Does FitBit accurately track activities like shoveling snow?

[kneh13]

Does FitBit accurately track activities like Shoveling Snow? I spent the better part of 3 hours shoveling out after a major snow storm. When I checked my activity monitor, I was disappointed by calories burned. Could this be because it's mostly my upper body doing all the work?

[Dominique · Accepted solution]

No. There's no way Fitbit can know whether you are shoveling heavy wet snow or lighter powder snow, or even that you're shoveling anything at all. In fact, it will likely credit you with less calories than if you weren't shoveling anything, because you're probably moving more slowly when shoveling.

A heart rate monitor would best track the intensity of such an activity and calories burned performing it.

[dlsdream]

No, but your body counted every shovel full! Fitbit counts steps...only steps. I got aggravated it didn't count my stairs on the stairclimber at the gym so I started climbing my staircase instead to get credit. Polar makes a great watch/belt heart monitor that would monitor your heart and exertion rates and tell you how many calories burned. Heart rate monitors are different than pedometers. Both tho offer great tools to those of us trying to change our bodies. 🙂

[BevinVA]

No,  it doesn't count mopping or vacuuming, either. 😞

[Mary]

I'm pretty sure it counts my mopping and vacuuming steps.  There's not much resistance so I don't expect any more burn than any other puttering activity.  

[Just_me_andrea]

I shoveled light snow today and it credited me with 1500 steps. I wear a polar heart rate monitor which gave me my calorie burn.

[Jabrat]

I clean my house with the Fitbit One and can rack up 7,000 steps in no time !  Shoveling snow too !  Snowblowing snow too !  

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@kneh13 wrote:

Does FitBit accurately track activities like Shoveling Snow? I spent the better part of 3 hours shoveling out after a major snow storm. When I checked my activity monitor, I was disappointed by calories burned. Could this be because it's mostly my upper body doing all the work?

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[SIBOR]

it does count, but it underestimates. It counts it as steps, therefore your best chance is havng it on your foot or waist, not on your wrist (where it counts least accurate).

so any activity, like shoveling, raking leaves, vacuuming etc - it just counts it as steps calories.

and be careful with it - I lost one while shoveling.

[BrodyB]

I accept that FitBit doesn't know the weight of the snow, the exertion you expend, but...

The activity is partially editable (the activity is editable). I for example went out and found a calculator that translates activity, weight, age, and time into calories. Acurate? Well, it is closer than the fitbit with its limited sensor set.

However, I should be able to edit the activity and say 'hey, this is weightlifting, moderate intensity' or 'shoveling snow' and the fitbit should either apply an algorythm to it or allow us to modify the caloric output from other calculators.

Personally, I use and eliptical, a treadmill, then lift weights -- I clock each seperately and for the treadmill I find it is accurate, the elliptical a little under (I use a lot of resistance), but my weightlifting is way under. That, is okay as I don't yet expect my device to actually measure caloric burn (soon though), yet I should be able to edit the three workouts and based on my time lifting set the burn accordingly

[Heybales]

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@BrodyB wrote:

I accept that FitBit doesn't know the weight of the snow, the exertion you expend, but...

The activity is partially editable (the activity is editable). I for example went out and found a calculator that translates activity, weight, age, and time into calories. Acurate? Well, it is closer than the fitbit with its limited sensor set.

However, I should be able to edit the activity and say 'hey, this is weightlifting, moderate intensity' or 'shoveling snow' and the fitbit should either apply an algorythm to it or allow us to modify the caloric output from other calculators.

Personally, I use and eliptical, a treadmill, then lift weights -- I clock each seperately and for the treadmill I find it is accurate, the elliptical a little under (I use a lot of resistance), but my weightlifting is way under. That, is okay as I don't yet expect my device to actually measure caloric burn (soon though), yet I should be able to edit the three workouts and based on my time lifting set the burn accordingly

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Well, instead of changing the Activity record - which not all devices support BTW from the device - you merely Log an activity workout (not record), and use the start duration time and use the calorie burn with the database entry.

Weights in in there, so is elliptical with intensity options.

So if you were going to rename an activity record, and select what activity type it was, and hit save.

Just hit Log activity, type in exercise type, and you have a couple of extra pieces of info to enter, and it'll do the calorie burn this time.

[Vikie]

It does count cleaning

[Vikie]

Does not count the steps when you have 4-5 shovels full to each step

[Craig]

I am truly amazed that fitbit removed snow shoveling from the activities list you could manually had I really think it should be added back. Huge calorie burn there that you cannot account for anymore. Maybe one of the moderators such as @MatthewFitbit  or @EmersonFitbit can find an answer for. It used to be there because I still show it where I used to log it.   I decided I better do a snapshot of the screen before anyone could say no they never had it.

[Mukluk4]

I would always prefer an underestimate of calorie count over a inflated estimate for a specific activity.  If you are monitoring the ins and outs based on the underestimate and still under then you know you've nailed the daily goal.

[kkgohnyahoo.com]

I agree - snow shoveling should be one of the trackable exercises! I did a rough calculation of the calories burned, and it seemed reasonably close to cross-country skiing so that's how I logged my time. But darn it, I was shoveling not skiing!

[Sw6991]

I found this website for calculating how many calories burned while shoveling snow.  I guess I will be using this unless fitbit decides to add snow shoveling back as an activity!

https://www.fitday.com/webfit/burned/calories_burned_Shoveling_snow_by_hand.html

[Heybales]

If you have a non-HRM Fitbit, then indeed that is best option.
If you have Fitbit that is estimating calories from HR - then just start
activity record for per sec HR logging and calorie burn estimate - that'll
be better then.

[Vikie]

Does not measure shoveling of snow or dirt. When moving hay or cleaning the chicken house i mark cleaning

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