Activity - Move detection is a joke

[marmiteturkey]

Glad I didn't depend on the Apple Watch's fitness and activity trackers being anything more than a gimmick - plan on wearing my fitbit Charge HR on my other arm when I get my Apple Watch. Should have known this was a gimmick just like Apple's Health app that includes next to no actual practical fitness tracking functionality

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You'd notice if you walked 3 miles through the day, it's not like it's just a casual amount of walking.

Sure it is; on days when I don't do exercise, I still cover over 3 miles over the course of a day, walking from the station to work, around the halls etc; and I have a desk job. 3 miles in a day is not much of a target.

 

[lovetheduns]

Sure it is; on days when I don't do exercise, I still cover over 3 miles over the course of a day, walking from the station to work, around the halls etc; and I have a desk job. 3 miles in a day is not much of a target.

Very true. Most of the time I work from home, it is really hard to passively get 10k steps a day. However when i work at my client's site in San Francisco, I go over quite a bit just from walking to work from the hotel, walking around the building, getting a coffee, grabbing lunch, walking back to the hotel, walking to grab dinner, etc.

For really sedentary people 3miles may be a lot but not for folks who do the above things.

 

[Trent0341]

You'd notice if you walked 3 miles through the day, it's not like it's just a casual amount of walking.

Not true at all... Just went back and averaged my walking since I've worn the Watch and its a little over 4.5. Not something that really registers for me.

I think whats happening here is that people assume their lifestyle is the same as everyone else's when in reality we are all different.

 

[wknapp0924]

People you should really just use any of these step counters, HRM, calorie counting apps as a guide to a healthier life. Just because my watch says I burnt 800 calories does not mean I will eat 800 more calories. You should know your body and know what you should be eating and how much to workout.

I recently gained some weight in the last year and it the last week I have used the Apple Watch as a motivation tool. I have been to the gym 3 days in a row and walked two miles tonight when i wasn't motivated to go to the gym just to hit my goal.

This watch for me is priceless because it reminds me to stop being a slob and get my ass moving around. I had business on the other side of the installation at work today and I power walked just to watch my heart rate and get a little extra exercise in.

For a first gen this device has become an extension of my arm and has made me a healthier individual.

I also have WaterMinder and use the watch to easily track my water intake for the day. Great little app, albeit a little pricey.

If you really want to see how many calories you should be eating check out this site.
http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm#

Once Apple allows third party support for movements and my watch can count my reps while lifting it will be perfect for me.

 

[Branskins]

Doesn't it need to be a brisk walk to register in the activity ring? I don't think casually walking will register

 

[aschaeferusn]

Not true at all... Just went back and averaged my walking since I've worn the Watch and its a little over 4.5. Not something that really registers for me.

I think whats happening here is that people assume their lifestyle is the same as everyone else's when in reality we are all different.

I meant "a difference of 3 miles per day". My mistake for not being more clear.

 

[Eorlas]

Did some yard work for 2 hours, I am exhausted; I am not in shape and heart beat was pretty high. As a result, 20 calories added to my activity.

Been resting on the couch for 30 minutes, just added 50 calories to my activity...

Driving to work usually gets me about 30-50 calories; similar for sitting at desk.
Remember, we're not talking about resting calories, but moving ones.

Having two devices on me (iPhone+Watch), on wrist and in pocket, combining multiple accelerometers, heart monitor, barometers and a GPS, etc... you would expect those devices would work together to figure out if you're driving or if you're laying down in bed, more accurately than the $30 activity trackers out there, but that doesn't seem to be the case

I was really hoping the activity tracker alone would justify buying the watch, but it's not any better (if not worse) than the cheapest options out there.

How long have you been wearing it for? I believe like with other activity-tracking devices it needs time to tune to you.

The iPhone doesn't have a heart rate monitor unless you use one of the camera flashlight apps, so there's unfortunately nothing to "combine" there. Though having both accelerometers and motion tracking co-processors could be a topic to broach about having both devices compare their data to potentially give you more accurate results.

Has anyone looked into whether or not this occurs in the Health app when it collects from both the Watch and the iPhone?

 

[RogerEast]

Working fine for me.

 

[Corsig]

I'm interested in knowing if any of you who are having problems have used another fitness watch like the Fitbit before using the apple watch?

Having used the Fitbit for almost 2 years everyday for tracking my steps, calories burned, miles...etc you get very used to how it functions.

There are some things the watch just can't compensate for. Like if you are pushing a shopping cart and both hands are on the cart then its not swinging to compute the step. If you are holding bags while walking in then the watch doesn't know to count that step.

Also, I don't think you guys realize how many steps you take just walking around the office, going back and forth around the house, walking the dog....etc It adds up unless you are a complete couch potato all day long. If thats the case then a fitness watch isnt your main concern.

 

[Newtons Apple]

That's not all that outrageous. After 8 hours of being at work and walking around the office to talk to people and walking to get coffee in the morning and lunch I racked up 3 miles of walking myself. Both my iPhone and Watch indicate the same distance.

People don't realize what they consider "doing nothing" actually adds up during the day unless you sit and do not take a step for 8 hours.

Agreed. I am really forced to stay behind my computer a good part of the day but do get out to visit a customer of two and without even trying I get 2-3 miles a day with 4-5 on occasion

 

[chiffchaff]

I've used a Fitbit and a Garmin vivosmart in the past. The Apple watch does just fine at counting steps and general movement throughout the day, comparable to both of those. Walking 3 miles in a day is really not that much, way under 10,000 steps for me and 10,000 steps is a widely recommended basic fitness goal.

Also re. whether someone can actually walk 6 miles in an hour and half - absolutely. That's 4 mph which is a nice brisk pace for someone who walks regularly (someone just starting to get in shape would be slower, of course).

The HR monitor also seems accurate for me. Not as precise as wearing a chest strap but pretty darn good.

The only thing that I don't understand about the Apple activity apps is the resting calories. Something seems off there, so I just use the BMR I've calculated using my personal stats and add active calories to that for an estimate of my TDEE.

 

[dandrewk]

I'm interested in knowing if any of you who are having problems have used another fitness watch like the Fitbit before using the apple watch?

Having used the Fitbit for almost 2 years everyday for tracking my steps, calories burned, miles...etc you get very used to how it functions.

There are some things the watch just can't compensate for. Like if you are pushing a shopping cart and both hands are on the cart then its not swinging to compute the step. If you are holding bags while walking in then the watch doesn't know to count that step.

Also, I don't think you guys realize how many steps you take just walking around the office, going back and forth around the house, walking the dog....etc It adds up unless you are a complete couch potato all day long. If thats the case then a fitness watch isnt your main concern.

I've had a FitBit One for a few years, wearing it religiously every day. I am a slave to 10k steps/day! I've also been wearing my watch at the exact same times since 4/24.

What I have found is the watch tracks steps quite well, even if pushing a cart or holding a bag of groceries. Even if your arm is held horizontal, you are still gently rising and falling and the watch's accelerometer is very sensitive to that movement. I often walk with my hands in my jacket pocket, and it tracks those steps accurately.

There is a difference in counts. The FitBit indiscriminately counts all steps. The Watch only counts steps it determines are more than the countless small daily "trips" to the kitchen, restroom or around the office. I'm unclear on the parameters, but I'm guessing it to be at least 100 steps at a fair pace. Once over that hump, all of those steps get counted.

As we know, those small trips add up. For me, it could be around 2k steps/day. The Watch is therefore more of a fitness step counter. As such, I am weaning myself from the 10k steps/day maxim and am instead focusing on the Move goal. I still wear my FitBit though, at least for now.

 

[AtheistP3ace]

I havent noticed anything outrageous with what it tells me I did for normal daily routine and my exercise. I have never had a fitbit or anything like that before watch so its all new to me. Hope its accurate.

 

[iamMacPerson]

I was actually talking to a Senior Advisor the other day regarding restoring my phone with the Watch paired and he brought up 'Health App calibration'. Apparently you have calibrate it by setting it to do a 20 minutes walk then going out on that 20 min walk. Don't jog or anything, just walk like you normally would.

 

[AtheistP3ace]

I was actually talking to a Senior Advisor the other day regarding restoring my phone with the Watch paired and he brought up 'Health App calibration'. Apparently you have calibrate it by setting it to do a 20 minutes walk then going out on that 20 min walk. Don't jog or anything, just walk like you normally would.

This makes sense. I have heard it can learn your stride and stuff over time.

 

[flur]

Your message is quite insulting, and dishonest.

You think I came to post here because I was upset not to get activity credit for "gently raking leaves"?

If you're in age of driving, look at your move calories before/after your drive and explain how those move calories make sense.
I believe I clearly explained that I got more calories driving and sitting on the couch than doing some outdoor work ( which was hard work, but it doesn't matter, what matters is that it involved me walking around vs sitting still on the couch/car).

It's not a matter of perception of activity; it's not even a matter of accuracy, I would accept some level of inaccuracy; the main problem is for me to get 100 calories worth of activity when driving or sitting on the couch; leading me to think that at the end of the day, this doesn't really give me a good picture of my activity.

There's a small lag between when you do the activity and when the app registers it (this is NORMAL for activity trackers), so when you're driving, you're likely seeing the activity that accumulated when you where getting your shoes on, grabbing your keys, and heading to your car. When you're relaxing on the couch after your yardwork, you're seeing the activity from your yardwork showing up on the watch.

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I havent noticed anything outrageous with what it tells me I did for normal daily routine and my exercise. I have never had a fitbit or anything like that before watch so its all new to me. Hope its accurate.

I have an UP band and the watch is pretty accurate for me for both distance and step count. And you can calibrate to make it more accurate for you.

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There is a difference in counts. The FitBit indiscriminately counts all steps. The Watch only counts steps it determines are more than the countless small daily "trips" to the kitchen, restroom or around the office. I'm unclear on the parameters, but I'm guessing it to be at least 100 steps at a fair pace. Once over that hump, all of those steps get counted.

As we know, those small trips add up. For me, it could be around 2k steps/day. The Watch is therefore more of a fitness step counter. As such, I am weaning myself from the 10k steps/day maxim and am instead focusing on the Move goal. I still wear my FitBit though, at least for now.

My husband has a fitbit, and what we've found is that it doesn't actually count steps, it counts arm movements, because it can only sense movement, not distance, so it counts lots of things that it shouldn't, like eating and doing dishes. So...maybe your watch is accurate and your fitbit is giving you credit for things it shouldn't?

 

[Cuyler]

There's a small lag between when you do the activity and when the app registers it (this is NORMAL for activity trackers), so when you're driving, you're likely seeing the activity that accumulated when you where getting your shoes on, grabbing your keys, and heading to your car. When you're relaxing on the couch after your yardwork, you're seeing the activity from your yardwork showing up on the watch.
...

I've had times where I put on the the watch in order to update my stand count and I can walk around for many minutes and the watch does not update the stand or step count. Not sure why this happens — it seems to work fine during the day.

I have a FitBit Zip that I'm using and it's step count is usually a little higher than the watch's.

 

[dandrewk]

My husband has a fitbit, and what we've found is that it doesn't actually count steps, it counts arm movements, because it can only sense movement, not distance, so it counts lots of things that it shouldn't, like eating and doing dishes. So...maybe your watch is accurate and your fitbit is giving you credit for things it shouldn't?

I have the FitBit one, which I clip to my waistline, so there is no issues with arm movements. I've checked it several times with actual physical counts, and it's easily within 2%, which is quite acceptable.

I have heard of the issue with other fitness trackers that are worn on the wrist. The trackers use algorithms to determine what is an actual step, and some are more accurate than others. It seems the Apple Watch tracks accurately, as all independent testing (including Consumer Reports) give it passing grades. This jibes with my own testing.

 

[gsmornot]

Your message is quite insulting, and dishonest.

You think I came to post here because I was upset not to get activity credit for "gently raking leaves"?

If you're in age of driving, look at your move calories before/after your drive and explain how those move calories make sense.
I believe I clearly explained that I got more calories driving and sitting on the couch than doing some outdoor work ( which was hard work, but it doesn't matter, what matters is that it involved me walking around vs sitting still on the couch/car).

It's not a matter of perception of activity; it's not even a matter of accuracy, I would accept some level of inaccuracy; the main problem is for me to get 100 calories worth of activity when driving or sitting on the couch; leading me to think that at the end of the day, this doesn't really give me a good picture of my activity.

dandrewk addressed your question and I saw nothing insulting in it. Not understanding the answer is no reason for insulting the help.

Two things to offer. No matter the work you were doing, if you were not tracking it as a workout you were only taking readings every 10 minutes. If your heart rate is below 100 it will not register as a workout.