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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think someone is cheating on their Fitbit?

209 replies

greenmidgetgems · 08/02/2017 19:18

Totally minor and 1st world problem I know.

But is it actually possible to get 135000 steps in less than 3 days by just going about your day. That includes 65000 steps today alone.

For comparison I do between 8000 and 14000 a day. DH is training for an ultra marathon and did 65000 steps on a 30 mile run.

OP posts:
MamOfTwo · 08/02/2017 20:12

Definitely cheating. Strapping it to her hamster as he goes round his wee hamster wheel thing? I walk a lot and average about 18K a day. Although based on this thread I am going to try various arm movements to up my count!

Judydreamsofhorses · 08/02/2017 20:14

I average about 15,000 a day, which is an hour of walking (30 minutes each way to/from work) and then teaching where I am on my feet pretty much constantly.

SexTrainGlue · 08/02/2017 20:14

Wanking

Celaena · 08/02/2017 20:15

knitting and crochet add steps too

SundialShadow · 08/02/2017 20:15

Typing adds steps too.

Walking to work and walking home again and a bit of strolling in between = 15-16000 steps.

Leaving fitbit on for 7 hours of work and I mysteriously gain an extra 3/4000 steps....

IndigoApple · 08/02/2017 20:15

My friend reckons she gets steps from changing gear as her fitbit often buzzes that she's hit her target when she's driving home. I'm left handed so wear mine on my right wrist. I reckon I'm missing out on steps and that's why she always beats me!

greenmidgetgems · 08/02/2017 20:17

indigo I am left handed and do that too. Maybe I'll swap tomorrow and get 65k steps!

OP posts:
AnchorDownDeepBreath · 08/02/2017 20:18

We had a work steps challenge last Summer. Everyone cheated. It was phenomenal.

People would either outright cheat (one man got his wife to wear one too, one admitted putting it on his dog, one was using his kids and rewarding them for every thousand steps they added like a weird tag team) or subtly cheat (convincing themselves it hadn't tracked a walk, adding some steps manually for days when it was busy/they didn't have time to exercise/they were tired).

It was hilarious to watch but also quite sad. On the bright side, everyone was much more active, just not as active as they were making out. And the guy who is usually the most active - running and cycling most nights - just carried on as normal and came last out of the people who didn't give up...

BreakfastAtStephanies · 08/02/2017 20:21

That's a power of 10 out, right ?

13,500 steps ( and 6,500 today ) far more believable.

Nquartz · 08/02/2017 20:22

She's definitely cheating. I wear mine on my pants, wish I had a wrist
one now, i want to rack up steps cooking!

Westfox · 08/02/2017 20:23

When I ride a quad bike my Fitbit records the vibration as steps.

It's possible that they are doing something that it accidentally records as steps

SecondsLeft · 08/02/2017 20:29

I got a quite disappointing 35000 for walking up Snowdon. Can't believe it was only about 3 x a normal active day.

Garnethair · 08/02/2017 20:31

Sadly it doesn't record steps when I'm pushing a wheelchair. So the hours I spend out round a shopping centre go unrewarded by Fitbit.

NeverEverAnythingEver · 08/02/2017 20:42

Somehowsomewhere I didn't push a push chair. Grin It's some years since I pushed a push chair.

I feel old now.

Twatternatter · 08/02/2017 20:46

I had to ask a lady at choir to stop bloody flicking hers "but I haven't done enough steps!". Well cheating isn't helping is it love!

Burntbum · 08/02/2017 21:04

The wrist ones record arm movements. I have a One clipped on my bra and my friend's is on her wrist. When we have spent the whole day together and done roughly the same amount of steps she is always several thousand ahead of me!

MaidOfStars · 08/02/2017 21:17

I thought manual addition of steps didn't contribute to challenges?

Permanentlyexhausted · 08/02/2017 21:18

DD can do 10,000 steps by sitting on a horse for an hour

iwasagirlinavillage · 08/02/2017 21:51

DH found that he gets thousands of steps by rocking DD to sleep. It often looks as though he's done a really long walk at 3am!

MongerTruffle · 08/02/2017 21:55

If she has one of the cheaper versions I bet she's shaking her wrist all the time.

allchattedout · 08/02/2017 21:55

Sorry, but no, that is not possible unless they are walking the entire day. I also doubt the PP who is a teacher and claimed to get 65,000 steps a day. Unless you are teaching running or hiking for 10+ hours non-stop, you will get nowhere near that and if you do, your fitbit is faulty. I would say that someone who is very active and on the go for most of the day would get around 25,000. I went on a walking holiday- 6 hours solid walking and still only 40,000 max.

EZA15 · 08/02/2017 23:26

Indigo how do you manually add steps?!......out of curiosity only of course!

NarkyMcDinkyChops · 08/02/2017 23:35

Totally plausible. When I was teaching I would clock up not far from that number in one day without trying .I still so around that number on a daily basis - again without much effort but am walking about with children outside etc

You reckon you walk a shade under FIFTY kilometres a DAY teaching? Or working with children without effort?
Teaching long distance running, maybe. Pull the other one, its got bells and a fitbit on!

EndoplasmicReticulum · 08/02/2017 23:46

I think the people who think it's plausible have misread the amount of 00s.

Seconds I got 33,000 for Snowdon, but a fairly impressive number of flights of stairs!

If I need to cheat I move it to my bowing arm and play the violin.

stayathomegardener · 08/02/2017 23:55

Ride on mower vibrating your arms gives massively skewed figures.

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