How to stop counting steps while I'm riding - Inspire HR

[SweeneyFit]

I'm trying to figure out how to stop tracking when I'm horsebackriding.   I took it off and put it in a saddle bag, and that didn't work.  

In settings, you can turn the GPS on/off as well as heart rate.   If I turn these off, will it stop tracking even if I keep the fitbit on my arm?

Will that work?

Any other suggestions?

Thank you,

Laurie

Moderator edit: clarified subject.

[WendyB]

Sorry there is no way to turn it off except to not wear it at that time

Edit: You could try to use the exercise function at Walk. When it syncs delete that record and it should remove the steps

[SweeneyFit]

I tried deleting, but the weight watchers sync still takes place and it doesn't update after deletion.  

What is the purpose of the GPS  on/off feature?

Thank you,

Laurie

[Julia_G]

Hi, @SweeneyFit , I am a little bit puzzled by what you are trying to achieve.  If you explain a little better than someone may be able to help.

Are you concerned that it is counting steps while you ride your horse?  If so, could you not stop wearing it during that time as suggested above?  Your mention of weight watchers makes me wonder if you are maybe thinking about calorie counting?  

If you give us more information someone may have a suggestion of the best way to achieve it.

Edited to add: the Inspire/ Inspire HR doesn’t have GPS.  Do you have the new Charge 4?

To answer your question about GPS, turning it on will give you a map of your route, but GPS does take a lot of battery, so many users who don’t need a map like to be able to turn it off, amd only have a map, for example, when they are doing a run and want to have information on pace and elevation as well as a map of their route.

[SweeneyFit]

Hi Julia.   

I really just want the FitBit to stop counting steps while I'm riding the horse.   It ended up giving me 19,000 steps which then uploaded into WeightWatchers.  When I deleted the activity in Fitbit, it does not sync the correction to WeightWatchers.   So I did take the Fitbit off the next day, and put it in a saddle bag, but it still counted the horsebackriding activity as though it was on my arm.   

I have a FB413 running OS 34.20001.63.5.   It has a GPS on/off setting, but I see per the manual that I have to sync that to my phone.   I don't know if it is syncing by virtue of having the app installed?    My assumption was that since the FitBit was not on my arm, it was using some other mechanism to  track activity - and if that was the GPS, if I turn it off, will it stop counting the steps if the Fitbit is off my arm and in a saddle bag?  I realize that I could just leave it at home before I ride.   I was just trying to figure out how it worked.   Sometimes I get off my horse and walk for a while, so then I would want to track my activity. 

Does that help? 

[Julia_G]

Hi, @SweeneyFit , well it helps a little, because I understand that you don’t want steps counted while you are riding, and the answer is, as WendyB mentioned above, you can’t.  The Fitbit will still count if it detects forward motion, as it obviously does if you are riding your horse, so putting it in the saddle bag won’t help, as you discovered.  You will have to leave it off your person completely if you do not want it to count while you are riding.

Your answer does not really answer what sort of Fitbit you have, but I am guessing that if you have the option to turn GPS on or off you have a Charge 4.

GPS is not the same as step count.  The step count is really just a very sophisticated pedometer.  That works whether GPS is on or off (and that is why it counts even when it is in yiur saddle bag).  A pedometer is designed to detect forward motion (the Fitbit detects other things, but the pedometer is its most basic function).  GPS gives exact location and elevation and allows the program to make a map.  Think of it as an extra - not the basic function, which is to count steps.

Unfortunately you will need to decide whether it is more important to you to be able to count steps when you get off and walk - so you have your Fitbit with you - or not count when you are riding (so yiu leave your Fitbit at home).  There is really no way to stop it counting if it detects forward motion.  That is how it is designed!

Sorry not to be more help, but I hope this gives you a better understanding of how it works.

[SweeneyFit]

Thank you!

It is an Inspire HR.  Per the manual:

Track and analyze exercise with the Exercise app
Track specific exercises—such as run, bike, or weights—with the Exercise app on
Inspire HR to see real-time stats, including heart-rate data, calories burned, elapsed
time, and a post-workout summary on your wrist. For complete workout stats, and
route and pace information if you used GPS, review your exercise history in the
Fitbit app.
Note: The connected GPS feature on Inspire HR uses the GPS sensors on your
nearby phone.

[Julia_G]

Okay, thanks for clarifying.  The GPS is really not relevant.  The Inspire HR, as the manual says, uses your phone’s GPS and the connection has to be activated by manually starting an exercise and connecting to your phone.  If you decide to use it, it will give you extra information, in addition to step counting.

Turning it on or off has absolutely no effect on whether your Fitbit counts steps.  That is an entirely different process.  If your Inspire HR is with you, even in your saddle bag, it will count steps, because it is designed to detect forward motion with a pattern similar to a person taking steps, which horseback riding does.

[andreayearsley]

I have exactly the same issue and it drives

me mad. There is no where safe or suitable for me to leave my fitbit. I walk loads when doing the horses so I DONT want to leave it at home. The whole reason I bought the Fitbit was to track steps and be able to log when I was riding. I read online that the Fitbit charge 3 logged horse riding but it doesn’t. My fault I know - I should have done better research but I just don’t understand why there is no off function… it’s not rocket science! I’m doing Noom and it’s mucking up my calorie allowance for the day as it thinks I’ve walked 19,000 steps….. it’s not like it’s an advanced feature to be able to turn the thing or OR log horse riding…. I’m not a happy customer! 

[ManuFitbit]

Hi Everyone.

In order to have the community better organized, I'll proceed to close this thread.

If you want to share ideas, have any inquiries or need help about other concerns please visit the community.

Have a nice day.