eliptical

[ebrown3992]

Is anyone having issues with the Fitbit Flex not logging your activity correctly.  I just finished 2.75 miles on an eliptical machine but Fitbit only logged about a mile.

[Heybales · Accepted solution]

Sadly that is not a step based activity it was designed to log correctly.

Not enough "step" to the movement you might say, too smooth of change to motion.

Besides which, even if it could log the steps correctly, the formula for steps and pace and weight to arrive at calorie count won't be nearly as accurate for that machine.

If you input your weight in to the machine, it might have decent calorie estimate to manually log in Activities.

Or wear a HRM if you have one and properly setup to get a good estimate.

[ebrown3992]

Thanks for the quick response.  I am new to FitBit and didn't know if i had something calibrated incorrectly.  

[Rpenuela]

When I first got my Fitbit, it was pretty accurate with reading my eliptical steps. 

Now it is totally off!

I can do 5 miles and it’s recording 1 mile. What’s up with that?

[Heybales]

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@Rpenuela wrote:

When I first got my Fitbit, it was pretty accurate with reading my eliptical steps. 

Now it is totally off!

I can do 5 miles and it’s recording 1 mile. What’s up with that?

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If it was close to correct - that's purely coincidental.

Actually, the fact an elliptical machine gives you a distance is purely fictional - as there is no real distance since it's part up and down part forward movement, and the way you use it can change that.

The formula for calculating distance based on impacts of the steps the Fitbit sees is purely for walking and running - NOT elliptical.

Therefore the calorie burn estimated from that distance has nothing to do with elliptical machine usage.

Fortunately it should be using HR-based calorie burn since it's a workout with elevated HR, but that has it's own inaccuracies, but much better than the usually inaccurate distance and calculations.

Point is - doesn't matter if the distance is right or wrong, it's meaningless in the scheme of calories burned, because the distance is is made up anyway and no bearing on anything except a stat.

Most are desiring the steps though for contests, and depending on how you use the elliptical even that may be incorrect easily.

[JCSCJS]

I've been using fitbit products for many years.  I found if you take off your fitbit from your wrist and put it in your waistband on your shorts or pants on your side, it will record your steps and other stats.  It's not totally accurate but it's pretty close.  Give it a try.