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

[jmaz715]

Please go back to the old way of calculating AM's.  Compared to where I was 6 months ago, ANY activity for me is good.  Seeing the active minutes on my dashboard serve as a motivational tool that I have been searching for.  I for one do not want a "nanny-state" method from any government agency intruding further into my life.  I am sure there is a fitness tracker out there that will not have this silly change.  

[djgeiger]

Yes, please change it back.  It is very discouraging for me.

[Kathi2]

I thought i was the only one upset with this 10 minute decision.  Not all of us are Olympic athletes and I got this band to see how active/non-active I am.  I would like the option of being able to opt into the new way of counting active minutes.  I WANT MY MINUTES BACK!!!

[guitarwoman]

Now here's an interesting situation.

My treadmill walk was interrupted this morning, nothing I could do, the phone rang and took me away from it.  I had done just under 10 minutes (at 3.6 miles per hour) when the phone rang.  I finished the workout later,with about 40 minutes.  And I never got the active minute credit for the first almost ten minutes.  I was going nicely, beginning tow work up a sweat, and nothing.  Not good.

[Dunadan0000]

Big mistake to stop counting less than 10 minutes. That is not what the CDC intended and your people drastically misunderstood the issue. We are big boys and girls and can make decisions to count or not count for ourselves. I work as a scientist in the health promotion industry and find your arbitrary approach impossible to justify.

[GalinAZ]

Heads up FitBit, there are 40,000 FitBit users on Sparkspeople.  

[mouse0405]

I completely agree.  Please switch back.

[DerrickS]

Thank you for sharing your ideas and feedback regarding the change in Active Minutes. For One, Zip, Flex, and Ultra users, Active Minutes will now include both Moderately and Very Active Minutes, which brings these devices in-line with our more recent wrist-based trackers.

The change will also make Active Minutes more aligned with the CDC's recommendation of doing a physical activity at a moderate or vigorous effort for at least 10 minutes at a time.  As a potential consequence, users may need to work harder to achieve their Active Minute goal. The intention of the change in Active Minutes was to improve the accuracy of the statistic, not to discourage our users. We definitely want to be receptive to users' feedback and encourage to share your thoughts and feedback about the change here.

[SunsetRunner]

This response from FitBit just re-states their original message. I don't feel listened to at all.

Speaking for myself, I don't care which organization said exercise should be over 10 minutes at a time (CDC, American Heart Association, whoever it was). I want FitBit to measure my minutes, and let me decide whose data to consider important. If I agree with the CDC/AHA and believe 10 minutes at a time is important, then I will do 10 minutes at a time; if I disagree 10 minutes at a time is important, then I will do 30, or 5, or 60, or whatever it is I believe. FitBit doesn't need to be involved in that decision at all---and I'd say they shouldn't be.

If FitBit is going to align themselves with the fitness philosophy of another organization, then by all means add that as an additional tracking option on the dashboard: we can have total active minutes, and also "active minutes done in 10-minute+ portions" if you want. But for those of us who don't think the CDC or the AHA or FitBit is in charge of what level of fitness is "good," please change it back to the original product we purchased.

[bookthief]

But I am discouraged, Derrick! I will agree that 10 minutes of daily activity is a great goal. HOWEVER, I want all of my active minutes to count, whether I'm briskly walking/jogging for 3 minutes or more than 10. By doing it this way, you are discouraging probably thousands upon thousands of users who cannot meet the 10 minute threshold for one reason or another, but they can move it for 5 minutes. Or 7 minutes. But 10 is too much. That effort should count for something according to the Fitbit. This change is and will continue to be discouraging to many people. This is the first time I've said this, but I'm extremely disappointed in Fitbit.

[Bwright4]

"We definitely want to be receptive to users' feedback and encourage to share your thoughts and feedback about the change here."

Fitbit's official response by the moderator seems to contradict itself and it seems like ultimately this kind of response will result in new competitors such as the Apple watch taking over.  If you wanted to be receptive to your users' feedback you would actually listen to the comments and make changes.  As one user pointed out, the whole purpose of fitness trackers such as Fitbit is to track and encourage ALL fitness data not just long bouts of intense formal exercise.  Stop trying to make fitness decisions for users and let users decide how to use the information.

If the intention is improve fitness and not discourage users, then based on the comments in this forum, Fitbit failed on this change and should change it back or add options so users don't get discouraged.

[saphyress]

Adding my two cents, totally support everyone that the under 10 minutes is discouraging as then every little bit I can get in no longer counts.

Bigger discouragement for me is the active minutes not showing only high activity. Seeing over 100 minutes a day is not accurate, sure I was moving, but to lose weight and get to my 'happy place' I need x number of very active minutes a day, now I have no idea where I stand. It's a  BS number, as someone else said there are over 40K Fitbit users on SparkPeople, and I'm sure they would agree that these changes are disenheartening.

I have not seen the change on mobile to 'pace' etc. That would also be very annoying as I don't/can't run so those parameters have no use to me. Makes more sense to allow us to choose 'Runner's mode' or 'Original mode', then it works best for each person.

[SunsetRunner]

I am not happy with the change in this system. It should be the customer's
choice as to what to record. I think the telling phrase is that it puts
these trackers more in line with wrist trackers (newer?). I don't care
what others are recording on their trackers. Does this make it easier for
your site? I feel totally unheard by your company and, at this point, that
is THE POINT!!! You are not listening to a large portion of your customers
which is disappointing and discouraging!

[Seret42]

Adding my voice this is a terrible idea. Yesterday I worked out  for over an hour in a fitness class that varied from treadmill to walkig squats and moving a LOT but not for 10 minutes straight at a time. Therefore Fitbit only registered me for 30 min but my Garmin Running watch HRM sure knows I worked out the entire time .https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/745957597

I dropped the Vivofit in favor of the Fitbit please fix this

[Seret42]

Also what about walking my dog? I go on walks with him for 60 min at a time but he stops to pee and play which will 'break' the 10 minute straight walking to get FitBit to tell me I'm doing a good thing by walking with my dog.

[phs3]

The solution should be simple: either add a new "Very active" value and threshold, or let users select which behavior they want. I actually would like to see *both*, personally. But as currently implemented it's just plain broken. I'm considering asking for my money back, as they sold me something, then broke the function.

[Lovetocottage]

Please give users the option of which method they want to use to track active minutes. I got fitbit one to track my active minutes from walking and purposely walk faster than I would have previously to make those short walks count as active minutes. I've been logging calisthetics/light home exercise and now it shows as active minutes too, so I'm no longer able to monitor my active minutes from walking.

[Fresca]

I also totally support the concept that the CUSTOMER should be able to decide for themselves how they want to track their active minutes and there should NOT be a limit, either upper or lower for this. It appears, from reading through so many posts on so many threads here, that your customer base is very widespread and in alignment with what FitBit SEEMS to be promoting to the mass market, their devices are not aimed only toward the the hardcore fitness buff (most of whom will actually chose a more accurate chest strap for heart rate monitoring and other apps and products for total exercise tracking as well), but toward the wide range of fitness AWARE folk out there who are looking for a more simple and flexible way to improve their health. At the price I paid for my Charge HR, I heartily agree I should have the option to use it in a manner which works to MY best advantage. This seems like it is such an easy "fix" that I have trouble understanding why FitBit would not want to make this improvement? The "evidence base" for both the desire on the part of customers, AND the science supporting the benefit, of this improvement to the FitBit product are obvious.

[jmaz715]

So, Fitbit still not going to listen to reasonable customer requests??  My next step is to respectfully ask Fitbit, or anyone else on this forum if they could recommend a competitor that does NOT insist we do thing the "government's way"?  

An Apple watch is out, as I will stick with my automatic watch collection.  I wear a Flex, as it is the least conspicous next to a watch that I wish to wear.

If Fitbit does not wish to listen to customers with valid concerns and reasonable requests, then it is time to vote with the wallet.  Oh, and a little social media exposure can't hurt either.

[stm027]

I agree, I often use that feature to try and determine how many steps I took between to spots versus actually tracking exercise.

[rassll]

I am extremely disappointed in this change. I walk a lot during the day but it's not necessarily unbroken. Now I get no credit for any time I spend if I have to do things like wait for traffic to cross a street or let someone else walk by before I can continue. It makes it completely in accurate and is not a real measure of activity if it only counts after 10 minutes at an "elevated" level. I have a back injury and sometimes slow is all I can do but it takes an effort to do it. But now it doesn't count. Shame on Fitbit.

[guitarwoman]

What this change has accomplished is to encourage us to slow down and move continuously for at least 10 minutes. Is this what Fitbit wanted?

And yes, as in a previous post, what happens if you have to wait to cross a street.

Sent from my iPad Mini

[SantaMonicawalk]

I would also like you to have a total of both the active and moderated minutes.

As per this study:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/04/15/the-right-dose-of-exercise-for-a-longer-life/?src=me&module...

Thanks,

[taaza]

VERY disappointed in the new 10 acitve minute rule. This actually discourages me instead of encourages me.  At the very least, Fitbit should offer users the choice of turning this feature on or off in our dashboard settings.  PLEASE bring the ability to have an option to calculate active minutes <10 as per our own choosing!  For an older adult coming off injuries (like myself) or disabilities (others I know using Fitbit), I see this as being a vital choice for many users.

Interesting that Fitbit has made this change right before a smartwatch release by a large company. This may be just enough of a negative change for me to entice me to jump ship to another activity tracking device, and I would bet that I am not the only one considering this.

[rassll]

That is exactly what I suggest! I have been moving all day long. I have 0 active minutes because I have to stop to let someone else walk by. It does not allow you to truely reflect your achievements.