Charge / ChargeHR steps without arm movement?

[_Tanya]

I do a lot of my steps white pushing my shopping cart running errands. If my arms are stationary, will it pick up on the steps? My heart rate is raised when I'm pushing a heavy load...will my heart rate calories override my step calories? Thanks!

[wtksk8r · Accepted solution]

@_Tanya I think the cart pushing will tend to be hit or miss.  I've read posts from folks who say theirs picks up no steps on the treadmill.  My wife walks the treadmill with her hand on the bar and she gets her steps counted.  I am not sure what drives the sensitivity to this.

As for the HR, it does not overwrite the calories but it modifies it.  When I ice danced with the Flex and the Charge the calories I got were about 150-200 less per hour than what I used to get with the BodyMedia device.  With the Charge HR the calories which are adjusted by the heart rate ends up only 50-100 calories/hour less than the BodyMedia.

[Heybales]

Depends where on your arm.

If right at the wrist and hand isn't moving at all, impact of steps won't seen, or very badly.

If farther up arm, decent chance it can see the step impacts.

Hopefully it doesn't use the HR, because I'm sure it doesn't go up that much to actually go in to the exercise zone, which is needed for HR calorie burn formula to have a chance of a decent estimate. Below that zone, it'll inflate calorie burn based on HR.

[_Tanya]

Thanks! So it adds a little bit to your calories if it notices an exercise heart rate? When I'm power walking with a full cart, I easily have a 140 heart rate, so it would be a shame for that to only count as steps, (or not at all!)

[Heybales]

That's like mowing the lawn then, I get better HR and calorie burn than walking level 4 mph, but of course what Fitbit sees is probably about 2 mph.

So that's high enough, if they kick in to HR calorie burn formula above the 90 when it applies - you easily hit that then.

I'm not sure of their method, and the fact it could change easily with new code drop during a sync.

What you might do to compare, if you have access to treadmill sometime.

Walk up to 4mph and then start increasing incline, slow increments, until you get the HR up to 140.

See if that pace/incline keeps it there for as long as pushing the cart would normally take.

Then note the pace and incline used.

Now check out the calorie burn for some period of time here using your stats, and the Gross option, which is what Fitbit would be reporting.

http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/WalkRunMETs.html

Now you can look at some 5 min block of time of what Fitbit gives you, and see how far off it is. If you even do it for 5 min straight.

[Kirk8506]

I believe for every step your feet pounds the ground, your device pickup that pounding and registers it as a step. Even if your arms are stationary.

Just a guess. Because my charge HR picks up on it everytime even doing stationary march. Like the military.

[lalady1950]

I have had the same problem pushing the shopping cart in the grocery store. It does not count the steps. I am going to try as suggested in one of the replies to your post, of moving it up my arm. If that doesn't work, then I could put in my pocket but then it would not measure my HR for calorie burn.

[Heybales]

---

@lalady1950 wrote:

I have had the same problem pushing the shopping cart in the grocery store. It does not count the steps. I am going to try as suggested in one of the replies to your post, of moving it up my arm. If that doesn't work, then I could put in my pocket but then it would not measure my HR for calorie burn.

---

It wasn't going to use your HR for calorie burn for something low key like walking at shopping speed anyway, not a valid use of HR formula for calorie burn.

At that point, good distance estimate and pace and weight are best calculation, so pocket for accurate steps is best idea.

[zapposevenbars]

Pull the cart from the front with dominant hand and swing your flexbit arm naturally with each step.  Looks better than trying to swing flexbit arm while pushing cart which looks and feels unnatural.

[iwarrior]

When I do my power-walks on the treadmill my hands are on the bar, but not constantly. My left hand always hammers out the rhythms of the music I am listening to - can't help it! - so for that reason I wear my FitBit on the other wrist, and it tracks my steps just fine.

I don't think arm movement is the sole deciding factor on how it tracks steps, it must use heart rate as well, so I think as long as your legs are moving then it should, in theory, be tracking your steps. 
I could be wrong, but if an hour's power-walk on the treadmill logs nearly 10,000 steps then it must be more than just arms 😉

[DominicJ]

At nearly three steps a second theres going to be a lot of mation even if your wrists hands are on the bar.

[Heybales]

It's impact actually.

And the arm units are trying to discern step impact despite swinging in the air, or gripping on to something.

The level of grip makes a difference too, calm walking and death grip on the rails should give lower step count than reality.

Or an arm swing so perfect it's reversing direction just at time of impact could see less steps or less impact and think shorter stride is done, less distance means less calories.

HRM models use HR to help with calorie burn, but not steps. So HR based calorie burn should help with light steps.

[DMSGMS]

Did any of these solutions work for you? My wife and I push our son's wheelchair for a few miles a day and get very few step credits for it. Perhaps 15-25% of the steps are counted. It's quite frustrating.

[Heybales]

---

@DMSGMS wrote:

Did any of these solutions work for you? My wife and I push our son's wheelchair for a few miles a day and get very few step credits for it. Perhaps 15-25% of the steps are counted. It's quite frustrating.

---

One I've heard work for some is device wrapped around elbow area, so while the hands/wrists may not move much to impact of steps, the elbows are, depending on how fast.

If slow and smooth enough, which is probably a goal having it smooth - even that may not work well - try putting it in your pocket then.