To be sceptical about my FitBit

[CallieOMalley]

I got a Fitbit for Christmas. Health kick, took up running and walking you know the usual.

Shamefully I have only just started using it every day. But I don’t see how it can possibly be in any way accurate. I mean it basically measures any arm movement as a step and that’s ridiculous

It recorded 57 steps before I even got out of bed this morning 🤷🏻‍♀️

Why are people obsessed with these? They seem so unlikely to be anywhere near accurate.

The idea of the fitbit is to improve. 30-odd misread steps here and there don't matter. Neither do a few hundred really.

I have only just started using it every day

Then see what how many steps you generally do, and try to beat it next week. Aim for 10,000 then aim for 12,000, then 15,000 and so on...

The idea is to increase your activity regardless of what your base level is.

I had a basic Fitbit Alta which has now died. I didn't use it primarily to count steps although I did find I added quite a few when furiously working my sewing machine to finish some curtains. I used it to find out how far I'd walked when out hiking. There are other ways to do this I know and I haven't missed it all that much.

I still think my point stands about registering other forms of exercise, raising the heart rate by using arms is an important way of keeping fit for some people.

Does not make sense to increase physical activity every week, week on week, forever.
If seeing the numbers helps you be motivated that's great, but being motivated is not the same as believing that the numbers are correct.
True that folk use Fitbits for all kinds of reasons.
There are so many models of fitbit, that some must be more accurate than others.
I wouldn't rely on the charge2 I have for an accurate count of steps.

DS uses Strava on Galaxy S7 when we go for runs together (exact same route). His Strava gives distances that are 75-80% of the distance that the charge2 says I did. Charge2 calculates time we did correctly. I'm very much more interested in time spent running than step or distance count so Charge2 is fine for my needs.

Genuinely puzzled about this - how useful is it really to have a machine tell you how you've slept?

Sleep tracking...
On one hand, I can't do anything to change my numbers. But I still like having numbers about my life-long insomnia.
The fitbit benchmarks against other women my age.
I get higher % deep sleep & lower % REM.
I guess the lower % REM increases my dementia risk (fits what I long assumed, that dementia is in my future).
Total: I'm about one hour (on avg) below avg women my age.
That's actually a lot more sleep than I thought I was getting, on avg.
Tracker means I have some data about all that.
A good thing was realising that I often fall asleep a lot quicker than I thought I did (start of night).

Counting steps when you know the devices tend to be wildly wrong is the thing I have zero use for. But that's just me. Other people are allowed to like having step counts and find them useful.

I think if it as more of a movement tracker than step counter. The numbers are motivating to keep active.