Active Minutes way off.

[Erinmarie1013]

So I just went on a pretty intense walk for about an hour and once I got done I stopped my tracking which stated my "workout" 50:26. My average heart rate was 122 bpm which in the fatburn zone. But it only counted 16 active minutes... how is it only 16 active minutes of the whole thing was 50 mins? I want credit for all those dang minutes!! Especially since I was chasing a toddler more than half the time.

[MarreFitbit]

It's great to have you here around the Community @Erinmarie1013!  

Your Fitbit tracker recognizes and awards active minutes when the activity you're doing is more strenuous than regular walking, which includes everything from a brisk walk to a cardio workout or run.

All Fitbit trackers calculate active minutes using metabolic equivalents (METs). METs help measure the energy expenditure of various activities. Because they do so in a comparable way among persons of different weights, METs are widely used as indicators for exercise intensity. For example, a MET of 1 indicates a body at rest. Fitbit trackers estimate your MET value in any given minute by calculating the intensity of your activity. Therefore, you earn active minutes for activities at or above about 3 METs. 

If an activity gives you active minutes one day and fewer active minutes the next day, remember that the intensity of exercise is key. Often what seems like the exact same amount of effort over the same distance in fact differs slightly enough to change your active minutes total.

By default, you are given a starting goal of 30 active minutes a day based on the CDC recommendation of 20-30 minutes of daily moderate-to-intense activity. You can always change your active minutes goal to meet your personal needs.

Trackers with heart-rate sensing do a better job of recognizing active minutes for non-step-based activities, such as weight lifting, strenuous yoga, and rowing. If your tracker doesn't have heart-rate sensing, your active minutes will be lower for non-step based activities.

The more calories you burn the higher your MET value, so therefore the more calories you burn the higher your total active minutes. Assuming you're active for at least 10 minutes at a time, green spikes on your calorie graph typically indicate that you’re earning active minutes.

If you have kept all of this in mind, I'd recommend restarting your Surge by doing the following and then test it for the next exercise:

1. Press and hold the Home and Select buttons (left and bottom right) for 10 to 15 seconds, until you see the screen flash or start to dim. 
2. Let go of the buttons. 
3. After your screen turns completely off, wait 10 seconds and press the Home button to turn your Surge back on. 

Keep me posted!