Manually count steps whilst shopping?!

[MsSpammy]

I have contacted Fitbit to advise them that my step count doesn't go up if I'm pushing a shopping trolley in the supermarket, or carrying a bag or similar...
The advice I have been given, is to either count my steps manually and add them afterwards as an activity. Or to take off the Blaze and put it in my pocket?!
As a previous owner of the Flex, which counted steps fine whilst shopping/carrying etc I don't really think this is an acceptable answer.
What are your thoughts on it?

[SteveH]

My thoughts are that I'm very surprised your Flex used to work!

It's a very common complaint that when pushing a stroller or trolley no wrist-worn tracker will be as accurate as when your arms are swinging normally.

I think the advice you got from fitbit was correct.

[Colinm39]

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@MsSpammy wrote:
I have contacted Fitbit to advise them that my step count doesn't go up if I'm pushing a shopping trolley in the supermarket, or carrying a bag or similar...
The advice I have been given, is to either count my steps manually and add them afterwards as an activity. Or to take off the Blaze and put it in my pocket?!
As a previous owner of the Flex, which counted steps fine whilst shopping/carrying etc I don't really think this is an acceptable answer.
What are your thoughts on it?

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@MsSpammy I have just started taking the Blaze off and putting in my pocket when I Supermarket shop using a trolley and when you consider it can be 15% of my daily steps the effort is worth it.

Sometimes I turn the HR auto off. In the example below you can see the comparison and I was very happy with the steps but the calories a littler high because I had the HR on....

I have also been experimenting the way my arms move when I do a planned walk and if I normally swing my arms without a 90o bend I can lose 10% of my steps.

[racertempo]

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@MsSpammy wrote:
I have contacted Fitbit to advise them that my step count doesn't go up if I'm pushing a shopping trolley in the supermarket, or carrying a bag or similar...
The advice I have been given, is to either count my steps manually and add them afterwards as an activity. Or to take off the Blaze and put it in my pocket?!
As a previous owner of the Flex, which counted steps fine whilst shopping/carrying etc I don't really think this is an acceptable answer.
What are your thoughts on it?

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I too am surprised your Flex worked.  I used to take my flex out and put it in my sock with pushing a stroller on a smooth surface in a mall or grocery store 🙂

So with the blaze, you still need to either put it in your pocket, or push one-handed.  Yes it stinks, but the reason it does not track is very valid.  If it does not feel that vibration of some kind it thinks you are getting a ride on something.  Perfect example.....when i push my 2 year old in her little Step2 car on the road and our trails it registeres steps (both my Charge HR and Blaze) because it is constantly feeling the bumps and cracks of the pavement.  However, neither the Charge or the Blaze count when I push a stroller in a mall or a shopping cart in BJs or on Walmart......so in those cases I push 1-handed as much as possible.

Those are your 2 choices, push 1-handed or put in in your pocket.

[Rich_Laue]

The problem here is that the tracker is attached to your arm, and the arm is attached to the cart. The handle of the cart is not letting your your naturally bounce up and down with your feet stepping. It seems to have no problems counting the cart bouncing from a bad wheel though.

This is a common observation with all arm based trackers on the market.

[racertempo]

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@Rich_Laue wrote:

The problem here is that the tracker is attached to your arm, and the arm is attached to the cart. The handle of the cart is not letting your your naturally bounce up and down with your feet stepping. It seems to have no problems counting the cart bouncing from a bad wheel though.

This is a common observation with all arm based trackers on the market.

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That is only part of the problem, the smoothness of the floors is also a problem.  If you walk a stroller or a shopping cart outside it does register your steps, because it can recognize that you are not "getting a ride".

[Rich_Laue]

@racertempo for the most part outside while pushing a stroller it is not counting your steps. Since the Blaze is only able to see arm motions, not feet motions, it is counting the amount of bouncing the stroller does over the bumps.

No it is still not counting your foot steps.

[Niters]

My charge hr also doesn't count my steps so I was losing a lot of step while at work (pushing gurneys and wheelchairs) so I just wear it on my ankle now and it works fine.

[MsSpammy]

I'm sorry but I really don't think that's an acceptable solution. There is no way I am wearing my blaze on my ankle. I'm not even sure it'd fit!

[fudge22]

The problem with not moving your arm while walking is that the fitbit can't register any type of movement because it is attached to your arm. Yes putting it on your leg will fix that issue, but who wants to put a watch on their leg? The only other suggestion is carry the bag with the other hand or push the stroller with one arm. 

[Niters]

You're right its not but that's how I solved  and or worked around the issue. It also didn't fit so I attached  a hair binder and rigged it so that I could wear it around my ankle on the days I work and while grover shopping  I just throw it in my pocket.


Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device

[fudge22]

I'm sure a future update could be adding pushing a stroller as an exercise type, which would modify the algorithm for step counting to pick up normal steps as well as steps from pushing a stroller. This would take additional research though and in all honesty may not be worth the cost of implementing. Sure, it would solve the issue of pushing a stroller and not counting steps, but is it really worth the extra effort and research on their part?

Another consideration is the fact that they are busy with firmware updates and bug fixes as well as coming out with new watch faces for future releases etc. I don't see them spending the needed time to address the issue of pushing a stroller. 

[fudge22]

Vote here to see if they implement a stroller mode for the fitbit in the future: https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Feature-Requests/Stroller-Mode-to-count-steps-while-pushing-a-stroll...

[MikeF]

Clearly I don't work at Fitbit but I think it's incredibly unlikely that it will ever be possible to detect 'stroller steps' using an accelerometer on the arm. The best that could be done is probably some sort of GPS related distance ,ensuring mode but, of course, that would be useless indoors.

[Colinm39]

@MikeF My dream list is to have the Blaze and the One integrated in a way that you set an option on a multi tracked phone and select when you want the One to record steps.  More sales for Fitbit. I trust the One because of it's accuracy over the last 3+ years.

My issue is always shopping trolleys and pushing my daughter in a wheelchair. Taking the Blaze off my wrist, set the One to record. Tonight shopping trolley with the One (clipped in my jeans coin pocket), and the Blaze ( sitting in Pocket).  That is 10% high for the Blaze, the 2nd table.....

The day is nearly over but here are today's total results.

[SouthernDad]

When I used the Fitbit One this was not a problem as I wore it on my belt.  When I switched to the Fitbit Flex, I had the issue of it not counting my steps.  Of course, I didn't discover it until five laps around the Super Walmart on a rainy day.  I just switched to the Fitbit Blaze today.  I am guessing I will be pocketing the tracker when I go grocery shopping.  Oddly, my Apple Watch does track steps when on my wrist even when pushing a shopping cart.

[racertempo]

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@fudge22 wrote:

I'm sure a future update could be adding pushing a stroller as an exercise type, which would modify the algorithm for step counting to pick up normal steps as well as steps from pushing a stroller. This would take additional research though and in all honesty may not be worth the cost of implementing. Sure, it would solve the issue of pushing a stroller and not counting steps, but is it really worth the extra effort and research on their part?

Another consideration is the fact that they are busy with firmware updates and bug fixes as well as coming out with new watch faces for future releases etc. I don't see them spending the needed time to address the issue of pushing a stroller. 

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I am sure they won't add this, it has been an issue for several years starting with thge Flex.  I used to put the sensor in my sock.  SO just put the blaze in your pocket, or strap it to your belt.

[dmama1314]

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@MsSpammy wrote:
I'm sorry but I really don't think that's an acceptable solution. There is no way I am wearing my blaze on my ankle. I'm not even sure it'd fit!

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But this is a well known/advertised issue with the wrist devices. It may not be an acceptable solution, but it is THE solution right now. So either put it in your pocket, which takes about 15 seconds to make happen, or return it.

Not to be calous, but you are complaining about something that most people know buying a wrist tracker, and there is literally no solution for other than what has been said.

[MsSpammy]

And how does it monitor my HR while it's in a pocket? What if I don't have a pocket to carry it in? Sorry to sound pedantic, but I have had wrist based monitors before and this hasn't been an issue. Also, if I'm cold I sometimes walk with my arms crossed, which is the same. It seems that for the majority of the time, if you're pushing a supermarket trolley, crossing your arms, carrying something in my hands, or anything that means I'm not swinging and pumping my arms, I have to put it in my pocket?

[racertempo]

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@MsSpammy wrote:
And how does it monitor my HR while it's in a pocket? What if I don't have a pocket to carry it in? Sorry to sound pedantic, but I have had wrist based monitors before and this hasn't been an issue. Also, if I'm cold I sometimes walk with my arms crossed, which is the same. It seems that for the majority of the time, if you're pushing a supermarket trolley, crossing your arms, carrying something in my hands, or anything that means I'm not swinging and pumping my arms, I have to put it in my pocket?

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Walking with your arms crossed will count the steps, because it will feel your arms moving up and down.  The issue is when your arms are fixed to a position and walking on a smooth surface, like a grocery store or mall.  When I mow my lawn my hands are fixed just like pushing a shopping cart, but the lawn mowing counts the steps because it is not an even surface and it feels the ups and down.  

When on a smooth floor is things you are getting a ride, like on a moving walkway at an airport.  Carry something.....it will count those too.  Hold your umbrella in the hand with your fitbit blaze on that wrist.....it wil count those too.  So your problem is ONLY when pushing something on a very smooth surface.  So in those rare instances, just put it in your pocket, or push the cart with 1 hand (which is what I do) and you will get steps and the HR.

There is no perfect fix for this, these things are not living/learning devices.  By your last 2 sentences I gather that you really have not tried counting steps while walking with your arms crossed.  It is not even close to the same as pushing a shoping cart, and it will count them.