Return to counting activity min. bouts of less than 10

[edwards1411]

Very disappointed in Fitbit stopping the recognition of exercise minutes of less than 10 min as per the CDC.  There have been many studies done that dispute this.  Here are just a few.

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=56300&page=3

There's building evidence that short but frequent bouts of exercise can yield plenty of health benefits. Consider the following fitness findings:

• A study published by the American Journal of Sports Medicine in 2006 showed that short walks after dinner were more effective than long exercise sessions in reducing the amount of fat and triglyceride levels in the bloodstream after a hearty meal.
• Research published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health showed that short bouts of exercise helped lower blood pressure as well as shave inches off the hips and waistline.
• In a study published in Preventive Medicine in 2006, researchers found that multiple workout sessions as short as 6 minutes apiece could help sedentary adults reach fitness goals similar to those achieved by working out for 30 minutes at a time.
• In a finding published in the journal Psychopharmacology, doctors found that short bursts of exercise could help reduce the craving for cigarettes and help people quit smoking.

"There is no question that short amounts of exercise can help you get fit, help you stay fit, and help you maintain your health," says personal fitness coach Susie Shina, author ofSixty Second Circuits. "You can stay fit in increments as short as 4 and 5 minutes at a time." ...

http://www.acefitness.org/prosourcearticle/3512/super-short-exercise-bouts-at-the-right

New research suggests that micro-bouts of activity—shorter than 10 minutes—can lower one’s risk of obesity as long as the intensity level is sufficiently high. Furthermore, those who focused on shorter bouts were much more likely to meet or exceed the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity per week.

The study, published in the American Journal of Health Promotion, found that even brief episodes of physical activity that exceed a certain level of intensity can be just as effective in helping people control their weight as does the current recommendation of 10 or more minutes at a time....

http://happyfithealthy.com/micro-exercise.html

Micro-exercise or workouts of short duration are now gaining in popularity because the benefits have been proven by scientific studies. Micro-exercises of much less intensity also prove to be of benefit, climbing the stairs and vacuuming all count toward your daily physical activity score.

Ultra-short bouts of activity or micro-exercise where never considered to be beneficial until recently.  At least, that’s what exercise physiologists and public-health authorities have been telling us for years. They reported that exercise generally would follow the rules of mathematics. 4 ten minute workouts = 2 twenty minute workouts = 1 forty minute workout at least in terms of health benefits. Exercise lasting less than 10 minutes was not considered to be an exercise and was not considered to provide any health benefits.

The American College of Sports Medicine are now reconsidering the value of ultra-short bouts of activity called micro-exercise. A Canadian study done  at Queen’s University in Kingston, by Dr. McGuire, suggests that the gradual accumulation of “incidental physical activity”contribute to your cardiovascular fitness level.

Recognizing the role of these micro-bursts of activity, – sweeping the floor, taking the stairs – in bouts as short as one minute can also  encourage people who are currently sedentary and find the prospect of structured exercise daunting, says Dr.Ashlee McGuire....

/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/even-brief-bouts-of-exercise-can-prevent-weight-gain-researchers-show/

Brief periods of physical activity, provided they are intense enough, can prevent weight gain just as well as the 10-minute-plus intervals that are currently recommended, according to a study published this week in the American Journal of Health Promotion.

"What we learned is that for preventing weight gain, the intensity of the activity matters more than duration," says Dr. Jessie X. Fan, professor of family and consumer studies at the University of Utah and the study leader.

"Knowing that even short bouts of brisk activity can add up to a positive effect is an encouraging message for promoting better health," she said in a statement

But the study showed that higher intensity activity was associated with a lower risk of obesity even if conducted in bouts of less than 10 minutes. Taking the stairs instead of an elevator, parking at the far end of a parking lot or walking to the store or between errands can add up, the researchers found.

There is so much more information based on scientific evidence available showing just how beneficial smaller bouts of exercise than 10 min. are to our cardiovascular system and other areas of the body.  Please reconsider this recent change that you have made and bring back the recognition of exercising for less min. than 10.  Thank you!

Moderator Edit: Updated label

[Lightsinger]

This idea that the CDC guidelines to receive the maximum benefits of cardiovascular fitness means that Fitbit can only count active minutes in 10 minute blocks is disencentivizing.  Why walk to the grocery store, if it only takes 5 minutes.  You won't get credit for it.  Easier to drive.  Fitbit isn't promoting additional movement; it's penalizing those who don't run, walk or work out for at least 10 minutes at a stretch.  Yes, that's the best way to get the most from exercise, but it shouldn't be the best way to get the benefit of Fitbit.  I've been using my Flex for over a year now, and I finally got to a point where I could actually get active minutes.  But getting some credit for just MOVING would be nice.  As it is, I feel penalized.  Which demographic are you purporting to help?

[MerS]

Allow Fitbit users the option of being able to opt for the old version of very active minutes and not just have everyone on this new one!

[FancyGrade]

I completely agree. I understand why the change was made but users should have the choice of either method of calculation, or better still, be able to set the threshold at which active minutes count (with 10 being the default option).

[elvina]

This is a terrible idea!!!!!!!!!!!  Many users cant manage 10 minutes especially those just starting out with exercise, those unwell or disabled, those who just dont have enough hours in the day like busy Mums etc.  This change has taken away all my motiviation.   I used to try really hard to get my 30 very active minutes a day and aimed to fill any few minutes with exercise, now if I do less than 10 minutes at a time I dont get the minutes showing on my dashboard.  In my very active time I used to really try to push myself and would do say 5 minutes jogging or running as fast as I could. Now I am being told that this is pointless!  Fitbit are now saying I should just go for a 30 minute walk, if I can find the time!  Surely 30 minutes of more vigorous exercise split into little times, some less than 10 minutes is better, but obviously not according to Fitbit.  Come on Fitbit, give us the choice of very active minutes as before or active minutes for those who prefer them. 

[imipolex]

---

@Lightsinger wrote:

This idea that the CDC guidelines to receive the maximum benefits of cardiovascular fitness means that Fitbit can only count active minutes in 10 minute blocks is disencentivizing.  Why walk to the grocery store, if it only takes 5 minutes.  You won't get credit for it.  Easier to drive.  Fitbit isn't promoting additional movement; it's penalizing those who don't run, walk or work out for at least 10 minutes at a stretch.  Yes, that's the best way to get the most from exercise, but it shouldn't be the best way to get the benefit of Fitbit.  I've been using my Flex for over a year now, and I finally got to a point where I could actually get active minutes.  But getting some credit for just MOVING would be nice.  As it is, I feel penalized.  Which demographic are you purporting to help?

---

 Yeah, I have to say as someone who has developed a lot of software and is generally regarded as good at it, that blowing away existing features is almost never a good thing (unless the "existing feature" is universally hated). Reasonable design and user awareness suggests that you keep the old feature and add anything new as an option (e.g., "CDC mode" or whatever, selectable in one's Fitbit profile). Anyway, it boggles the mind that the brain trust at Fitbit would think that dropping (obviously popular) features like as-you-go Active Minutes in order to make Flex work like the other Fitbit products is an excellent idea.

Anyway, Fitbit should make the old accumulation of minutes available as an option (while retaining what seem to be general enhancements that now read stair-climbing, etc., as Active). And in general, Fitbit should try not to wipe out current functionality without being **apparently censored** sure the user community is overwhelmingly supportive of the change. 

[bookthief]

So very agreed! Sometimes 3-4 minutes (or whatever is under 10 minutes) is all you have. All effort should matter, not just when you can hit the 10 minute threshold. For some people, 10 minutes might be too much, but maybe they can do 5 minutes here and 5 minutes there. But now, none of it counts. I have a long hallway at work that I go up and down hourly (very briskly). When I leave work I normally have 15-20 minutes of active time built up from across the day, then I try to get in at least the extra 10 when I'm home. Now I have 0 minutes when I leave work and it's often very hard to find 30 whole minutes to get in that time. It's a bit defeating to know that, at least for the Fitbit, none of your effort counted. PLEASE change it back! (or give people the option!) (I do know that it counts for my body, but I want to SEE that on my Fitbit. For me there haven't been many happy green faces for calories or active minutes lately.)

[usmawife]

totally agree   active minutes push me further

[guitarwoman]

Agree as well.  There are some activities I do where brief bursts of fast walking are interspersed with slower movement.  Not to mention that I clean my own house, etc.  Active minutes are rewarding!

[dancincajun]

please do not do this .... as a "mature" lady I do 5 minute exercise maneuvers during the day ... with having back issues the past year that is about all I can do at a time .... there are a lot like me that are in our retirement years that like to see that what we do is being appreciated on our little fitbits ....

thank you for listening.

[SunsetRunner]

Totally agree.  Please return to the previous method.  Thank you.

[phs3]

Indeed. Making this an option would make sense--some people will like it. If you recall, they did this a couple of years ago, and reversed it. Not clear why they made the same mistake again?!

[ds9kie]

Agreed...its not just all exercising for a period of time. There are just only so much time in a day and sometimes I can only get 5 minutes here and there or sometimes I'm busy cleaning, moving a piano or something like that. Its all part of being active throughout the day .

[peppermint125]

I agree with all the research that was beautifully stated. I work in my home office and try to take hourly breaks of 5 minutes bursts of exercise, such as flights of stairs and none of that is recorded as active minutes. The change is very discouraging to me.

[TBirdAnni]

Another vote for taking off the 10 minute requirement here, I do lots of short bursts throughout the day due to a medical condition which means that I have to very carefully pace my activities to prevent muscle damage.  Those bursts always add up to way, way more than the 30 minute target and seeing them add up throughout the day has given me incentive to do it all (I'm such a reward whore!) and it will be frustrating to not see that counter going round anymore.

[dthor6]

I agree please take off the 10 minute requirement. Why should s short burst of exercise not count for those who can't sustain a 10 minute workout? Although I work out 60 minutes a day, I also do short bursts throughout the day that are not 10 minutes long and it is discouraging to not see these on the dashboard anymore. I think you are going to loose customers over this one. Please change it back.

[chansen_2000]

I agree with you 100%.    I vote for removing the 10 minute requirement!!

I work at my desk all day , and will get up and jog for about 5 minutes at a time and NOW, it shows not active minutes, and I know I'm active.

[SunsetRunner]

I had just introduced the idea of getting small bits of exercise in throughout the day to add up to 30 minutes to my Wellness group at work.  With the new changes, I can't pass my own challenge.  Very disappoiting.  Please change back.

[SunsetRunner]

I completely agree. The whole appeal of FitBit for me was that it counted ALL my activity. Instead of thinking, "I need to work out for 30-60 minutes or else I might as well not bother" (which generally led me not to bother), it suddenly seemed worth it to run once around the house, or walk to the location 8 minutes away instead of driving. If I arrived too early for an appointment, I'd walk around for 5 minutes instead of sitting in a chair. If at bedtime I was a few minutes short of my goal, I'd run in place while brushing my teeth.

The fitness goals put out by various associations change all the time: nobody really knows what we need or how we need it. The point of the FitBit was supposed to be that it didn't decide what was the right amount, it just RECORDED it. We could all make our own decisions about what our goals were.

I would like it to go back to the way it was. I've been so discouraged since the change. It no longer feels worth it to walk around for 5 minutes before an appointment, or run from one end of the house to the other. I no longer feel happy when I realize I need to go downstairs for something I forgot.

[quetzal]

It's an arbitrary decision and I totally disagree with the way they pushed it on us. Please restore the original methodology!

[guitarwoman]

Anyone remember when Fitbit was a small start up company producing the "Basic" model that would crumble to pieces in a few months? I and I am sure others remained loyal, and I think we are the core of Fitbit users today--not celebrities participating in "challenges. "

So Fitbit, listen to the common folk and change the active minute calculation.

When is an active minute not an active minute? When it is calculated by Fitbit!😂

Sent from my iPhone by Bonita Majonis

[AthenaTV]

I agree that I miss the old way of counting minutes. It was very motivating, especially when I only had a few.  I actually preferred the high bar of only counting extremely active minutes, not moderately active minutes.  I suddenly have 72 active minutes on a day I *know* I didn't do much -- this doesn't help me get motived to move a little faster and try a little harder.

Please make it an option for the user to choose either the "old way" or the new "CDC way" of counting active minutes.  

[Peppikaye]

An option to choose the old way or the new CDC way would be a good option. 

[jet444]

We might as well go back to a pedometer! Why waste the $ on a fitbit when now it's only basically counting steps? Because if I am working and walk on my breaks I am not hitting 10 minutes everytime I walk. I am looking into another fitness tracker and will no longer suggest a fitbit to anyone. !

[Bwright4]

I just wanted to echo what other users have said in that its a shame fitbit won't even let users have an option in how active minutes are calculated. Physical activities are very different for every person and I'm extremely disappointed in fitbit decision to make a blanket change without any user input. There must be a user setting to personalize what active minutes are tracked or lots of angry new fitbit users such as myself will find better options.

[ccalcal]

I agree, I prefer the old way.  I need all of the feedback that I can get.