How do auto-recognized activities work?

[CerriesM]

Hey everyone!

I hope you're really well today 🙂 

I've had my Versa for just over a week (so still very much a newbie - bear with me!).

So...I understand that my Versa is logging the steps I take in every day life.

But I'm confused about how this works when I do additional exercise - go to the gym, for example.

At the minute, I'm only walking on the treadmill. While I could sync with the app from the gym (MyWellness), I choose to 'track' my walk on my Versa. I tell it I'm about to go for a walk, and I end the exercise when I'm finished.

But my Versa is also detecting a 15-minute walk (even though I've been walking for 40), and adding it as an additional exercise. I've just been deleting the extra exercise, but surely if I've told it I'm walking, it shouldn't log another one?

Also - what is the difference between step activity, and 'exercise' goals? 

For example - if I go to the gym and do 30 mins on the treadmill, and 10 mins on the cross trainer - would I need to track those two independently...both as 'Walking' exercises?

And what about things like resistance weight exercises? Or yoga? How do I log these?

Thank you so much in advance for any advice you can give me!

Cerries 🙂 

Moderator Edit: Clarified Subject.

[JohnnyRow]

Hi @CerriesM.  Welcome to the Fitbit forum.

It's good that you are using the exercise app, telling the tracker when you start and stop your workout.

For the 15 minute walk, that would be one that Fitbit automatically recognized and credited to you.  If you check the times, I think you will find it was not at the same time as your treadmilll walk, but a different time.  It should not auto-recognize a workout at the same time as you are already tracking one so don't feel you have to delete it.

On your phone app, click the days of exercise tile, then the gear icon near top right.  It will list the types of exercise that might get auto-recognized and the minimum time of each required to count as an exercise session.  You can click on any and change the minimum time, or tell it to never auto-recognize it.

I expect what happened to you is that you were walking a round for 15 minutes sometime without really planning it as a workout, but fitbit saw you walking for 15 minutes so called it a workout for you.

Step activity and exercise goals - you have a daily step goal, originally assigned at 10,000 but you can change that.  The exercise goal is for how many days a week you do a "workout".  It is possible to meet either goal without meeting the other.  It's up to you the relative importance of each.

Combining treadmill and crosstrainer: I don't think there's really a "right" way.  The easier way is to combine it all as one workout, either as walking or treadmill) or you can always use "Workout" as a general category to combine activities or when there's not an exact match.

I notice you are calling it "Walking"; there is also a "Treadmill" category - I guess it just eliminates confusion if you might use connected-GPS or walking".

I think there are also labels of weights and yoga.  If you don't see these on your tracker, you can change the options listed.

See How do I track my workouts with my Fitbit device? for more details on that.

Not sure if I have addressed all your questions but I gotta go now.  Hope this made some sense - in a bit of a hurry so can't check it too carefully.  Let us know if have any more questions.

[CerriesM]

@JohnnyRow Oh my goodness, thank you so much for all of that info!

That's definitely cleared a few things up for me. I guess I've just been worried about it crediting me for exercise I haven't actually done lol 😉 

[MarcoGFitbit]

Hello @CerriesM, I hope you're doing well, it's nice to see you around the Fitbit Community. It's also nice to see you @JohnnyRow, thanks for all your help. 

@CerriesM, I have moved your post from the iOS board to the Versa board as this situation is more related to the watch itself than to the Fitbit app. 

I appreciate your participation in the Forums and for posting your questions. I'm glad the explanation provided by @JohnnyRow was helpful. In case you need anything else, please feel free to reply, we'll be happy to help. 

Happy stepping!