Do I count walking as activity even though it tracks as steps?

[Busybeeme]

I am new and a little confused.  The fit bit tracks my steps so am I also supposed to count my time walking on a treadmill?  I would assume that it is tracking my steps on the treadmill.  If I add that activity than wouldn't it double my actual steps?  Thank you.

[slysam]

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@NatalieSheppard wrote:

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@smhermione wrote:

Kevin is right.  If your log your activity it won't double it because fitbit will erase the steps that it had tracked for that period of time.  That's why it is important to make sure you log your time correctly when you log you various activities.  Happy stepping!

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Mine does double the steps when I manually log it...or if I go on a walk & track it with the GPS. But, I have also been having an issue with the miles not adding up with the steps I have walked. I walked 2.5 miles today & fitbit said I did not even walk 2...I am going to try to reset it tonight & see if that helps...

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It shouldn't double since what you log should replace Fitbit's estimate. Is it logged for the correct time? I would suggest you email customer service. Just a note, you may see two records if you have it manually logged (or logged by another app) and you have an activity record. This is just showing what you logged and what fitbit would have credited, it shouldn't be doubling. The way to check is if you delete the logged record is it very significantly decreasing your steps, distance and calorie burn?

About the mileage. Are you refering to your Fitbit mileage from the trackers data? People's stride length varies. The same person's can vary depending on what they are wearing (especially shoes), the route, their intention, who they are walking with, etc. But a typical stride will also vary by the person. Fitbit factors in height and gender to get an estimate but yours may be higher or lower. You can measure your average stride and calibrate. I did that and mine if pretty accurate when walking at my normal pace outside and also for jogging. (I wrote a detailed blog post about the method I used: http://www.feelingfit.info/2014/08/how-to-measure-and-calibrate-your-fitbit-stride-settings/) Even though mine is accurate since calibrating, I do not walk 5 miles in 10,000 steps like the classic average, it is more like 4 miles and something for me. It varies person to person.  It sounds like your stride might be set very short for some reason.

[Caputor]

Put the fitbt in your pocket when you're on a treadmill and you're holding onto the handrails.  It records properly then.

[WANDERINGONE]

I track my activity on my laptop (Windows 10).  I leave the dongle in a USB on the laptop all the time.  I am planning a trip to Mexico and will not be taking my laptop with me.  Will my Fitbit Charger download my activity for the days I was gone once I return home or do I need to keep track myself before the Fitbit zeros out at midnight.  I know I need to manually log my food and water but I am curious about walking and calories burned.. What about sleep?

[USAF-Larry]

I think the HR will record the data for 7 days, @WANDERINGONE, and then starts overwriting it with new data.

[Carl_59]

It will count your steps on a treadmill only if you are swinging your arms in a natural walking motion.  If you are holding the rails on a treadmill those steps that occur while holding the rails/handholds will not be counted unless the handhold moves with the steps.  You could also wear your Fitbit attached to your foot.  Your arms need to move in a natural walking motion for steps to be counted.