Active minutes aren't exercise?

[Heather3879]

I'm trying to learn how to use my new Fitbit Charge. It appears that my "active minutes," even when in over my goal of 30 for the day, don't count as "exercise" toward my three workouts a week. Is this correct? Will it be remedied if I use the timer next time?

[schoapst]

I have deleted the active minutes Icon from my tracker. and my dashboard. I found it irritating and inconsistent. I think if you have started an activity you should also get some active minutes. One day I went to a tennis clinic and started tracking tennis as an activity. I got no active minutes that day. The next day I went to the same clinic and did not turn on the tennis activity. That day I got 60 active minutes. The way it is set up is confusing and not rewarding. My answer to this is to remove the negative feedback from my tracker.

[KDLAN]

Solution: Manually log your non-step workout into your "weekly exercise," using your "active minutes" for the length of your workout. I just got a FitBit and was wondering the same thing. I did "boot camp" today and although I received 46 "active minutes," I did not receive credit toward my "weekly exercise." I've concluded it's because the boot camp workout didn't primarily involved literal steps. When it comes to activity that counts towards your "weekly exercise," the activity must involve steps. "Active minutes," however, are determined not by steps but by the intensity of your activity. "Active minutes," however, measure any and all continuous moderate to intense activity, steps or no-steps, that is at least 10 minutes. The FitBit default is 10 minutes, but you can increase or decrease that default in your settings. Hope this helps!

So glad it helped! I know how frustrating it is to think, "nobody gets what I'm asking."

Moderator edit: merged reply

[straighttalk44]

I don't understand your response. I have Yoga listed as one of my exercises and I start it at the beginning of yoga class and after one hour and fifteen minutes, Charge 2 is showing zero active minutes. This sucks. And has to be wrong. I don't know what stopwatch setting has to do with it. my stopwatch is a stopwatch!

[NCaggie88]

I agree...I go over my goal everyday and it never gives me credit...when I exercise I have to manually log my data to credit for it...I don't don't run for 5 miles and not get credit for it...In my mind...if I walk during the day...run during the day...it should count as active...It makes too much sense to me...By definition...active involves movement...I do that thorough out the day...

[ttfoss]

Well, then what counts as exercise towards my daily goal, if not active minutes? Several times I've met every goal - steps, cals, active mins, floors, and distance. But it didn't register that I achieved my goal. So how does Fitbit calculate that you met your daily goal for exercise?

[MarlenS]

Hope you’re having a great day @schoapst, @KDLAN, @straighttalk44, @NCaggie88 and @ttfoss! 

I'd like to start by clarifying that the active minutes record is totally different from the weekly exercise record. The active minutes are the record of continue movements - moderate-to-intense - for over 10 minutes, if at any time you stop the activity, the time is going to start counting again the 10 minutes before it records the active minutes again.

The weekly exercise goal is recorded when you manually start an activity by press and hold the button on the side or manually log the workout in your account. The American Heart Association recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity at least 5 days per week. Your Fitbit exercise goal represents the number of days per week you want to exercise. By default, your goal is 5 days per week.

Let me know if you have question. 

[lmarsh84]

Not sure if someone else has already asked this, but this happened tonight and it's bugging me...I had 9 "active minutes", and when I manually logged a 20 minute walk, the active minutes went back to 0.  My exercise days logged 3.  When I delete the 20 minute walk, I get the 9 active minutes back, but my exercise days go back to 2.  How can get it to log both?

[pooh80133]

I think it has to do with the intensity of the exercise you are logging.  I have noticed that manually logging a regular "walk" often doesn't count as active minutes (for whatever reason Fitbit doesn't think that is active enough).  I have found that I need to record it as "race walking" to get it to count as "active".  In essence, when you manually log a workout, it is overriding what your Fitbit automatically recorded for that time.  I don't understand why a manually recorded walk doesn't count as "active" (even at a very high rate of speed), but I get around it if needed by logging Race Walking.  From one of the other comments, my guess is that "yoga" is not "active" enough in Fitbit's database, and so if you manually record yoga, it is overriding any minutes you might have had by automatic tracking, and giving 0 active minutes.  I understand the reasoning for the new calculations of active minutes, based on the recommendations.  However, I feel like they went a little too far.  If I walk for 30 minutes, 4 mph, and manually log it, that should count as "active minutes."  However, they changed the algorithm so it doesn't track that way, at least not the last time I tried.

From what I can tell from reading this forum, the only way you get an "exercise day" is to manually record an exercise (or I guess manually start/stop it with your tracker if you have that type-I do not so I have to use the app or website).  I need the active minutes for my rewards program at work (30+ active minutes or 10K steps, 12 days a month), so I will just be ignoring the "exercise days".

However, I completely agree with everyone's premise-if you have at least 30 active minutes (which, as described multiple times, are a complex calculation involving intensity and at least 10 minutes of duration), it should also count as an "exercise day".  It doesn't make sense for the exercise days to only be calculated based on manual recording of an exercise.  For me, the point of having a Fitbit is to not have to deal with the manual tracking, at least for step based exercise!

[Bee1950]

Some people are wondering why, step based activities recorded by pushing the button to start the timer only show up as an activity and not in the weekly exercise goals.  I have that problem..I walk >50 minutes, it shows up as an activity but does not show up on the weekly exercise record.

[pooh80133]

I am not a fan of the weekly exercise record at all!  I wore my zip in a wristband this week, and noticed it picked up steps and active minutes while I was driving.  I manually put in that time as driving so it would delete the steps and active minutes, and it counted it as one of the days of weekly exercise.  It seems like anything you track manually counts and that (and apparently what you are starting with the timer does not always).  Fitbit, can't you fix the programming on your site to pick these up a little better?

[RGLanc]

When I mow my lawn with a push mower, it records it as outdoor biking. 

[mr3]

We have a few things going on here, when it comes to getting an exercise day recorded. The whoole thing is confusing, which is why we seem to be going in circles. 

First, the fitbit seems to want to see some movement AND an elevated heart rate to record active minutes. Shopping probably doesn't count. Walking hilly neighborhoods does. And it takes 10 - 15 minutes to start counting, but it will give you a bit of grace after that, so you can pause occasionally. It does roll over midnight, so you can get immediate active minutes credit  if you happen to be out late.

Second, the "active day" calculation seems to take a fair few hours to show up. We'll see if I get it while I am in bed!

Finally, it seems that you can get an exercise day with as little as 15 minutes of brisk walking. 

(and why is this thread marked "solved"?).

[RGLanc]

Thank you. That was helpful!

[DarthLiki]

I'm having this problem too. I went for a 20 minute brisk walk yesterday and got 20 active minutes. It did not, however, record this as a session of exercise. This is a new problem with my fitbit. It used to count these lunch-break walks as a session of exercise, and lately it's hit or miss. Does this have to do with heart rate maybe? Perhaps I'm getting more fit and so my heart rate isn't as high during these walks. High enough to count as active minutes, but not high enough to count as exercise. I just don't know why there is a sudden discrepancy.

[AinsleyF]

HI there, I have a similar situation... my fitbit recorded active minutes and counted towards my daily exercise goal earlier this week when I walked to the store however, when I went to an intense class at the gym (running rowing and weights) it counted my active minutes but not towards my exercise goal. Why is that?

Thanks!

[TDGARDENS]

This is not a very helpful answer. Until this weekend, my cardio dance workouts - Nonstop for 55 minutes or more, with average heart rates between 104 and 114 - would show up as "active minutes." For the last three days they have not. 

I have shorter, lower avg bpm workouts on Friday that counted (with less calories!). Go figure.

[Sef650]

This is confusing because there are several issues here that are similar enough to be mistaken for one another, but that aren't really the same.

Some people are wondering why the things they are doing are registering as active minutes and not toward exercise days.

Some are wondering why the things they are doing are registering as exercise but not as active minutes.

Some are wondering why the things they are doing are registering as exercise at all (often as outdoor bicycling).

Some are wondering why the things they are doing are not registering as either active minutes or exercise. 

Some are wondering why they can manually record something as either exercise or active minutes but not both. 

And I'm pretty sure there are more that I'm missing.

I think it would be really helpful if people would let everyone know which question they are trying to address when they offer an answer.

[schoapst]

I think fitbit has made the subject too complicated and so I have deleted active minutes from my tracker to avoid frustration.

Stephanie

[Nikkijj]

I've only had my Fitbit charge 2 for a few weeks, so it's all new, but when I first wore it, I went for a long walk with a friend and it logged my active minutes as a workout too, so I was all chuffed and amazed at what this little tracker can do. Now though, it seems to have stopped logging my intense workouts that are over 30 minutes at a time (aerobics, legs bums and tums), as a days exercise.

I'm finding this a bit frustrating because it just stopped doing it, so even though I've worked out for the 4 days, it logs just one a week.

I tried manually logging my workouts after I didn't them, but it also added to my active minutes which were already recorded, so it looked like I did twice as many active minutes, so I had to delete my workouts so that I wouldn't feel like I wasn't cheating myself. 

Why does it just stop auto recognising my workouts when my heart rate is up for over 30 minutes at least?!?!

Ive looked at the settings to start tracking just before a workout, but it has run, walk and something else, no aerobic option and no search bar, help!

I received a replacement charge HR about 1 month ago and now experience issues I hadn't previously. For example, my workout today was 49 minutes, it shows 18 in fat burn and 10 in cardio (not great, I know). Anyways for active minutes, it shows 12. I get not having 49 mins for active but it should at least show the portions in a goal HR zone (28), right?

Moderator edit: merged reply

[Lilon]

For 2 years my Alta has matched once on my actual Fitbit , actual minutes moved. Example this morning I was at 70 mind. I go into my ap update comes in and shows 25 mins??? Steps are almost 7k . This has been hygienic about 5 months . I’m so frustrated!!! I need this fixed!! Please help! 🌸