You repeated what I said but with more words. If my arm does not move it does not know I'm moving.
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Anybody satisfied with workout app?
- Thread starter WackoV
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You repeated what I said but with more words. If my arm does not move it does not know I'm moving.
Yes, but that's not always obvious. The accelerometers that Apple (and others) use are VERY sensitive to all movements. e.g. When most people walk, they rise/fall with every step. They also move slightly side to side. Even with an arm resting on a shopping cart, it still pivots around the wrist.
It may depend on how you push the cart. I've tried to "fool" the Watch into thinking I was stationary while pushing a cart. It's surprisingly hard to do.
No, that is neither how it works, nor what I said.
Your arm moves when you do - always. The accelerometers in the watch are measuring every slight movement in real time. When the software detects the right sequence of those very slight movements, it counts a step.
Your arm still moves as you do when you're pushing a cart or buggy, or riding a bike, or carrying a heavy object, but the more anchored your arm is, the more those movements are damped out, and the less possible for the software to recognise the sequence that tells it you have stepped.
It's certainly possible that as an individual you may have no interest in that detail - which I can respect - but others who don't know how it works may well find it useful to know. That's why I posted.
I was surprised how much I walked when driving the car whilst wearing my Fenix 3.
I think it's fair to say that these pedometers are only best guess in step count but I doubt anyone really needs to know exactly how many steps they did in a day or week. A close estimate is good enough and that's what they all pretty much give you.
Oddly, while I know it's a common problem, I've never had steps being counted while I'm driving. I have had steps counted while I'm asleep though.
You're right that really all these devices can be is best-guess. They are getting better however, though that really isn't so much the hardware as better crafting of algorithms. I also agree that absolute accuracy in step count isn't really necessary, though consistency is. An inconsistent count does not provide much in the way of motivation, and makes daily comparison of achievements impossible. The earliest wrist-based devices were often very inconsistent in my experience, while the new generation - including the Apple watch - are notably better.
I like it.
Not that it is at the level of my Suunto ambit 2 or my garmin 910, but I've tired of those.
Over the course of a few years now I have logged more than 15000km's running.
I don't need all that stuff anymore, a simple keeper of distance, pace and heart rate does the trick for me nowadays..
The important stuff is getting out there, not bragging-rights about epoc, vo2max and what have you.
Not that it is at the level of my Suunto ambit 2 or my garmin 910, but I've tired of those.
Over the course of a few years now I have logged more than 15000km's running.
I don't need all that stuff anymore, a simple keeper of distance, pace and heart rate does the trick for me nowadays..
The important stuff is getting out there, not bragging-rights about epoc, vo2max and what have you.
Hm, truthfully, I have no idea how accurate the treadmill is (in a gym). But I figure because it's more mechanical (ie, conveyor belt going round and round), it should be more accurate than a wrist device? But maybe that's not the case. Dunno, I don't know anything about treadmill/exercise tech. Are treadmills known to be inaccurate with mileage tracking?
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Mileage should be pretty accurate.
Heart rate (via the impedance sensors on some treadmills' hand grips) is pretty good; calories estimation is often wildly off (20% high), but again, mileage should be good for a treadmill.
Stationary bikes are in their own world, though.
I am very satisfied with it, and expect that it will get better as time goes on. It does have some problems, but overall I think that it is a good fitness help for the average user.
I did get a Polar chest strap since my impression was that the native heartbeat app was somewhat inconsistent.
The distance/GPS function is off a bit, as I walk a measured route and it is always .01 to .05 miles off in a two mile stretch. Sometimes over but more often under (i.e., reports the distance has been covered before it actually has been). It's quite acceptable, though, for me, and is probably about as accurate as a smartphone GPS can be.
I was originally thinking that the "resting" calorie count was much too high. I gave my stats to a couple of BMR calculators on the web and they tuned up about 2,000 calories. The Watch app was returning about 3,250 calories. I subsequently learned that there is an adjustment called the Harris-Benedict formula that increases BMR by a factor that takes into account your general activity level. Using the Harris-Benedict formula for my situation gave me just about 3,250, so that's what the app must be doing.
In general I think the app is quite adequate for a duffer like myself. I am 68 years old, and decided to try a fitness watch and basically waited to see what the Apple Watch would offer. I REALLY wanted to lose some weight and get into better shape. So far, since May, I have started walking 2 miles/day/5 days/week and eating less crap and have lost 26 pounds. So as motivation it has worked for me.
As I am going on vacation soon and will not be walking my usual route I thought I would try an app like Runtastic to measure my walks on the beach. It would be nice if the Apple workout app included a mapping function, but that wouldn't be good for the developers of Runtastic, Strava, et. al., would it?
Anyone with an opinion on the best GPS/activity app? I would appreciate any input you are willing to give me!!
I did get a Polar chest strap since my impression was that the native heartbeat app was somewhat inconsistent.
The distance/GPS function is off a bit, as I walk a measured route and it is always .01 to .05 miles off in a two mile stretch. Sometimes over but more often under (i.e., reports the distance has been covered before it actually has been). It's quite acceptable, though, for me, and is probably about as accurate as a smartphone GPS can be.
I was originally thinking that the "resting" calorie count was much too high. I gave my stats to a couple of BMR calculators on the web and they tuned up about 2,000 calories. The Watch app was returning about 3,250 calories. I subsequently learned that there is an adjustment called the Harris-Benedict formula that increases BMR by a factor that takes into account your general activity level. Using the Harris-Benedict formula for my situation gave me just about 3,250, so that's what the app must be doing.
In general I think the app is quite adequate for a duffer like myself. I am 68 years old, and decided to try a fitness watch and basically waited to see what the Apple Watch would offer. I REALLY wanted to lose some weight and get into better shape. So far, since May, I have started walking 2 miles/day/5 days/week and eating less crap and have lost 26 pounds. So as motivation it has worked for me.
As I am going on vacation soon and will not be walking my usual route I thought I would try an app like Runtastic to measure my walks on the beach. It would be nice if the Apple workout app included a mapping function, but that wouldn't be good for the developers of Runtastic, Strava, et. al., would it?
Anyone with an opinion on the best GPS/activity app? I would appreciate any input you are willing to give me!!
I have used a Fitbit One for 1.5 years. Both devices cover similar fitness ground, but with different approaches overall the Fitbit app is more straightforward in presenting your data. It's all there on one app that is very simple to use. The Apple Watch has three apps: Workout, Activity and Health. Health is pretty ugly and overwhelmingly, but now that I'm used to it I find it quite useful. The Activity app is nice to look at and a different approach from Fitbit. I think it might be better in some ways because it pays attention to standing. Even if you workout every day, your health can still be impacted if you sit at a desk for too many hours without a break. I much prefer the Apple Workout app to the way you enter or record workouts with Fitbit.
So to me it makes sense to compare the AW to Fitbit, but not so much when it comes to an advanced app like Runstastic or Strava. Those are specialized apps for logging more than just the basics. Most people don't need that kind of detail, but some do. You can go two routes here: use the Workout app and your specialized app simultaneously (so the Health app gets the data) or use an app that can replace the workout app by feeding data into the Health app (like Nike+).
I like to use Runtastic for long bike rides, but most of the time I just use Workouts.
I'm also a Fitbit user, and while I now just use my iPhone as my FB tracker, I'm still using the Fitbit app for all health data. It's a singular app that does most of what I need instead of 3 apps that are limited in some aspects. I'd like to see more running options personally.
I think Apple definitely has room for improvement in this area, but I have never been totally satisfied with FitBit's app either. It has always been a bit buggy, but generally has worked well enough and is more intuitive. Something apple would have trouble competing with are the social networks of users for products like Fitbit and Strava. I don't use the social feature personally, but many do. It's a great way to get motivation towards a goal. I think Apple will keep improving their fitness apps and adding new features, or they will go the Microsoft route and purchase a current market leader in that area.
Agreed, I have some qualms with FB as well -- but their customer service has been EXCELLENT to me, and the app overall works (for me). There's something to be said for the social aspect -- that's one the biggest reasons I haven't ditched FitBit yet, as I enjoy the challenges with my friends, and the leaderboards. I hope Apple doesn't ignore the fitness aspects and have more planned soon.