Device counting steps while doing chores.

[Equity2]

First day of using my Fitbit. Just made my bed and gave duvet a good shake. Added about 150 steps to my Fitbit, is this what happens?

Moderator Edit: Clarified Subject.

[Julia_G]

Hi, @Equity2 , yes, very vigourous hand movements will likely record as steps.  This is inevitable with any wrist worn tracker.  Conversely, sometimes a wrist worn tracker will miss a few steps -- for example if you are walking on particularly soft carpet, or pushing a  trolley/ cart.

Many people have tested comparing wrist worn trackers with one worn on the core (for example in a hip pocket).  While there are often some variations day to day, over a period of time (a month, say) they work out to be remarkably close.  For that reason many people find that the advantages of a wristworn device outweigh the downsides.

Many people find that the important thing to focus on is trends -- is the Fitbit helping you to become more active and helping you meet your fitness goals?

Welcome to the forums!

[MarcoGFitbit]

Hello @Equity2, thanks for joining the Fitbit Community, it's great to have you on board. It's great to see you too @Julia_G, thanks for all your help. 

@Equity2 I have moved your post from the iOS board to the Alta HR board as this is a situation related to your device and not the Fitbit app. With that said, please note that Fitbit devices use a 3-axis accelerometer to understand your motions. An accelerometer is a device that turns movement (acceleration) into digital measurements (data) when attached to the body. By analyzing acceleration data, our devices provide detailed information about frequency, duration, intensity, and patterns of movement to determine your steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned, and sleep quality. The 3-axis implementation allows the accelerometer to measure your motion in any way that you move, making its activity measurements more precise than older, single-axis pedometers.

Fitbit devices have a finely tuned algorithm for step counting. The algorithm is designed to look for motion patterns that are most indicative of people walking. The algorithm determines whether a motion's size is large enough by setting a threshold. If the motion and its subsequent acceleration measurement meet the threshold, the motion will be counted as a step. If the threshold is not met, the motion won’t be counted as a step. On the other hands, if you're wearing your tracker and while doing other activities other than walking, if the movement of your arms reach the trheshold, it will be counted as a step. If your device picks up these steps, see How do I edit or delete Fitbit data and activities? for instructions on removing them.

I hope this resolves your inquiry, if there's anything else we can do for you, please feel free to reply.