How do you manually enter steps?

You could change your activity level to reflect the steps you take......

Pedometers classify activity as follows:

Sedentary: Less than 5,000 steps daily
Low active: About 5,000 to 7,499 steps daily
Somewhat active: About 7,500 to 9,999 steps daily
Active: More than 10,000 steps daily
Highly active: More than 12,500 steps daily

OR

https://www.myfitnesspal.com/measurements/change

Logging as exercise (those over activity level) would be under cardio. You would use a very slow pace, but it will ask for a time also.

Another option for logging walking in MFP, assuming you can translate it into distance, would be to use this calculator to get a calorie estimate, setting the "energy" box on "net":

https://exrx.net/Calculators/WalkRunMETs

That's a little more nuanced, and maybe a little less optimistic, than MFP's built-in METS estimates for walking.

If the walking is on the job, though, or daily life chores kind of stuff - not intentional exercise - I agree that the better option is to include that walking in activity level. Yes, maybe a person walks less on the weekend or something, but using a daily average should be fine. I'd only log intentional exercise as exercise in MFP, not my daily routine.

I don't think either one of those methods marries particularly well with syncing a fitness tracker to MFP, and wearing that tracker only part of the time.

scottydewwannalosewt wrote: »

UWKammererMyFitness2675 wrote: »

I cannot wear any device that is able to transmit data (wired or wireless) at work. Therefore, I must wear a manual pedometer in order to track my daily steps. How do you enter steps manually in the app?

I can't stand wearing those devices that require you to wear a transmitter. Go to Walmart and they have a smart watch that you can pick up for $49.95 + tax. The watch also comes with a free app for you to keep track of your daily steps. I believe the watch is called Vibe 3+. There's no need to manually enter your steps. You set the watch for the activity that you're doing and the watch calculates and converts your activity into steps. I love using it for when I'm swimming - yes - its waterproof too. You just have to be sure to monitor the life of the watch and charge it from time to time. Preferably after each use.

A phone app? A watch that pairs with a phone app has a transmitter, probably bluetooth, unless you connect it with a wire. My Garmin watch doesn't require a chest belt or anything like that, but it has bluetooth, plus GPS reception. I'm betting that's the kind of stuff OP's job doesn't allow, or a lot of different fitness watches would fit the requirement.

bethhrsn9960 wrote: »

So there is NOT a way to manually enter steps? Is that what I’m hearing? I don’t carry my phone all the time but my watch captures my steps. I just choose not to have it synced to the Garmin app. Thanks

Correct, no way to enter them as steps. You could translate steps into estimated time/speed and enter them as walking in the cardiovascular exercise section.

If they're routine steps rather than brisk walks or runs for intentional exercise, it would be better to simply set your MFP activity level to reflect your average amount of walking.

I choose not to sync my Garmin to MFP, also . . . but I simply ignore my steps, unless I intentionally walk for an unusual time/distance. I'm not saying you should do that, though - we're all different.