New activities

[Eoni]

Just wondering why despite of years of people request to update the number of activities on the tracker, nothing gets done. This is supposed to be a sports tracker, yet only few sports are available. There's a topic to request, but requests pending from over a year ago for m different customers don't get entertained by Fitbit. Is this the new way of dealing with customers? I've been using your devices for over 6 years, but to be honest it's just getting worst and worst and even though you expect us to pay for Premium, ridiculous!

[Julia_G · Accepted solution]

Hi, @Eoni , when you track an exercise using your Fitbit, the program isolates, the tracking period so that you have a distinct time period in your app isolating statistics from your time period : time, steps, distance since where appropriate, calories for this time period, and heartrate.  It also alerts the Fitbit to sample heartrate more frequently for greater accuracy.  Finally, it creates a label, so you have a record of your activity.

What it does NOT do is track differently because you are, for instance, doing circuit training, boot camp, or elliptical.  The only difference in this case would be the label.  In other cases the only distance would be whether GPS is turned on, whether distance is suppressed, etc.

I hope this makes sense!

You in fact have many more activites available to you by using the built in database or creating a “custom” activity.  In that case you simply track your activity as a “workout”.  You will get exactly the same basic stats, and when you activity syncs to your dashboard you “categorise” (= re-label) it.  The “workout” exercise mode (unlike the other modes)  on your Fitbit is specifically designed so you can edit the name in your app.

Once you know that, you can track any activity you like.  For example, I know people who track their meditation or their panic attacks, as well as such newish popular sports like pickle ball.  You definitely do not need Premium to do this.  Premium is more focussed on some advanced health features and sleep analysis.

One thing I feel is missing is GPS - I think it would be great if Fitbit would also make Outdoor workout (which does has the option of GPS) also editable.  Maybe that will come!

I hope this helps.  If you need guidance on categorising your workouts, or creating a custom workout, please post again - hopefully letting us know whether you use Android or iOS, as the instructions are very slightly different.

What activity are you hoping to track?

[LZeeW]

@Eoni   Something is being done.  Fitbit is changing the Exercise app on the Sense 2 and Versa 4 and the promos say that there will be 40 exercise shortcuts.  I don't know if these shortcuts will get added to existing devices or not.  I understand if you don't find this answer helpful.

[Eoni]

Padel tennis and also stand up paddle surf. 

I can imagine if you can track different exercises (as options) it's because they've found it the differences on calories, distance, etc for each of them. It's not the same swimming, as walking or weight lifting.

Adding custom activities won't help and still doesn't make any sense on a device that costs over 150$, basically instead of having the job done by Fitbit IT department, they want us to do it for them. Cheaper devices have way more sports to be selected from the main app.

[Eoni]

It's not useful for me since I don't owe either of those devices. But as mentioned, over one year period of people asking should raise some major concern to Fitbit.

[Julia_G]

Your Fitbit does not track different activities differently, as I said above.  Your Fitbit tracks your calorie burn based on your detected heart rate during the activity and your profile info (age, weight, height, sex).  It really only creates a label.  That is also almost certainly the same for other, cheaper devices that you mention, although I am not familiar with them.

You can track your paddle tennis as a “workout” and then change it to one of the activities built in to the database or create a custom activity and you will get the same information.  

[Eoni]

@Julia_G Hi again, so bearing in mind the previous replies. Can you let me know how to categorize the workouts and also how to create a custom one? You can forward a link to a post/guide if there’s one and I’ll try to follow on that and see if I can manage. Thanks!

[Julia_G]

Hi, @Eoni , “paddle tennis” is not in the Fitbit database, so you would need to create a custom activity for that, unless you want to use “tennis”.  “Stand up paddle surfing” is also not in the database, although “paddle boarding” is.  So you can choose to create a custom activity or use one of the built in ones.  In both cases you need to first to track as “workout” and then change the category, as I explained above.

If you decide to create a custom activity, you must do this on the web based program, rather than in your app.  Go to https://www.fitbit.com/activities (or else click the link at the top of each page in the forum for “dashboard” and then “activities”)

Scroll to the bottom of the page and on the right hand side and you will find the option to create a custom activity.  Type any name you choose in the box.  That’s all you need to do!  Once created your custom activity will be available to you in the app, so you only need to do this step once.

When your activity, tracked as “workout” syncs to your app, click on it.  On the next page you will see the stats tracked.  If you are on iOS you will see at the top the option to “categorize” your activity.  Click on that and then in the box begin to type the name of your chosen custom activity.  It should immediately appear.  (Or if you have decided to use one of the built in activities - .e.g. “paddle boarding” just start typing that).  Once you have selected your activity it will then appear under your chosen label.

If you are using Android the instructions are pretty much the same except that instead of clicking on “categorize” you click on the pencil (edit) icon.  Again begin typing your custom activity or built in activity.  Again, job done!  Takes a few extra seconds.

Edited to add: please post again if any of this is unclear and I will try to explain further.  Good luck!

[Eoni]

@Julia_G 
Looks clear enough, thanks! Will try later with my computer. Just want to clarify, when you mention “workout” would be if I select this type of exercise in the tracker? It’s in Spanish but basically “ejercicio” means workout. Pic for reference.

[Julia_G]

@Eoni , yeah, that’s it.