Don't Want Hula Hoop to Count Steps

[JennyJenn]

I love to hula hoop, but my Fitbit Charge HR counts steps constantly. It's like I'm walking a marathon. I want to hula hoop, but I don't want any steps to register. I've tried holding my arm still, still counts steps. I held my arm across my chest, still counts steps.

Do I really have to take off the Charge HR and not get the calorie burn count or the heart rate information?

Is there a way to tell the activity log I exercised but don't count these steps? (I mean if I wear the Fitbit but then somehow alter the record to take those steps off my dashboard and device.) Like, is there a way to make a new activity and tell it not to count steps when I log the activity as this, for every time in the future?

I have the same question for lifting weights - and any other exercise, actually, where I don't want false steps.

It's very important to me to keep track of my steps accurately - separately from non-step based activity. It's bad enough the Fitbit isn't totally accurate, I certainly don't want regular non-stepping activities to count.

Can anyone help me?

[USAF-Larry]

The Charge HR counts steps by movement, @JennyJenn, so each "swing" of the arm is 2 steps.  As long as the arm is moving, the tracker is using the movement to count steps. So, as long as you are in motion, it is designed to count "steps".

You can manually create an activity called "Driving" for the times you were active with the Hula Hoop, which will cause it to subtract the steps counted during that time from your total.  That will continue to record your heart rate, without the steps.  But, you must make one of those manual entries each time you do the Hula Hoop.

[JennyJenn]

Thank you for your help!

I've used the Driving activity before (for driving), I never paid attention that it still tracks heart rate and calorie burn. I thought I read somewhere that it didn't. (I should mention I'm new to Fitbit, got my tracker a month ago.) In looking at my activities log right now, all my "Driving" logs are 0 calories, and you burn calories just while breathing, so it won't log my calories?

Is there anyway to mark is as "Driving-Hula Hoop"? Because, otherwise, I'll never know I exercised as opposed to was driving. I like to look at my activity logs and see the different activities/exercises I'm doing. I like to get a good mix. I also like the Fitbit feature of showing my "Favorites," "Most Logged" and "Recent" activities. Seeing lots of "Driving" won't help me...And no calorie burn...I might as well not have the Fitbit on...

[USAF-Larry]

You burn calories from just breathing - that is your BMR, based on your age, sex, weight, heart rate, etc.  The driving activity itself won't burn any calories, but your calories burned will continue to increase throughout the day.

[JennyJenn]

But if I log the Hula Hoop as "Driving" will it show the calorie burn or zero it out? I had assumed I burned whatever calories while driving, you know, 10, 20, whatever tiny amount, but it's always 0. Is it zeroing it out?