what is considered an ' active minute'?

[cosmoo07]

What is the Fitbit formula for the calculation of active minutes.  Is it  a 100 steps in a minute, 150 steps in a minute, or what?  I have a difficult time trying to figure this out.  Let me know. 

[SteveH]

I think everyone has difficulty understanding active minutes!

Here's what fitbit say:

"All Fitbit trackers calculate active minutes using metabolic equivalents (METs). METs help measure the energy expenditure of various activities. Because they do so in a comparable way among persons of different weights, METs are widely used as indicators for exercise intensity. For example, a MET of 1 indicates a body at rest. Fitbit trackers estimate your MET value in any given minute by calculating the intensity of your activity. You earn active minutes for activities at or above about 3 METs"

taken from: https://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/1379/

[WavyDavey · Accepted solution]

@SteveHhas it. And to add, active minutes add up when the level of activity is fairly continuous for at least a 10 minute block. So if you have a workout like weights that have rest periods, sometimes active minutes don't show up. But with cardio, I find they almost always add up.

[cosmoo07]

Thanks Steve, it does make sense that it would be an individualized formula based on ones metrics.  I appreciate you responding. Fritz       aka: cosmoo07