Track walks as exercise or just let the step counter do it?

[mkbc59]

Should I track my long brisk walks as exercise or just let the step counter do it for me? I'm walking between 3.5 and 4 mph, with lots of hills. 

[Dominique]

It really depends on how important calories are for you: do you count your calories in and do you try to reach a given calorie deficit (or surplus)? Your Fitbit definitely takes your walking speed into account, but not any elevation changes.

I also walk in rather hilly surroundings (my Fitbit One has registered almost 46,000 floors so far, in 18 months), but I don't bother logging my walking/jogging activities. I don't count calories in, so calories burned are just a nice-to-know for me.

[Heybales]

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@mkbc59 wrote:

Should I track my long brisk walks as exercise or just let the step counter do it for me? I'm walking between 3.5 and 4 mph, with lots of hills. 

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Do you have any idea of elevation gain/loss, like using a site that would tell you?

If so, and you have a set route or few that only varies by time, you can always note the values and use this to get best calorie count, because indeed hills are unseen mostly and underestimated.

So if you can find elevation gain in feet for your route (not total difference, total amount going up, like you could gain only 100 ft, but you did that 8 times for 800 ft gain) take that value and add half of it for the going down part (going down hill takes about half the energy of going up).

Then divide by miles and 5280 x 100 = % grade.

So example 640+320 = 960 / 6.37 miles / 5280 x 100 = 2.85% grade average.

Then with your distance and time gives mph, your weight, the time, and use Gross option since replacing what Fitbit estimated.

http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/WalkRunMETs.html

Note the stats for your routes, and you only have to change the time it took and speed and your weight to get new calorie count.

Once you do one though, remove the grade %, and see how many calories flat gives you. If not much difference for the amount of time you spend walking, don't worry about it. If this is 2 hrs almost every day though, could easily be worth it.

Oh, I have some ideas for elevation gain if you need any, and you can save the route here. Stats on elevation gain and lost are on saved maps.

www.mappedometer.com

Not sure if this example will show up or not.

http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=260775

[LewWagner]

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@mkbc59 wrote:

Should I track my long brisk walks as exercise or just let the step counter do it for me? I'm walking between 3.5 and 4 mph, with lots of hills. 

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MKBC,

I've walked for the past 11 months and have been using two tracking devices to record my distance, steps, calories burned, and time during an exercise (well not the FitBit Zip).

I use the FitBit Zip (since Feb 4, 2014) and a TomTom GPS Sportswatch (since Feb 10, 2014).  The TomTom records also the elevation and has your profile weight, height, and age to use for calculating the above metrics.

I was able to show that I was in a negative calorie count because the calories I burned during my walks (2-3 a day and lately at around 3-3.5 miles each, 3.5 mph avg, over elevations from 80-130 feet) were effectively allowing me to meet my weight loss goals.

So...yes, you should be tracking your walks.

Lew