When I am pushing a cart at Costco, or another store where I push a cart around, I get no steps counted.
My Fitbit, worn on a chain around my neck and under my shirt, tracks them just fine, but because I am not swinging my watch wearing arm, I get no step count.
I was reading that I can log it as some sort of workout, but I don’t really want to have to bother with that. Guess it’s just another first world problem and all, but I am disappointed. Lol

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

I've compared it to people I've been almost joined to the hip with and come out way lower. I think it often has more to do with being really spastic than covering more ground. I don't care much about steps, but mostly just keep track of how much I work out and my running times. It is really a motivator, for me. That and my dog that knows how to get what he wants.

Edit: The most annoying thing for me is that my watch doesn't show an increase for anything while I play softball. I know it's not aerobic, but it should show something, I think.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/13/2022 12:01PM by kj.

When I push my gas powered lawn mower - my steps go thru the roof!

Vibration?

Do you adjust your activity based on your apple watch step counter?

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Ankle.
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Check the iPhone--sometimes it will get the steps.

"Swing your arms" scene from "Seinfeld" The Summer of George (TV Episode 1997)
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Buzz
Ankle.
==

That might interfere with the Parolee, GPS tracker on the ankle.

Just to commiserate and vent a bit. I hate fitness trackers. The only reason I have one is that it allows me to get a discount on my health insurance premium. And in the process I had to become a SME on which tracker/app to use to get my "points" for the activities I already do, because the insurance app (virgin pulse) tracking support people have no clue.

I got a Fitbit because 1) it covered the activities I do and 2) it was available as a fob. I already have a watch and I don't wear a watch when working out. For the Fitbit, when I'm on a treadmill, I have to put it on treadmill mode (instead of walk/run mode) to get the (best/most accurate?) step count (because of the arm-waving thing).

But when I put Fitbit into Bike mode, it records the bike ride, but the health provider doesn't see it...because they don't accept "bike mode" data from Fitbit. So I had to get another tracker app (Strava) that tracks bike rides by GPS mapping (same as Fitbit), but the health provider accepts activity minutes from Strava bike rides where it doesn't from Fitbit bike rides. Never mind that Fitbit reports as activity minutes and Strava reports as workout minutes in their app. And as far as I can tell, Strava doesn't do step count or non-GPS trackable activities (like a treadmill), so I'm stuck with two tracker apps.

TLR version...you may have to look for a different setting in the AW to find an activity that corresponds to what you're doing. Or use multiple trackers and have them report up their "better" activities to a central tracker app. Way too much hassle.

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mattkime
Do you adjust your activity based on your apple watch step counter?

Well, it does motivate me, if I look at it and I am a lot lower than usual, I might get up and take a walk outside, so yes, I guess.
I still wear my Fitbit, as I have just gotten used to it, so I have that as a back up.
I do need the positive reinforcement that the trackers give. I also liked getting stickers and gold stars, as a child. What I can I say? Lol

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

your arm has to swing. in fact, i think that may be all that counts.

i have a bank account that pays me a higher interest rate if I average 10K steps a day. that can be difficult on days my arthritic knee is flaring up. On days I am a bit short, I put my watch on my right wrist and play a couple of hard & fast strumming songs on my guitar. A four minute song will get me about 500 steps. Sometimes the watch will even auto start an elliptical workout while i'm playing.

the stand metric also has to do with arm direction. it's annoying to me that i can be standing practicing the guitar for an hour but at :50 minutes i'll get the alert that i need to stand. same thing with cooking if my hands have been working over a counter.

lower your arm and swing it back and forth for about a minute. you'll get your stand credit and steps. also works sitting at a desk just going up and down from your elbow.

i'm looking forward to the new phone ios that will have the fitness app on the phone in play also. i'm hoping that will correct at least the shopping cart loss of steps.

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graylocks
your arm has to swing. in fact, i think that may be all that counts.

i have a bank account that pays me a higher interest rate if I average 10K steps a day. that can be difficult on days my arthritic knee is flaring up. On days I am a bit short, I put my watch on my right wrist and play a couple of hard & fast strumming songs on my guitar. A four minute song will get me about 500 steps. Sometimes the watch will even auto start an elliptical workout while i'm playing.

the stand metric also has to do with arm direction. it's annoying to me that i can be standing practicing the guitar for an hour but at :50 minutes i'll get the alert that i need to stand. same thing with cooking if my hands have been working over a counter.

lower your arm and swing it back and forth for about a minute. you'll get your stand credit and steps. also works sitting at a desk just going up and down from your elbow.

i'm looking forward to the new phone ios that will have the fitness app on the phone in play also. i'm hoping that will correct at least the shopping cart loss of steps.

Good explanation, thanks.
I have noticed some other weird things and this explains why they were happening.

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

Yes, apparently Apple equates all exercise with having some arm swing.

I'm right-handed and like to keep it free, but when walking home from the store, I have to carry the grocery bag in my right hand, or my exercise isn't counted properly.

I haven't tried putting my Watch on my right wrist to see how that works.

I don't do steps, just distance and minutes.

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Buzz
Ankle.
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That might interfere with the Parolee, GPS tracker on the ankle.

OK, maybe try the other ankle....

The problem may also be location based; I've been pushing my heavy-duty walker around since 1999, so no wrist movement while walking for many years. The tracking devices have improved over time, but I've found the GPS component will kick in better if you don't walk around one place.... like your Costco, and push your cart a couple of miles down the street and back. The damn AW will show that you spent 75 minutes at Costco, but won't give you credit for your 2000 steps. OTOH, if you do push that cart those couple of miles and back, you'll get credit for your four miles.

My early solution was the Nike+ widget for inside ye olde Nike shoes. That was the last present my MIL got for me before she passed a few months later. Something like that worked better for us pushers, than the current wrist-based tech does. If the other ankle isn't an option, maybe try cargo pants/shorts w/ a pocket that goes down close to your knees, that can activate the AW around Costco, and other cart pushing venues.

2¢
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If you want to get really frustrated, do the sleep tracker. It's an idiot.

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kj
If you want to get really frustrated, do the sleep tracker. It's an idiot.

Yeah, I don’t want to sleep with a watch on my wrist.

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

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ArtP
When I push my gas powered lawn mower - my steps go thru the roof!

Vibration?

Similar here, but worse.

When visiting my son in Washington DC a few years ago, we were on one of the train cars, that my son said is out of service now, was so rough and bumpy that my wife's step tracker gave her credit for 11 miles on that trip.

Dave

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rgG
When I am pushing a cart at Costco, or another store where I push a cart around, I get no steps counted.

I wear my watch on my left wrist and push the cart only with my right hand specifically to bring up my step-count and fill my Move ring.

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When my wife and I walk 18 holes of golf, pushing our carts, I typically get half the number of steps that she does. Her legs are shorter, but not that much shorter. The only thing I can figure is that her wrist height is higher on her cart than mine is on my cart since she's 6" shorter than me-maybe that plays a role. Or maybe she's just more bouncy when she walks! I also get virtually no credit for kayaking if I don't start that exercise specifically. On the other hand, it does pick up bicycle riding very nicely--today it asked me at 2 minutes into my ride. I didn't see it until we were 45 min in but when I hit yes, it gave me all those missing minutes.

My biggest frustration is when I don't notice that my AW has run out of juice and so my rings don't continue. While I can enter exercise into my iPhone and it gives me credit, I can't enter standing. But, I can change the goals to reduce the number of hours standing to 6 to close the ring. The next day I change it back to 12.

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Michael
My biggest frustration is when I don't notice that my AW has run out of juice and so my rings don't continue. While I can enter exercise into my iPhone and it gives me credit, I can't enter standing. But, I can change the goals to reduce the number of hours standing to 6 to close the ring. The next day I change it back to 12.

I'm pretty sure I was able to earn a stand ring by entering an Other exercise. Only done it once or twice and not in the last year or so.

yeah. googled it. Adding Stand minutes.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/13/2022 09:30PM by graylocks.

push the cart with one arm.

"today it asked me at 2 minutes into my ride. I didn't see it until we were 45 min in but when I hit yes, it gave me all those missing minutes. "

I love this. "Are you exercising?". Why, yes, I am.

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graylocks

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Michael
My biggest frustration is when I don't notice that my AW has run out of juice and so my rings don't continue. While I can enter exercise into my iPhone and it gives me credit, I can't enter standing. But, I can change the goals to reduce the number of hours standing to 6 to close the ring. The next day I change it back to 12.

I'm pretty sure I was able to earn a stand ring by entering an Other exercise. Only done it once or twice and not in the last year or so.

yeah. googled it. Adding Stand minutes.

Thanks! I had googled it a couple of years ago and found then that it couldn't be done. Either things changed or somebody hadn't figured it out when I had searched. The first time I didn't close my stand ring in 2 years was a couple of months ago when I didn't notice I ran out of power and I didn't think of reducing the goal when I realized it so I have that one missing day... I'll keep track of this article.