Hometrainer activity manually logged in fitbit app

[lindahermans]

When I exercise on the hometrainer, I put the fitbit one on my foot.  Afterwards, I log this activity manually in the fitbit application.   This gives the following information :

8 Feb, 19:14

Bike

N/A

6.12 kilometers

20:00

172 cals

For the section steps, there is the information N/A "not available".

However, when I look at the dashboard there are steps counted during the time of this activity.

Is the reason of this that I put my fitbit one on my foot during this activity ? Should I not do that ?

I have also another question about the synchronisation between fitbit and the weight watchers app.

The same hometrainer activity generates 4 smartpoints in WW app when I log it in the fitbit app, but only 2 smartpoints when I log it in the weight watchers app instead.  Is this a problem for which I should contact weight watchers ?

Thank you in advance and kind regards.

Linda (Belgium)

[TandemWalker · Accepted solution]

Hi @lindahermans. I can't help you with the WW part of your question, but I can offer comments regarding the hometrainer log. When you log a non-step based activity (cycling, rowing, crosstrainer ...), that manual log will not show any steps because you're not logging a walk or jog, you logging a gym equipment workout. However, because you were wearing your tracker, all the steps that your tracker picked up will still form part of your step metrics. Thus the reason why I NEVER wear my Fitbit One for anything else other than walking and running. So when I look at my step metrics, I know that the numbers that I'm looking at haven't be skewed with what I call 'half-baked' steps from recorded from cycling, rowing, etc. I realize that my approach is not for everyone, especially those who want to maximize their step metrics. Well, I want to maximize my step metrics too, since walk/jog interval workouts is usually a big pat of my daily exercise regimen. However, I want to make sure that those stats are homogenous and not a mix bag of actual steps and cycling/rowing/elliptical/stairclimber steps.

TW

[lindahermans]

Hello TW, thank you for your clear answer.  So I will not wear my fitbit again when I'm exercising on my hometrainer because I also want to have correct step counts.   For the WW part, I will contact WW in order to see if they can find a solution for this.   In the meantime, I don't wear my fitbit anymore on the hometrainer and I log manually in the WW app only because the synchro between Fitbit and WW isn't correct for the moment.

I have just another small question : When I want to time an activity with the fitbit one (for instance outdoor cycling) and I press the button at the start and at the end of the exercise, do you think that the fitbit will generate steps ?? I have read somewhere on the forum that this tracking of time has no influence on the steps or calories count in the dashboard. Is this correct ?

Thank you in advance and kind regards.

Linda

[TandemWalker · Accepted solution]

Hi Linda  (@lindahermans).

If you wear your Fitbit One while cycling, the 3-axis accelerometer will inevitably pick up some steps; and to the best of my knowledge, logging cycling manually will NOT erase the steps recorded by your Fitbit One. However, it will not double up on your caloric burn, but replace the existing caloric burn already earned from the 'false' cycling steps to give you the full complement of your energy expendituere for cycling.

If you use the Timer functionality of your Fitbit One for tracking the time spent for cycling, once you sync, your Activities page will reflect that 'timed' event representing the 'false' bicyling steps that your Fitbit One picked up while cycling.

If you subsequently log a manual activity for Cycling, using the exact start time and duration as what's already on your Activities log for the timed event, you will end up with two records on your log: One representing the false steps that your One recorded while cycling; and the other being your manual log for Cycling. So then you would have to delete the false step record, since its only purpose was the record the time spent cycling. But in deleting it, the steps that your One recorded will remain in your total step count.

This is kind of tricky to follow; so perhaps the easiest way to understand the dymamics of these entries is to do your own little test. Use the timer functionality to caputure a 15 min walk. Once sync'd, you will see that record on your Activities Log as a timed event. Jot down the total step count, not on this time event line, but your total step count, as depicted on your graph for the day.

Then go ahead and log cycling, say for 3 miles, using the same start time and duration as the timed event. You'll then see that this manual log show immediately above the timed record; but your total step count on your Activity graph will remain unchanged. And then you would have to delete the timed activity that sync'd, because you subsequently supplanted it with your manual cycling record. You don't have to delete, as leaving it will not result in doubling up on your caloric burn for that particular time frame; but it just makes things cleaner when you look at your activity log: you don't want to see two activities on your log booked within the exact same time frames.

I am no expert at this, just a regular fitbitter like yourself. So if I'm wrong about it, hopefully someone else whille chime in and set us both straight. But somehow, I think I am right, because I just tested this one more time, just in case things changed over the last week or so.

Hope this helps. Have a nice day.

TW

[lindahermans]

Hello TW, it's somewhat complicated, but I will surely do the test to understand better.  Thank you very much for your explanation and have a nice day also !

[TandemWalker]

Hi again @lindahermans. Trust me, it's a lot more complicated to write it up to explain this than to actually do it. You'll see when you do that little test, there is nothing to it. Have a nice day.

TW

[lindahermans]

Yes, indeed, thank you again for the effort made to write this down. 

Kind regards.

[Mieke7786]

Dag Linda, 

blij te zien dat hier nog iemand uit Vlaanderen aanwezig is 😉 is altijd leuker in je eigen taaltje. Ik ben ook juist op zoek naar een manier om mijn toertje op de hometrainer te registreren. Ik zit wel met een extra probleempje: het scherm van m’n hometrainer doet het niet meer dus ik heb geen vergelijkingsmateriaal of gegevens om in Fitbit in te voeren. Ik heb nog een Alta HR van 2017, stokoud in electronicajaren dus 🤣🤣 Ik hou de tracker gewoon rond m’n arm. Ook als ik buiten ga wandelen met mijn rollator registreert Fitbit dit als outdoor bike. 

Ben heel benieuwd naar jouw reactie en hopelijk ook van andere Vlaamse Fitbit gebruikers

Groetjes

Mieke

[lindahermans]

Dag Mieke,

Betreffende de hometrainer activity, zal je deze
spijtig genoeg manueel dienen in te geven. Er is
geen andere manier.
Maar als de display niet meer werkt van de
hometrainer, kan je wel het aantal caloriën niet
invullen, enkel de tijdsduur. Maar of het dan
juist zal zijn ?? Of misschien weet je nog hoeveel
cal ongeveer een half uur is ??
Omdat je met de armen niet beweegt, zal fitbit
niets of amper iets registreren.

Je kan eventueel ook een activiteit Outdoor Bike
van ongeveer dezelfde tijd als je op de
hometrainer rijdt, nemen als richtlijn om in te
vullen.
Je moet wel de activiteit Hometrainer zelf
creëren, want ik denk niet dat die bestaat in
Fitbit. Maar het hoeft helemaal niet zo juist te
zijn, het belangrijkste is dat je beweegt.

Toen ik de post van de hometrainer geplaatst heb,
was ik wel bezig met Weight Watchers en de fitbit
zette dan automatisch mijn activiteiten om in
punten bij WW. En soms kwamen die punten dan
dubbel, omdat ik ze in WW invoerde omdat de
activiteit hometrainer niet bestond op Fitbit.
Als ik mijn fitbit aanhield tijdens de oefening,
dan telde die wel een aantal stappen bij. Maar zo
efficiënt ben ik nu niet meer bezig. Mijn WW
abonnement heb ik stopgezet ondertussen en de
fitbit activiteiten gebruik ik enkel om mij te
motiveren om te bewegen.

Hopelijk heb je hier iets aan. Mvg,

Linda

[Mieke7786]

Hey Linda,
Leuk dat je iets laat horen, ervaring delen is toch leuker in je eigen taaltje hoor 😀
Ben ook niet meer zo erg veel bezig met de cijfers, zoals je zegt is het het belangrijkste dat je beweegt. Maar ja, ik heb dat geld nu aan die tracker besteed en dan wil ik ook graag dat het werkt snap je?
Alvast bedankt voor je uitleg en nog veel succes met jouw programma 👍👍
Trouwens, ik ben Mieke, ik ben 62 en ik woon in Merksem bij Antwerpen. Ik heb een handicap en ben wegens te weinig beweging en te veel medicatie veel te zwaar geworden, zo'n 103 kg bij 1,76m. Ik vind de Fitbit vooral een leuk hebbedingetje, maar slanker ben ik er nog niet van geworden 🙈🙈😁😁
Enfin, leuk je te leren kennen en veel plezier met jouw Fitbit.
Vriendelijke groetjes
Mieke

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