Cardio Load is useless until it incorporates swimming

[DPinOz]

Until “Cardio Load” learns to include Swimming this metric remains useless. 

Swimming is a major component of my fitness regimen, and is seen by many as a premier exercise activity. Fitbit/Google has no issue estimating “Active Zone Minutes” for swimming, and differentiating harder swims from lounging about in the pool by awarding more zone minutes for the session, and it does this without access to heart rate. 

So why would Fitbit/Google not count swimming in cardio load?

50 laps of a 50 metre pool in 55 minutes (or less) is Cardio Load in my training count.

Until Fitbit/Google recognise this I will leave this metric switched off. A shame really it could be good even great, but currently useless.

[MajiKmOuse]

I absolutely agree with you! Is there any sign that Fitbit will be incorporating swimming into cardio load? Is there a way around it, like not registering a swim and letting it detect the rise in heart rate etc or will this damage the watch? Im confused? I now think maybe I've been pushing too hard as it is actually measuring false cardio loads if it is not incorporating my daily 30/40 min swim, as a result I've been really upping the exercise and feeling absolutely wiped out just to hit the cardio load ha ha ha but in reality I've actually already probably been smashing it and am now going way over the top because the watch is telling me I am in fear of under performing! Glad I've worked this out now before I break myself! 😬 oops, crazy! I was starting to wonder why I seemed to have to do a load more exercise than anyone else ha ha 🙃

[RiekoC]

Hello @DPinOz & @MajiKmOuse 

Unfortunately, heart rate tracking is disabled during swimming as noted in this Cardio Load help page (<-- click link).

[JennySwims]

I'm equally frustrated about how it excludes swimming from cardio load.

And I have also found that I can't fully hide the cardio load information. I have removed it from my metrics display in the app, but it still displays messages about my cardio load below the main dashboard.

[RiekoC]

Hello @JennySwims 

Please consider voting for this feature request in the Product Feedback forum to move or delete the Cardio Load prompt (<-- click link). I understand that the developers monitor this forum to see what feature are being requested for potential future implementation.

[DPinOz]

Hi Jenny

You need to delete the Fitbit Data for Cardio Load from your device's app to get rid of Cardio Load nag screen.

Tap your icon in the top right of the screen, then the "Your Data in Fitbit". Look for "Your Fitbit data" and select "Deletion options". 

From here select "Cardio Fitness Sore", and "Delete all cardio fitness score data".

The nag screen should disappear after that. Good luck. David.

[Notlobian]

Ah, that makes a lot of sense now. So the big fix for Fitbit/Google is to get heart rate tracking working while swimming. Not holding my breath on that. 

[Geyer]

I agree. But it seems shame they can’t approximate a value. Until then, cardio is worthless. 

[KathyOsh]

And yet, cardio load accrues every time I swim. Very confusing. 

[Geyer]

Swimming does not activate Cardio load for me, but it ALWAYS registers steps?? I get about 1500 steps for 1/2 mile, depending how fast I swim. Can’t understand how it is possible for 2 phones to act independently, though they obviously do.
Sent from my iPhone

[Notlobian]

I've now found that tracking the swim with the Swim Activity gives me no cardio load. However, if I leave the Fitbit to auto detect swimming then I get a cardio load boost after swimming - the swim itself still shows zero in the exercise stats. Whether the boost is the same as what I would have got, who knows.