how do I log exercise?

[kardia1122]

I'm having enough of a hard time figuring this out, I'm willing to just ask for help.  I figured out how to use the timer, the activity tracker to record an activity, okay.  There's actually no reason I should, since activities won't show up in the app at all, and I don't use the online dashboard for anything, but whatever, it could be done it if it helped anything.  I figured out how to go online and name the activity, but it still doesn't show up as exercise.

So how should I log exercise?

If I try to manually add an exercise, it artificially adds to my step count - it actually doubled my step count for the day, not just the steps that had been added during the activity period in question.  Helpfully, it hid the extra steps - the step count tile looked right, but the "over step goal" message mentioned I was as much over my daily goal as my actual step count of the day.  I went in and checked the log, the steps counted for the day were actually double (I guess the tile wasn't "counting" steps it gave me because of the activity period as part of my daily steps?).  Looking at the exercise log, it definately was doubling the steps during the activity time, as opposed to what I had actually done.

I tried manually starting exercise sessions, with the timer on the app - it didn't work because it won't accept the input from my fitbit as the same as the manually started session. I had tried starting the session on the computer, then pacing back and forth for a few hundred steps (just enough to see if it worked), and a second time also starting the timer on the fitbit at roughly the same time, to see if the sessions would sync up - nothing, the activity showed up on the activity log, but the exercise session recorded nothing, the computer hadn't moved even if my fitbit was tracking steps at the exact same time.  I would guess tracking through the phone would also either record nothing or double the steps (since both phone and fitbit would be counting), not to mention it is inconvenient to take my phone when just walking.

A couple other posts mentioned that the activity timer will not (automatically) count for "exercise" because of the way the One is set up, so they suggested manually tracking the exercise instead.  But if the manual tracking messes up the step count, I'm not sure how acheiving "exercise" goals can happen at all.   I even tried logging in a "nothing" exercise log (one minute, minimum everything else) just to mark that something was done that day - it still added a few hundred steps to my count.

I would like to track days exercised, it's useful - and I can sorta keep track if I look over my step count, I can see three days a week (or so) my step count is higher, but that isn't convenient (which is why there is a "days exercised" tile to begin with) and I would like to keep track of days I deliberately go for a walk versus days I happen to be running around doing stuff.  But my exercise goal stays at zero days per week, because attempting to log in exercise plays havoc with step counts (which I am also tracking).  Is there any way to make this work?

Any help would be appreciated, I am very confused.

[WendyB]

If you are using the Start stop timer. it should show up on the Dashboard.

It should also show up on the app under exercises.

You can go in and rename them. If you over over to the right of the record you will see a pencil use that to rename it

[kardia1122]

It does not show up as exercise.  That's why I'm confused, I tried that and it didn't work, and I cant figure out why.

I already tried going through the dashboard, and renaming the activity periods.  They show up on the dashboard, but not in the app.  It's not really useful to me since I use the app, not the dashboard.  And the exercise count in the app remains at 0 days per week exercised, even after I use the timer, and go into the dashboard, and rename the activity.

[WendyB]

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@kardia1122 wrote:

I already tried going through the dashboard, and renaming the activity periods.  They show up on the dashboard, but not in the app.  It's not really useful to me since I use the app, not the dashboard.  And the exercise count in the app remains at 0 days per week exercised, even after I use the timer, and go into the dashboard, and rename the activity.

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the bold is confusing me The activity records are your recorded Exercises. Can you please take a screen shot of your Exercise tab like i did above

[kardia1122]

I use the fitbit app - it is convenient for me, it is neatly organized, and I generally like it better than the dashboard.  The app and the dashboard are two different things.  It does not log exercise, neither as app nor as days with an activity period, nothing in any form beyond simple step count, even if I go through the dashboard to label and name the activity periods the dashboard has from the timer.  Since it does track everything else I'm doing, I'm trying to figure out what's going wrong.

[WendyB]

Looks like you are missing the track exercise tile

This is for Android: On the dashboard scroll down until you see edit. Tap on the Track exercise tile so it puts a + sign on it. Then it will show on your Dashboard. Then click done.

[kardia1122]

Following your instructions, going through the edit button on the bottom of the app's main screen, allows me to select or deselect the exercise tile. 

I already had the tile open (on previous picture, circled in red) in the app, it just stays at zero days exercised and shows no exercises even if I use the timer for an activity period, and go into the online dashboard to rename them.  The exercise tile in the app does not record the timed activities as exercise.  Manually trying to add an exercise period either doesn't work or artificially messes with my step count, depending on the method used.