Wellness

[ChynnaBlue]

On 5/22/2014 terrier3 said:

On 5/20/2014 ChynnaBlue said:

On 5/18/2014 momtodogs said:

I understand what the FitBit is but if it is on your wrist and you move your hands a lot would't that skew the numbers?

It counts some arm movements, but not small ones. If I wave at a friend, it will count that. It doesn't count my typing. My arms are still when I push my grocery cart, but it counts my steps. You also set it to be on your dominant or non-dominant hand, which helps calibrate for some movement.

The way I see it, all of these devices are guides, not absolutes. I've used a lot of pedometers and none have been 100% accurate, but they give me a good idea of what I've done. The FitBit trackers are the same, only they upload the information to a portal which gives me better analytics than a pedometer does.

I'm not looking for an exact count of my steps as much as I'm looking for trends - did I move more today than I did yesterday? If not, can I move more tomorrow? Can I set a goal and match or exceed it? It's not about the exact number of steps, it's not like I need that number for a legal and indisputable document. I want to note trends and be motivated daily. That's what the FitBit helps me do

I LOVE my FitBit Zip and wear it constantly...BUT...

I did 28 minutes on the treadmill yesterday as a warm up...3 MPH...then an hour of XFit.

The XFit was intense...but it didn't register as strenuous exercise...just the 28 minutes warm up. The XFit was rowing, weight lifting, sideplanks, etc. so it registered as activity, just not towards my strenuous activity.

Since FitBit counts step motion, it has a hard time with anything that's not step-based. Here's what they say about it on their site:

What are "very active minutes"?

LAST UPDATED: MAY 20, 2014 02:15PM

You earn "very active minutes" when you wear your Fitbit while doing cardio workouts and high-intensity activities like jogging and running. Note that your active minute count will be lower for activities that are not primarily step-based, such as weight lifting, cycling, and rowing.

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

All Fitbit trackers calculate active minutes using metabolic equivalents (METs). MET is a unit used to represent the amount of oxygen used by a body during physical activity; therefore, MET can be used as an indicator for intensity of physical activities. For example, a MET of 1 indicates a body at rest. Your MET value in any given minute is determined by the intensity of your activity based on your speed. Active minutes are earned for all minutes above a certain MET value based on the thresholds we have established. Simply put, active minutes correlate to a greater amount of activity over the course of 60-second intervals.

The more calories you burn the higher your MET value, and therefore the more calories you burn, the higher your very active minutes. When looking at your calorie graph, shown below, the green spikes indicate that you’re earning very active minutes.

Source: https://help.fitbit.com/customer/portal/articles/1020095-what-are-%22very-active-minutes%22-

[Qwackertoo]

On 5/22/2014 terrier3 said:

On 5/22/2014 Qwackertoo said:

I plan on logging my Chalean, Zumba, Insanity etc. etc. as cardio/strenuous activity and rely on the fitbit more for steps . . . unless it had a built-in heart rate monitor I don't think it or other types are capable of interpreting such activities and ones individual exertion level.

Zumba is constant movement, so it will probably track as strenuous activity.

Floor excercises or weight don't.

Thanks, haven't done it yet, only had Flex for two weeks. But so far I love it.

[bopper]

Fitbit is having a TSV in early June..

[hawkeyegirl]

I bought a Fitbit Zip at first, but it did not work well, didn't count steps accurately or sync with phone easily. I do love my One. I lost it after having it for about a year, and had to buy a replacement right away. It does let me know how active of a day I am having, and is a great incentive to "step it up."

jane

[Snicks1]

I've had my FitBit Zip for about 2 weeks, I totally forgot to wear it yesterday. I do a lot of outdoor, strenuous work, it doesn't count, after all that exercise, I am sometimes too tired to go for a long walk....it's ok, tho, I know I got plenty of exercise for the day when this happens. I really like mine, for what I needed it to do for me.

[barb40]

Any information on the Fitbit TSV? When, how much , what is included? Thanks!

I have really been trying to research/compare various activity monitors...really interested in the Fitbit Flex...looked at Costco and Wal-mart yesterday...sold out.

Would love to find out if the Fitbit TSV is available for pre-order...

[Flika13]

I ordered my Fitbit zip from Verizon. If you have a Verizon discount through your employer it should apply.

[barb40]

The program guide shows a Fitbit TSV on Tuesday, June 10.

[lovebug3399]

Hi...

I wish there was a like button..lol....so many great responses...lots of great info...I am going to stay with my Zip until I see what the TSV is... They also have a scale..so not sure what it is...if anyone finds out please post...Have a wonderful weekend

[10sluvr]

there are such varied opinions, in the review section, i don't know what to do/choose. i also checked amazon and the reviews are more positive. do you think there is "operator error" when some try to use? i'm very interested but it's alittle expensive, so i want to make a good choice. the motivation factor in also, a selling point. i will wait until tsv, i guess, they generally have a good bundle.

are you sure fitbit is a tsv? i see re-body, for 6/10.