It is better to be approximately right than precisely wrong.
WARREN BUFFETT
I do not wear a FitBit, an Apple watch, a smartwatch, or even a cheap pedometer off of Amazon. I do not walk for steps or distance. I walk for time, and I use a basic Casio G-Shock watch as my fitness tracker. This practice goes back to the 1990s when I took up running and bought a Timex Ironman Triathlon watch to keep track of my runs. That watch was actually more watch than I needed because the only feature I used on it was the countdown timer. I never used the splits feature, but I did enjoy the Indiglo backlight. The G-Shock I use has a stopwatch, a countdown timer, and the Illuminator backlight. It is the Ironman watch without the needless features. I walk for fitness now, but I retain the use of the watch as my preferred fitness tracker. I do not care for a step tracker. Here are my reasons why.
1. Step trackers are not accurate.
This may come as a newsflash to some FitBit wearers, but the step counter you are wearing is not 100% accurate. You can test it by counting your steps manually for a minute and comparing that number with what is on your watch. You can wear it to bed and find you got steps in your sleep. You can wear multiple step trackers and see that they all differ. Step trackers are not useless, but the number you get is more of a rough approximation than an exact figure. This is why I just use a digital watch and walk for time. I know that walking for 1 hour and 40 minutes will give me approximately 10,000 steps. This is a vital bit of information going forward as it supports my other points.
How Accurate Is Fitbit?
2. Step trackers are expensive.
The basic FitBit costs almost $100 on Amazon. My Casio G-Shock costs almost $50. I didn't pay that amount in 2018 because Bidenflation hadn't hit yet, and I am still using that watch today in 2024. When the battery goes, I will replace it myself at a cost of $2. As for smartwatches, the Apple Watch will set you back $150 for a cheap model or $300 for the mid-tier model.
3. Step trackers need recharging.
FitBit wearers can tell you horror stories of forgetting to recharge their devices and losing their step counts for the day. My Casio watch doesn't have this problem. Plus, I own four Casio digital watches with stopwatches, so a dead battery is a minor inconvenience.
4. Step trackers are fragile.
My Casio beater watch took a real beating in the accident I was in back in 2018. That watch is all scratched up and is on a new NATO watch strap. The thing is still keeping time. I doubt a FitBit or an Apple Watch would have fared as well. Plus, the software updates make the old watches worthless. Smartwatches are really dumb.
5. All steps are not equal.
A stroll through the grocery store is not the same as an intentional walk, walking uphill, a power walk, or climbing the stairs. Your step tracker counts all these steps as equal which is why many fitbitters wear their trackers all day to get their steps in. I don't think this is in the spirit of exercise. When I walk with my G-Shock, it is a serious walk.
6. Step trackers promote OCD behaviors and vanity.
It is 10 minutes to midnight, and you are 500 steps shy of 10,000 steps for the day. What do you do? Many will pace in their living rooms to get those last steps in. Really? Then, these people will post their stats on a website like Strava to share with the world. I suppose this helps motivate people to walk, but it amounts to developing anorexia for weight loss. Just because it works doesn't mean it is sane.
7. Henry David Thoreau didn't wear a FitBit.
Thoreau may have carried a pocket watch when he walked. I don't know. What I know is that he didn't live the quantified existence produced by step trackers and stop watches. His walking was more contemplative and spiritual. I find this more motivating than a number on a device.
Conclusion
Regardless of how you quantify your walks, you are only going to be roughly right. This is why I like walking for time. What matters to me is that I get out there. I also enjoy my walks. When I miss a day, I feel that I lost that day. When I walk that day, that day is a success even if I don't do anything else. You don't need to know how many steps you stepped to get the benefits of walking. You just need to do it daily. My watch tells me when I need to return to my grind.
