Charge 3 counting my hand movements as steps

[StijnDEB]

Hi There.

First, i’m really excited about fitbit. I’m using the charge 3. I was intrested in how many steps and calories i make in a day. At my work i use my hands a lot, so at the end of the day i had over 15.000 steps. I understand the charge 3 count steps by moving your arms. I work as a plasterer so i make many movements at the same place without moving. The charge 3 count these movements as steps. Is there anyway to make this more accurate? For example connect it to the gps on my Phone?

And what about the calories i burned? Does the serieus amount of steps influence the result? Or is this accurate because these movements are a physical activity?

If not, am i better off with the ionic? Would this count steps and calories better?

Thank you for helping me out.

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[JohnnyRow]

Calories are based mainly on heart rate rather than steps.

With your work, you could probably get a more accurate step count by keeping fitbit in your pocket, but then you lose all the heart rate data used for calories.

Using GPS would not affect step count; what it would change is distance; distance now it calculated as number of steps times stride length; with GPS steps would have no bearing on distance.

Not sure, but expect using GPS all day, rather than just during  walk or run, might be a big battery drain.

[StijnDEB]

Thanks for the reply! 

i’ll just make peace with the fact that my steps are maybe invallid but my calories are valid. I think you’re right about the battery drain. Just to get a better look at my distance without infelcting my burned calories it’s not worth to drain my battery. 
Even if the steps make an influence on the calories, each movement demands energy so it may count as a step. 

thanks again! Stay fit! 

[MarreFitbit · Accepted solution]

Hi there @StijnDEB, welcome to the Community Forums. I totally understand where your concern is coming from. Thanks for the details provided. 

Since you wear a wrist-based Fitbit device and move your body while keeping your arms still (or vice versa), you may see a slightly different step count than if you wear a device clipped to your clothing, as my friend @JohnnyRow mentioned. 

Fitbit devices have a finely-tuned algorithm for step counting. The algorithm is designed to look for intensity and motion patterns that are most indicative of people walking and running. When working at a desk, cooking, or performing other activities with arm movements, a device on your wrist may add some steps. When you’re doing activities that involve arm movement—such as working or cooking—you often walk a few steps in-between stationary periods as well, so the device tries to give you credit for those steps. For most customers, the number of extra steps added by arm-based movement isn’t significant when compared to your overall stats. For more information, see: How does my Fitbit device count steps?

If you wear your device in a loose-fitting accessory such as a bangle or pendant, you may see a slightly different step count than if you wear a classic wristband. During workouts and sleep, we recommend wearing the classic wristband. Make sure the wristband fits securely but isn't too tight. 

For more information, see How do I wear my Fitbit device? and How do I track my heart rate with my Fitbit device?

In regards to your calories burned, I'd recommend taking a look at: How does my Fitbit device calculate calories burned?

Thanks for the information provided and recommended @JohnnyRow.

Let me know if there's anything else I may do to help you.