How do I get less than 10 Active Minutes?

[Barbie222]

I have read the article about how active minutes are calculated. I see that it only counts at least 10 minutes. So, what does it mean when it shows 8 minutes? Do active minutes only reflect time over 10 minutes or are there occasions when it will show less than 10?

[SantiR]

@Barbie222 Welcome to the Fitbit Community! If it is showing 8 active minutes means that you were doing an activity for 18 minutes. The tracker, after 10 minutes of constant activity, will interpret the activity as high intensity and will start counting active minutes. So, the activity lasted 18 minutes but only 8 were active minutes as for it to be considered high intensity activity it needs to last at least 10 minutes and needs to be constant. 

Hope this helps. See you around! 

[JuanCarlosR]

Let's say the original poster started a "high intensity" activity at 10:00AM and finished at 10:18AM - as per your explanation. So it lasted more than 10 minutes but only 8 of those minutes were intense enough to qualify as "active".

Do you see that for this to make sense there have to be two levels of intensity?  A lower level that puts you in the "high intensity" range, and then a higher level that puts you in the "active minutes" range. Is that the case? According to FitBit's own definition, an active minute is awarded "when the activity you're doing is more strenuous than regular walking, which includes everything from a brisk walk to a cardio workout or run."   Then this begs the question: What is a "high intensity activity"?

So... nothing?

Is this it for customer support? Hello? Anybody out there? Hello?

Moderator edit: merged reply

[SunsetRunner]

Yep, I'm here! What's up?

Yes it is possible to get fewer than 10 active minutes.

[SantiR]

@JuanCarlosR I hope you're doing well! A high intensity activity is the one you perform at a high rate or magnitude. It is how hard you do the activity. Of course, this will depend on individuals as intensity is relative to your level of fitness. Running, fast swimming, fast cycling, moving heavy loads, etc. are some examples of high intensity activities. 

Also, to reach customer support, please click on the link. You can contact them via phone, live chat or email. 

Hope this helps. See you around. 

[JuanCarlosR]

Thanks, Santi.

So how can you perform a high intensity activity (say, running, to use your example) for 18 minutes and have 10 of those not qualify as "active" if "active" is just "more strenuous than regular walking"?

[SantiR]

You are very welcome @JuanCarlosR. Yes, it is more strenuous than walking but remember that active minutes will start counting after the tracker senses 10 minutes of constant moderate to high intensity activity. So, say you start to run at a moderate rate for 10 minutes, just to warm up. After that, you can start running at a high rate for active minutes to start counting. Basically what I'm saying is that, to get 18 active minutes... a high intensity activity must be done for 28 minutes as the active minutes will count after 10 minutes of moderate to high intensity activity while wearing your tracker. Feel free to check the article again for more details. 

Hope this helps. Keep me posted! 

[kalimm]

@SantiR If it's the case that you have to do 30 minutes of high intensity activities to get credit for 20 active minutes, then how did my 42 minute exercise get me 38 active minutes? Shouldn't I only be allowed to get a maximum of 32 actie minutes?

A few other examples of recent workouts vs. active minutes are below:

16 minute exercise, 9 active minutes

16 minute exercise, 16 active minutes

22 minute exercise, 20 active minutes

If I understand what you're saying, this shouldn't be possible.

[SebringDon]

SmartTrack kicks in after 10 minutes, but it includes those 10 minutes in your active minutes if they met the 3MET requirement for active minutes. I regularly do an 18-minute mile and get active minute credits for the entire 18 minutes.

[JuanCarlosR]

"but it includes those 10 minutes in your active minutes"... That's what I thought from reading the article. If that's the case one should never have less than 10 active minutes for any activity. Evidently, that's not the case, which is why the OP posted the question. This issue still not clear:

Under what scenario can you get 8 active minutes for an activity?

[SantiR]

@kalimm Thanks for stopping by! You earn active minutes for activities at or above about 3 METs. Active minutes are only awarded after 10 minutes of continuous moderate-to-intense activity, but if METs were met for those 10 minutes, they will count. For example, in your case, METs were met for the 38 put of 42 minutes on your activity. Remember, intensity is the key. If your METs are met during at least 10 minutes you will receive Active Minutes. It begins to count active minutes at the moment you reach the METs. The more calories you burn the higher your MET value, so therefore the more calories you burn the higher your total active minutes. Assuming you're active for at least 10 minutes at a time, green spikes on your calorie graph typically indicate that you're earning active minutes. Please make sure you have read the How do I Earn Active Minutes? article for in-depth details. @JuanCarlosR You will get 8 active minutes every time METs are met for those 8 minutes. @SebringDon

Hope this is clear! Let me know if you have further questions! 

[SebringDon]

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@JuanCarlosR wrote:

"but it includes those 10 minutes in your active minutes"... That's what I thought from reading the article. If that's the case one should never have less than 10 active minutes for any activity. Evidently, that's not the case, which is why the OP posted the question. This issue still not clear:

Under what scenario can you get 8 active minutes for an activity?

---

I think I get it now. Look at this image.

My BMR is 1.2 cal/min, meaning an active minute is 3.6 cal/min or greater. From 9:30 to 9:39 I spanned 10 minutes where my AVERAGE burn was 3.6 cal/minute or greater, but it looks like 2 of those minutes INDIVIDUALLY fell below that threshold. I did actually get credit for 8 active minutes in the 9:30 to 9:45 period, so maybe that's the explanation.

[kalimm]

@SebringDon Thanks for the image. That makes sense and it does fit with my experience of active minutes. But I get confused whenever @SantiR says "Basically what I'm saying is that, to get 18 active minutes... a high intensity activity must be done for 28 minutes..." I don't feel like that statement is accurate for how active minutes are actually calculated. Maybe I still don't understand.

[SantiR]

@kalimm Did you saw my last post? Normally you will need to wait 10 minutes for the METs to be met in order for you to get active minutes. However, if the METs are met on those 10 minutes, they will count. Active minutes will count every time you reach the METs. Remember, intensity is the key. If your intensity is not enough, probably you will get active minutes after 10 minutes of activity, when intensity is enough for METs to be met. Remember that intensity is relative to your level of fitness. Please check the article about active minutes for you to be clear on this.

Hope you are not confused anymore. Let me know if you need anything else. 

[JCHailey]

So how should we gage the initial 10 minutes that are required before our 'active minutes'? I had thought that getting/keeping my heart rate above 92 (within the fat burn zone) would work as the preliminary 10 minutes, but it doesn't seem to work consistently. Can you give me a guide to determining how to time the initial required 10 minutes?

[SantiR]

@JCHailey Welcome to the Fitbit family! Just make sure that the 10 initial minutes of your exercise is a continuous moderate to intense activity. This is a recommendation from the CDC (Center for Disease Control). To get more details regarding the "10 minutes at a time", I recommend checking the recommendations on the CDC website. I'm sure you will find the information you are looking for there! Just remember, intensity is the key here.

Keep me posted! 

[AnneEliza]

I still find this puzzling.  I get 8 active minutes when I walk from my car to my office.  I have been sitting in my car, so I'm starting from inactivity.  The total walk is 8-10 minutes, but no more.  Certainly not 18 minutes or I would be late every morning!  I sit down in my office when I get there.  This leads me to believe that the 10 minute timer kicks in after any continuous 10 minute interval of walking, regardless of intensity, and any minutes within that 10 minutes that qualify as active are counted in active minutes.

[vonko002]

Here’s the answer according to Fitbit support. You can earn fewer than 10 active minutes if you engage in continuous physical activity for over10 minutes, but only a portion of those minutes are intense enough to qualify as active minutes. For example, if you walk for 12 minutes, but only 8 minutes are intense enough to count as active minutes, you earn 8 minutes. I usually exercise intensely enough to earn active minutes the entire time, but occasionally I’ve gotten only 7 or 8 active minutes and wondered how this was possible. 

[RayRay17701]

If i walk and have my heart rate high for 7 minutes i think it should show that 7 minutes, instead of a big fat Zero

[LZeeW]

Hello @RayRay17701 and welcome to the Help forum.  You posted the same comment in two forums, usually not necessary.  I have some insight that might help you.  Fitbit bases many of its decisions on CDC recommendations.  For years, the CDC encouraged 10 minutes at a time to help people meet exercise goals.  You could make your goal over the course of the day.  The CDC updated it to an every minute counts philosophy.  Newer Fitbits that award active zone minutes will give you seven zone minutes in that seven minute walk.

 I realize that there are many trackers in use that award active minutes.  They are discontinued models.  I’m sure many users will think that it is an easy fix to update these devices.  It is rare for Fitbit to make changes in discontinued models.

 I want to add that this is a very old thread.  Linked Help articles might not exist as Fitbit updates them.