Steps? Does any movement count as steps?

[ArtMuscle]

I sit at my computer for most of the day. (Retired)  I had a business and still get hundreds of emails each day which takes some time to sort through, everything I buy, I buy online and I play computer games.  So far today I have walked out to my car and back into the house, walked into my living room once, into my kitchen twice, walked outside to fill the bird feeder and walked to the bathroom twice.  According to my Fitbit Inspire HR I have walked 1,628 steps and .58 miles???  I have to assume that typing on my keyboard is counting as steps taken.  Does anyone else find this to be true?  I walk on my treadmill 5 days a week.  I've had days I didn't even exercise and my Fitbit tells me that I had more steps for that day, than the days I actually got out of my chair and did my treadmill.  I have to assume in order to keep my steps to an actual count, I need to remove my Fitbit when I'm on my computer.

[Julia_G]

H8, @ArtMuscle , it probably depends on how vigorously you type.  The short answer to your question is that all wrist worn trackers will, to some extent, give you some false hand “steps”.  Many people find that this is compensated for by the steps missed when you are walking softly, especially on carpet, and it pretty much “comes out in the wash”

Most people who use wrist worn trackers long term focus not on exact number of steps (did I get 100 fake steps today folding laundry?) but instead focus on trends.  Yes, if you go from 1600 steps one day to 1700 another and 1500 a third it is probably not very meanful.  100 steps is for most people probably not more than 2 minutes walking.  

But the difference between 8000 and 10,000 starts to be significant.

You can probably get a somewhat more exact step count by wearing your Inspire HR in your hip pocket, but many people find that the extra advantages of also having the heartrate info override the sometimes extra steps you may get from wrist movements.

If you are a person who uses your hands a lot (typing, playing the piano, or just “talking” with your hands) you can minimse the extra “steps” by changing a setting in your account.  

In your app, click on yiur Fitbit icon and you will see the “wrist” setting.  Ideally wear yur wrist on your non dominant hand, but change the setting to dominant (even though that is not how you are wearing it).  Changing the setting to dominant will make your Fitbit less sensitive to movements, and should mean you get fewer false steps.

I hope this helps.

[ArtMuscle]

I take my Fitbit off when I'm on my PC because it will track almost 1,000 false steps.  I took typing in school 100 years ago, and I type with both hands, so placing it on my non-dominate hand wouldn't help.