This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Tracking Flights of Stairs Climbed
Stairs are easily accessible and offer a good cardio workout without a gym membership or expensive workout machines. Some health apps and fitness trackers enable you to count flights of stairs. They are able to do this by using sensors either in your phone or in a fitness tracker. If you want to track flights/floors climbed, look for a fitness tracker that uses altimeter or barometer sensors to sense elevation. Flight climbing capability is nowhere near as common as step tracking, so you’ll have to search—mostly mid- to higher-end devices. Fitbit offers many trackers with this ability, as does Garmin. This section offers just a few of the options available for you to start your research. Know that many fitness trackers with these types of sensors will not track flights climbed on stationary workout equipment, such as the Stairmaster, because your body does not change in elevation. While shopping, keep in mind that not all devices with the ability to detect elevation extrapolate that data into flights climbed. Some are made with strictly hiking and biking in mind, so do your due diligence.
Before you get started looking for a fitness tracker for your wrist, you might already possess a device that can track floors climbed: an iPhone.
Apple Health App
The barometer in the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, and 6S allows you to track flights climbed without a fitness tracker. You can show this information on the Dashboard in the Apple Health app, just like tracking steps.
Open the Health app, and tap Health Data.
Tap Fitness.
Tap Flights Climbed.
Tap Show on Dashboard to the On position. Green should be showing.
Tap Dashboard to view your Flights Climbed data on the main screen, and then start climbing flights of stairs. You do not have to be in the app for flight tracking information to be captured. The Health app is able to detect which activity you are performing.
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Garmin vívosmart HR
The vívosmart HR is a highly capable fitness tracker. Its tracking capabilities include measuring steps, distance, calories, and floors climbed (using a built-in barometric altimeter). This tracker can also measure activity intensity and let you monitor your progress against activity goals you set. The vívosmart HR syncs with your smartphone using the free Garmin Connect app, and your computer via USB, so you can share your progress and join fitness challenges. This tracker uses a touchscreen so you can use some of the same gestures to navigate as a smartphone.
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The Garmin vívosmart HR has a touchscreen and a broad range of fitness tracking capabilities.
The icons for the different Garmin vívosmart HR features appear at the top of the screen. You can swipe left or right to scroll through the various features, including floors climbed. The Garmin Connect app is available for Android phones and the iPhone. Garmin Connect allows you to enter a daily goal for floors to climb and view your progress.