Allow Sense to track active minutes

[Bunnbunn]

I do NOT like the doubling of active minutes. I just want to see the ACTUAL minutes I’ve exercised. It’s useless to me otherwise. Please give users the OPTION!!!

if you agree, say so. Maybe they will listen. Between this and the stair issues, I’m disappointed with Sense (oh, and battery draining way too fast). 

And telling people that getting sense wet will cause more stairs to be counted - I got it to use in the pool specifically. 🙄

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[LZeeW]

@Bunnbunn   I apologize if I am misreading what you wrote.  If you are referring to active zone minutes, where you get 1x in the fat burn zone and 2x in the cardio and peak zones, I will explain Fitbit's rationale.  Both the CDC and the WHO have exercise recommendations.  Both involve amounts of moderate to vigorous intensity activity.  The CDC recommends 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week, including a combination of the two.  150 zone minutes per week meets the CDC recommendation.  This is also why your daily zone minute goal is set at 22 minutes by default.

Your exercise minutes are available, right where they have always been.  Tap on your exercise tile, then swipe to the left twice to see your exercise minutes.  You can also expand it and rotate to landscape view.

I'm sorry that you are having stair issues and that your battery is draining too fast.  I use a Versa 3, not a Sense and I don't have any advice on these issues.

[SunsetRunner]

@Bunnbunn 

Here's how i understand your post. 

Fat Burn Zone = moderate activity per CDC, hence 150 minutes per week

Cardio Zone = vigorous activity per CDC, hence 75 minutes per week. That's why Fitbit multiplies the minutes by a factor of 2. 

If one is to stay in the fat burn zone for 150 minutes, then it falls within CDC's recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate activity.

If one is stay in the cardio zone for 75 minutes, then it falls within CDC's recommendation of 75 minutes of vigorous activity. 

Do I understand correctly? 

[LZeeW]

@SunsetRunner   You can also, for example, do 80 minutes of fat burn and 35 minutes of cardio and get your 80 + (35 x 2) = 150 zone minutes.

[SunsetRunner]

@LZeeW 

Got it! Thanks for the reply and clarification! 👍👍👍

[Guy_]

If you are not interested in the cardio stuff, Active Minutes was a much better guide to activity than the Active Zone Minutes which is completely flawed because of the inaccurate heart rate, so the zones are virtually meaningless.

Equally Calories are totally meaningless due to the incorrect floor count as well as heart rate issue.

The solution is to make Active Minutes a user choice, at least there would be an accurate way to see and compare activity day by day.

[LZeeW]

@Guy_   Fitbits that Active Minutes also use heart rate, unless they are the models that don't measure heart rate.  Active Minutes aren't inherently more accurate.  There are reasons why Fitbit won't go back to Active Minutes.  When the CDC updated the exercise recommendations, they also updated target heart rate zones for moderate and vigorous activity.  The Fat Burn zone that is 50% of your maximum doesn't exist anymore.  A person with a faster, yet normal, resting heart rate can earn Active Minutes at rest.  Active Minutes can't differentiate between moderate and vigorous activity.  That makes it harder for users to mix thing up and meet their goals.  The CDC has updated zones for moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity.  I prefer Active Zone Minutes over the CDC target heart rate zones, because the CDC doesn't factor in RHR.

Floor counts, per se, don't change calorie burn.  You might burn some extra calories if you run up five flights of stairs than if you walk.  The calories are heart rate based.  I never woke up to the extra 15,000 flights like some users.  But I watched my app on a very gusty, windy day.  Wind gusts can trigger false floors.  I earned over 20 flights in 15 minutes.  Calorie burn didn't change.  Fitbit has current models that don't have altimeters at all.  Floors aren't a factor.

Optical heart rate monitoring at the wrist will never meet the accuracy of a chest strap.  While flawed, I wouldn't call it completely flawed like you do.

I hope these clarifications will help you in your passion for improvement.

[Guy_]

Thanks @LZeeW  for such a full explanation, which made me smile too.

It was understood that Fitbit's Active Minutes used steps as a measure of activity, presumably with a possible elevation in heart rate. May be prolonged elevation above a normal heart rate would count towards active minutes too, irrespective of how high above? This would give a far more reasonable and consistent way of measuring on a Sense and Versa 3 currently, if it could be chosen.

With the Active Zone Minutes it uses heart rate zones to calculate the minutes, while this may be perfectly correct for the older watches, it won't necessarily be for a Sense or Versa 3, that are not in the correct zones. Eg. My Sense shows 140 when my Versa 1 [correctly] shows 70 at that time.. Won't this give a very false reading of Active Zone Minutes?

If someone is not doing workouts, the Active Zone Minutes is not really any use.

However for floors, it is recognised that about 2 calories for one flight of 12 steps should be added to the calorie count, which if multiplied by the excessive number of floors would cause an over reading, but thanks for confirming they are not included.

As floors are not counted in the calories then for those that have accurate floors [older watches] their calorie count is surely under reading? And for those watches over reading, then also.

The optical heart rate monitoring on my Versa 1 is accurate when compared to other instruments, the Sense is not, it's way off much of the time. It is however pretty accurate for a couch potato!

As the floor count on my Sense was accurate 9 months till June 2021, does that mean it has got exceptionally windy since !?

[LZeeW]

@Guy_   Here is more information for you:

• Fitbits that don't have heart rate monitors do base active minutes on steps, looking for an activity level that is at or above 3 METs (metabolic activity units).  One MET is you at rest.  Walking at about 3 mph gives you 3 METs.  MET values come from a huge Compendium of Physical Activity.   It is an extensive list of activities and MET values.
• Fitbits with heart rate monitors award active minutes when your heart rate is at or above 50% of your maximum heart rate.  At my age, a Charge 2 will give me active minutes when my heart rate is 77, a normal RHR.  You can be fully at rest, even asleep, and earn active minutes.  Being sick with a fever can do this. 
• Many people use a daily walk as their workout.  While they might not get to their cardio zone, reaching their fat burn zone in zone minutes will help them meet the recommended activity goals.
• Floors do not, I repeat, do not change calorie burn.  Period.  I have been wearing a Versa 3 and switched to a Charge 5 two days ago.  I also have a Luxe.  They don't count floors and my calorie burns are comparable to my activity among all three devices.
• I agree that Fitbit's Pure Pulse 2.0 (Sense and Versa 3) isn't the improvement that Fitbit expected it to be.  I also have times when my Versa 3 seems to double my heart rate.  I take my pulse.  Yes, calorie burns and zone minutes will be incorrect if the heart rate isn't accurate.
• I have no idea what is going on with floor counting since any update.  My Versa 3 had no change in floor counting accuracy.  I made the comment about windy days to emphasize that floors don't contribute to calorie burn.

[Guy_]

@LZeeW-  thanks so much, very interesting - my passion has improved! lol

Windy since June was just humour.

I am looking into sensor pressures on the Sense, will publish something later.

[BeckyF.]

I totally agree. My goal is minimum of 30 ACTUAL Cardio min. Per day. So dividing in half….

Its great to count Fat Burn minutes separate from Cardio, that’s perfect, but the 2X baloney👎🏻

Also, on the “Daily Average” on your Profile, that should Include Avg Zone minutes ALSO.

AND In the Weekly Report!

[BeckyF.]

Hi Lee,

Thank for all the info…

However, I too do NOT like the 2X mins of Cardio. My goal is 30 ACTUAL min of Cardio per day.

Sure, I can divide in half, but….

Also, I REALLY want Avg Zone min listed Right up with Avg Steps on Profile and Weekly report as Steps Aren’t Really my goal anymore.

You can have 10,000 Steps walking around the house and next to Zero Zone min, so therefore meaningless really, to me.

Thanks!

[AliHowdy]

I hate the zone minutes. I just want actual minutes of exercise plus the heart rate graph.

[AliHowdy]

I’m not aiming to meet CDC recommendations; I do far more exercise than that. Do I don’t need all the “zone” minutes. I want actual minutes.  Fitbit, give users the choice. 

[BatmanS]

Just got a fitbit, day one and this already annoys me. I need actual minutes!

[LZeeW]

Hello @BatmanS and welcome to the Community. The duration of any tracked exercise is part of the exercise details.  If you track multiple workouts a day, you can see additional information by doing the following:

• Tap on your Exercise tile on you mobile app -- But not on the "+" sign
• There are six screens available in the top field
• Swipe left to the third screen
• That screen will show your daily total duration for your tracked exercise
• You can expand it and rotate it to landscape view
• I know you are new here, but I swiped back to 2021 and stopped because I got tired of swiping

Sorry, folks.  Weighted active zone minutes aren't going away until the CDC changes activity recommendations.