Do steps affect calories burned?

[SarahPianist]

I‘m a classical pianist, so I often practice for several hours a day. I know that my Alta HR tracks some of that as steps, but I’m more interested in using it for heart rate and calories burned.  When I try the work around for steps of adding a “driving” activity, it not only reduces my step count, but also changes my calories burned to be whatever my base rate is.  

My question is - is the Alta HR giving me an accurate calorie count while I practice (even though of course the steps are wrong), or does it inflate my calorie count because it thinks I’m walking?

I ask because I play fairly physically demanding music, and my heart rate gets into the fat burning and even cardio zone pretty consistently.  It seems like that base rate that comes with the “driving” activity would be inaccurate.

[WavyDavey · Accepted solution]

Hi @SarahPianist.

If the extra steps don't bother you, I would avoid using the drive activity while playing piano. As you've noticed, it overwrites data for that period.

The calories burned are calculated from your actual heart rate, so whether you are jogging, raking leaves, or playing piano, the calories burned calculation should be pretty accurate. Steps are calculated by movement, and they don't directly affect calorie calculations.

So go to town on those 88s, and enjoy the burn!