike (which has none on the road).
There is an app (can't recall right now) that you do hit a start/stop button when driving, and when device syncs, it overwrites the block of time with a workout with 0 steps.
Fitbit has it in their database, unlike most workouts it does NOT maintain the steps seen, but wipes them, the app merely provides ease of start/stop to log that workout after device syncs.
I would be really interested in finding out what that app is. I have a job where I work in the oilfield and those roads are crazy bumpy and easily adds thousands of steps to my day if I go out. Drives me nuts...I really wish fitbit would have a little button to put it in driving mode where it wouldn't count steps.
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Found it!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.okiesmokie.travelbit&hl=en
As to manual entry fun:
https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge-2/Using-the-driving-activity-to-cancel-out-steps/m-p/2244881#M83119
for devices that allow putting your own activity as a workout - you could perhaps select the correct Driving one (notice 2 versions) to be sent to your device.
Then on device, select workouts and pick that one, and there you go, almost as good as a button press.0 -
Found it!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.okiesmokie.travelbit&hl=en
As to manual entry fun:
https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge-2/Using-the-driving-activity-to-cancel-out-steps/m-p/2244881#M83119
for devices that allow putting your own activity as a workout - you could perhaps select the correct Driving one (notice 2 versions) to be sent to your device.
Then on device, select workouts and pick that one, and there you go, almost as good as a button press.
Thank you!!0 -
I've heard of people wearing it in their sock, pocket, or even in their bra0
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redversustheblue wrote: »...I really wish fitbit would have a little button to put it in driving mode where it wouldn't count steps.
It counts steps when I swim or workout with weights. It counts steps based on arm movements, it would be nice to have a setting in the workouts that would turn off the step counter when you are doing an exercise that does not require steps but does use arm movements.0 -
rickdkitson wrote: »redversustheblue wrote: »...I really wish fitbit would have a little button to put it in driving mode where it wouldn't count steps.
It counts steps when I swim or workout with weights. It counts steps based on arm movements, it would be nice to have a setting in the workouts that would turn off the step counter when you are doing an exercise that does not require steps but does use arm movements.
Actually, it attempts to count steps based on impact despite the arm movement.
The reason why you can wear them on your body and still get steps seen, sometimes more accurately for distance, which leads to better calorie burn estimate.
Trying crossing your arms across your chest and walk - still has steps.
If you look at the distance and resulting calorie burn for those arm movements you mention (and other daily stuff) - you'll find it's so minor as to be a mere blip in the scheme of things regarding calorie burn. More inaccuracy and calories allowed in nutrition labels.0 -
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Actually, it attempts to count steps based on impact despite the arm movement.
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But why count steps when I am in the pool?
The "step" count is pretty close to my stroke count. No impact unless it is my arm hitting the water but I have a pretty smooth stroke.
I have an Iconic and I like that I no longer have to count laps, I like to swim 3 km or so and counting laps is boring and easy to lose count. Now I don't have to worry about that at all.0 -
Now that is a nice incidental.
It'll also count steps during cooking some repeat motions, hair brushing some women have commented, ect.
It doesn't know you are in the pool, it sees what appears to be steps, impacts. It counts them. That's what it does.
They have tried to get it smarter to determine the motion and activity that may be occurring - many have reported elliptical given to many activities.
If you look at the logged info, I'd be curious how many steps and distance given, and calories assigned to it.
You can create an Activity record if you know the start / stop time (if entering start / duration time, it's a workout record using a database entry, wrong thing for my question, but more accurate for swimming calories of course and you can do after the Activity Record).
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I use the programmed exercises. It would be a simple software fix to turn off the step counter when I am in a swim exercise. (I get steps on the elliptical as well, in close agreement to the machine's counter.)
Could they not simply switch off the step counter when you are doing an exercise that does not have steps?0 -
They sure could, but most people want even bogus "steps" just to have more steps for their challenges.
So then you'd get complaints probably.
To the other extreme was a guy that wanted no steps from workouts to be counted - only daily activity steps, so he could track changes to that.
I know on the Lifting workout when selected, it no longer estimates calories burned by HR which is going to give inflated values, but instead uses the database entry of cal/min rate which is much more accurate.
I think it would be interesting on selecting the swim, if you could do a calibrate, enter a pool distance before or after and let Fitbit estimate distance moved per stroke.0 -
Since it's still trying to count impact of the steps to see them and determine distance (for calculating calories) - several have mentioned taking it off wrist and looping on belt, or just stick in pocket.
Some have mentioned going to putting it on ankle - but frankly most walking always has one foot on the ground while the other impacts - so it would normally only see 1/2 the steps, especially grocery store shuffle.
Belt loop or pocket is better.
I never thought of that. I always tried the one hand push, which is hard to do sometimes.0
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