Manually added exercise should use HR data

[jaina8851]

I have a Fitbit Alta HR. I do several exercise activities that are not captured by Smart-track (trapeze, yoga, stationary bike, etc). When I go into the Fitbit app or dashboard to manually log these activities, the app helpfully calculates the approximate calorie burn for me. The problem is that it doesn't use the heart rate data that my device captured during that time.

For a 90 minute circus class, the heart rate data calculates that I burned close to 300 calories. When I try to manually log the exercise on my phone, it estimates a comically low 73 calories, completely ignoring the heart rate data. When I try to manually log the exercise as an activity on the website dashboard, it utilizes the heart rate data but doesn't consider it an exercise since it is being logged as an activity.

I would like the ability to retroactively log exercise that the Fitbit doesn't detect automatically, without losing the information about calories burned. I understand that for some users, the calories burned is not accurate, so the ability to override the heart rate data should be maintained. However, a user should have the option to leave the calories box blank and have that use the heart rate data instead. This will allow the heart rate, calories, and impact tabs to be accurate based on the data that the Fitbit has already collected during the specified time period.

[Rich_Laue]

Go to your activities page on the web @jaina8851. 

On the bottom where the enter is, look to the right you will see a stopwatch with a plus sign. Use this and it will not override the trackers data. 

[jaina8851]

Correct, but as I mentioned in my post, it does not get counted as an exercise if you do that. It gets counted as an "activity" instead, so it does not sync to the phone app or count towards exercising for X days per week. The following screenshot shows two activities from my online dashboard. Static Trapeze was entered the way you describe, by clicking the stopwatch icon, whereas the walk was logged with Smart-track from my Fitbit. The Static Trapeze activity shows the heart rate data as you mentioned, but does not have "View Details" icon, which indicates that it was not counted as an exercise. When I click on the "View Details" icon for the walk, I get brought to a new screen that shows me heart rate, calories and impact. The walk shows up on my phone. Static Trapeze does not. This is apparently by design, and this is the feature that I am trying to change, since my app incorrectly told me that I only exercised 2 days last week instead of 3.

[Konfusius]

I fully agree with the heart rate idea, even though I only got the Alta HR yesterday. Additionally, it feels kind of weird to have to go to the website based dashboard to enter it as an activity, on a device that ashtray has the app running o.O

[SunsetRunner]

I voted for "jaina8851"'s idea.  I received my AltaHR on Monday.  My workouts have been automatically picked up until yesterday, when I did a 71 minute power walk.  The fitbit registered all of my steps and my HR, but not the "workout".  When I went to manually record the workout when the accurate time, duration, distance, etc - it basically wiped out all of the steps I took during that 71 minutes, as if they never happened.  Jaina's idea would bypass that and force the manual entry to use what the fitbit already recorded taking place during that time and layer in the other metrics we are entering in manually.

[Xeniaf]

I am planning on purchasing one soon. I am looking for the best place to buy from in Canada so it will be easy to return if there are issues. 

I agree with your suggestion. I'm not very active but I do want it to properly track whatever I do. 

[COM926]

I voted for this option too. I've had my Alta HR for 4 days and while it tracks my walks, it has yet to pick up on any of my indoor gym activities- mostly cycling, which is probably due to lack of wrist motion, but today I did Tabata and was surprised it didn't register that. Based on what I gathered from reading the forums, I found a roundabout way to do it. I went to the website, on the activities page I manually entered the activity so that I could figure out how many calories I burned during the workout, then on the app I manually logged the Tabata workout and overrode the automatic calorie info with the calories it said I burned from the online activity log. Now it shows up on my app and shows my HR and calories burned. I checked and it altered my calories burned and activity minutes by 4, not sure why. Do you think this fix is accurate? There must be a better way, Fitbit! So frustrating!

[Rich_Laue]

I havrnt tried this yet for heart rate @jaina8851. On the website there are two places to manually add an event. Try using the stopwatch to the right instead of tge quick entry on the left. Entering it through the stopwatch icon wont overide the trackers data, so it might use the heart rate data also.

[jaina8851]

Please read what I have already responded to this suggestion. If you use the stopwatch, it does not record it as an exercise, which defeats the entire point. Activities that are entered this way do not sync to the app at all and as such they do not count in the "Have you exercised X days this week?" tile. This suggestion does not solve the problem that I, and many other users, are facing. I want to manually track exercise and have it use the heart rate data.

[Ash_in_Progress]

I fully agree with your idea and was thinking the same thing! I'm super happy with my Alta HR aside from the autosense feature, which is obviously extremely flawed. I do 2+ hours of exercise per day that includes cardio, weight training, and physical therapy. I'm lucky if the tracker recognizes an hour of that. Being able to go into the App and tell it when I'm starting or ending a workout would be a HUGE improvement and make the issue a lot less frustrating. I would think that feature would be fairly simple to add - get on it Fitbit! Please 🙂

[Rich_Laue]

@jaina8851 ive circled the stopwatch to use.. Entering here will use the data from the tracker. Entering where ive Xed out is to be used when the tracker is not being worn.

 @Ash_in_Progress for now the workaround use the manuwl workout mode on the tracker.  Then qfter a sync reclasify the event.

[jaina8851]

Omg, dude, let it frigging go. Your supposed workaround DOES NOT solve this problem. I have literally explained why three times, including pictures myself.

[Rich_Laue]

OK DoeK, but first some screen shots of the proper use of the workout mode. Yes it works. Manual adding is for when the tracker was not on the wrist, this makes it hard to read Heart Rate.

Event recorded in workout mode on Charge 2

Renamed to treadmill, still shows heart rate

Notice the 13:38 minute auto detected walk with view details

[jaina8851]

Rich, WTF are you on about? Do you even read the replies that I am writing to you? Your workaround DOES NOT WORK. I'm NOT LOOKING for a workaround for when my tracker ISN'T ON MY WRIST. I am looking for a workaround for when my tracker DOES NOT DETECT THE EXERCISE. Read my original post and all of my replies where I have said the exact same thing to you MULTIPLE times. Stop trying to educate me about this because you are wrong, and at least 36 other people agree with me.

[Jsuwak]

I voted for this as well. This missing feature is by far the most frustrating in an otherwise good product. I just don't use the weekly exercise tracking at all right now. I understand why exercises aren't automatically determined, and am fine with that. But unless Fitbit can find a way to tie in your HR information and a manual exercise together it defeats the purpose of purchasing a tracker with a HR monitor. Somehow Mindbody figured out how to do it in their app utilizing Fitbit's HR data, curious why Fitbit can't figure it out. And hopefully when this feature is enabled it would be available in the app, not just a website. 

[Rich_Laue]

Fit it could probably do it, but it will take a lot more than 44 votes to get this request on the radar

[indyroid]

As I understand it, the Alta HR is missing a physical button due to its small form factor. Coming from my Charge HR, this sweet button is a big help to manually add workouts.

In place of a physical button press, the Alta HR could have a gesture built in to recognize manual entry Start and Stop? Like tap it 4 times in quick succession OR tap it in a certain direction (L-R or R-L) for the accelerometer to recognize a manual entry?

[jaina8851]

@indyroid I agree that a gesture would be nice, and I think there are other suggestions for that. I think this would be a much easier solution to implement, though. Adding a gesture and making it backwards compatible with already-released devices sounds a lot harder than tweaking a software feature in the app 🙂

[kris53]

Thank you so much for figuring this out and making the suggestion. And persistently explaining it to people who don't understand 😉 It seems like it should be a simple fix for any programmer to add up the calories during a certain period of time. Hopefully they will include it in a near future update.

[kgdmom]

I was very disappointed in the Alta HR coming from a Charge HR, that it did not have a button to tell it to start tracking my exercise.  Love the auto recognize when you forget to turn it on but it only records portions of my exercise because my arms don't move for all of it, like weight lifting.  Prefer not to have to go log anything myself.  In talking to support before my purchase I would have thought someone would have mentioned it when comparing the two trackers as I asked them to do.  Would love for fitbit to be able to add this feature in some way and update Altas that have already been purchsed. Love the thinner design, otherwise I would have purchased another Charge HR.

[bdralghanim]

Totally agree @jaina8851

[Kiddougi]

I agree....  although I think it can be sorted in the app. Making it much easier to solve. 

If this is too much effort then Fitbit should allow 3rd party companies to acces the heart rate and movement data from their devices. 

I have been using Under Armer's Record app with a generic HR chest strap. However it didn't work well for tracking my heart rate at night. I was expecting the Alta HR would be a straight replacement. It works extremely well as a general heart rate tracker but disappointing, even though it is recognised by the Record app it apparently hasn't got permission to acces the heart rate data from the Alta. And then to make matters worse the Fitbit app only records activities which require 'step' of one kind or another.  How pointless is that!!!???  

"It's not all about the steps!!"

Come on Fitbit get your act together. If you restrict acces to your device and don't follow up with a powerfull app, I am sure people will look elsewhere for their wrist worn devices. I know I'm looking, even though I have only had my Alta HR a few weeks!!

[Puckertoe]

Seems that manually entering activities that you should be able to choose wether to use steps or heart rate. Heart rate is far more use as a measure ofhow hard the activity was. can it be so hard to read that bit of the heart rate data?

[Rich_Laue]

Maybe but it is hard to get a heart rate without the tracker on your wrist. The reason for a manual exercise logging is for times when tye fitbit cant be worn or was left home.

[Puckertoe]

Cosmic or Comic? Maybe you are just unable to comprehend the original post. Your replies boring as fk.

[Puckertoe]

You obviously cant read. The previous posts have explained. Im not going to reiterate.
Yawn,
.