Sense - Automatically Track Exercise?

[ZazzieB]

Isn't Fitbit Sense supposed to be able to automatically track when I'm walking?  I have been manually adding my treadmill routine each time, but I was under the impression that it tracks my exercises.  Am I mistaken?  Or, is there a step I'm missing.  TIA for weighing in.  I appreciate everyone's input as I'm a first time FitBit subscriber.  Cheers!

[JohnnyRow · Accepted solution]

Welcome to Fitbit @ZazzieB .

Here are a couple of links that might help you getting started, not particularly related to your question:

Sense manual (pdf) 

How do I get started with Fitbit Sense? 

Now to your question - not as simple as it might seem.

Sense can automatically track several types of exercise that it can recognize just from your wrist's movement pattern.  It doesn't always get them right, but is generally good for walking.

Treadmill can have some complications though.  Sense, being on your wrist, recognizes steps and activity just from you arm swinging as in walking.  If you are holding treadmill hand rail (or pushing shopping cart or baby carriage) so your fitbit wrist is not moving, then fitbit cannot detect your exercise.

There are generally 3 options here:

1)  If possible let fitbit wrist swing freely to get workout recognized, and get steps and heart rate data.

2)  If mostly concerned about step count, can generally get good step count by putting Fitbit in a pocket, though this might not recognized as a walk.  But this also does not get you any heart rate data.

3)  Some have had success buying a third-party strap extender (Amazon) and wearing tracker just above the ankle.  That should get good step count and look like a walk, and some say, with careful positioning, also get heart rate data.

Yet another issue: manually logging the workout after it is done causes Fitbit to ignore any data that was actually recorded, such as heart rate data, and just makes an estimate based on the parameters you input when logging it.  In my view, manually logging workout is best just for times when you were not actually wearing the tracker.  If workout not getting recognized, the better alternative, I believe, is to use the Exercise App right on watch to start and end the workout and tell it what you are doing.

I expect that all just confused you more, but feel free to ask more.

[ZazzieB]

Thank you SO much!  Your clear and concise explanation is coherent.  I am following and will adjust my use of fitbit accordingly.  Thanks, again!