Active Zone Minutes On Fitbit Trackers In A Nutshell

Work Harder & Fitbit Will Reward You

Basically you can understand the Active Zone Minute as the Fitbit’s proprietary health metric which is used to motivate you to work harder. It is also quite alike to what we’ve seen in Bellabeat or even WHOOP trackers. You work hard and reach a certain threshold your Fitbit will begin counting your Active Zone Minutes and by the end of workout you will be neatly presented about the said information in your Fitbit app. However, the question is what is required of us to reach the zone? What is it that triggers Fitbit trackers to begin tracking Active Zone Minutes?

Your Answer: Heart Rate. It is all about heart rate be it your resting heart rate when you are sitting idle or your heart rate when you are in the middle of an intensive workout session. Fitbit monitors your bpm to determine if you have entered the zone and if so which zone it is to reward you minute according to it.

Three Types Of Zones You Should Know About!

According to the Fitbit itself there are three types of Zone you can find yourself during a workout session:

• Fat Burn Zone
• Cardio Zone
• Peak Zone

You can enter each zone through many different ways but if you are to follow the Fitbit handbook then for Fat burn it is recommended to go for a brisk walk. As for the other two climbing stairs or running up the hill or even intense cycling on something like Peloton will rightfully put you up there.

It should also be noted that while swimming is recognized activity by Fitbit while you would be in the water you will automatically get just 1 Active Zone Minute for 1 Minute of activity. Whereas if you will reach Peak Zone or Cardio Zone then your each minute of work will rewarded by multiple of two.

Consider this case: You go for a brief brisk walk for 5 minutes this put you into fat burn zone which means your Fitbit will reward you with 5 Active Zone Minutes. However, just as you begin to run up the hilly terrain you begin to reach the Cardio Zone and at this stage your Fitbit will begin doubling your each minute of workout. So, let’s say you stayed in Cardio or Peak Zone for 20 minutes and then stopped for cool down. While overall you would’ve spent 25 minutes in working out, you will be awarded 45 Active Zone Minutes.

Now if you are wondering how can you find out during the session in which zone you are well we’d suggest to keep an eye out for the buzz. Fitbit will buzz once when you will enter Fat Burn Zone. Twice when you will go for Cardio and thrice when you would be at gates of Peak Zone.

Is Active Zone Minute Different From Active Minutes?

There is indeed difference between Active Minutes and Active Zone Minutes. Your Fitbit tracker awards you active minutes once you are in state of motion for continuous 10 minutes. It doesn’t take many things into consideration, so even if you would spent 15 minutes washing dishes or having intercourse you will get Active Minutes.

The case isn’t so simple for Active Zone Minutes, it is primarily focused on your heart rate and though it might seem it is the only factor, it is not. Fitbit also takes into account aspects like your fitness heath, sex, age, and workout habits to determine your entry to each zone. Which means that it is 100% possible depending on your physical health that you might’ve to work extra hard or extra low compared to your friend or parent.

The equation that Fitbit uses in the Active Zone Minute calculation is the Karvonen formula. It is said to be more accurate when calculating heart rate training zones because it uses age and resting heart rate to calculate heart rate zones. This is also known as the Heart Rate Reserve (HRR) method.  

How To Use Active Zone Minutes To Your Needs!

You don’t have to activate Active Zone Minutes, it is their by default, though you can choose to work around it how you choose to do. Fitbit suggest that a normal human being completes 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of intensive workout in a week. Using this recommendation you can set your Active Zone Minute target on how you feel you can do it.

However, since Fitbit can end up making mistake while setting your target zone we will recommend that you follow the simple steps below to find your target heart zone. Keep in mind this methodology is quoted from peer reviewed medical journal as such credibility of method can’t be questioned

If you’re aiming for a target heart rate in the vigorous exercise range of 70% to 85%, you can use the HRR method to calculate it easily. So, let’s say your age is 45 and you want to figure out your target heart rate zone for vigorous exercise using the HRR method. Follow these steps:

• First, multiply 45 by 0.7 and subtract the total from 208 to get your maximum heart rate. The maximum heart rate is 176.5.
• Next, check your resting heart rate first thing in the morning. Say it’s 80 beats per minute. Calculate your HRR by subtracting 80 from 176.5. Your HRR is 96.5.
• Multiply 96.5 by 0.7 (70%) to get 67.5, then add your resting heart rate of 80 to get 147.5. This is your target heart rate at 70% intensity.
• Now multiply 96.5 by 0.85 (85%) to get 82, then add your resting heart rate of 80 to get 162.03. This is your target heart rate at 85% intensity.
• Your target heart rate zone for vigorous exercise is 148 to 162 beats per minute, rounded to whole numbers.

Using this number you can even calculate your Active Zone Minute by yourself. Just go to the Fitbit app and look at the graph of your heart rate. Find the time period in which your heart rate was well between the calculated target zone and then its just simple math’s to multiply the time spent by two.

List Of Fitbit Trackers With AZM Facility!

All of these devices listed below can track Active Zone Minutes :

• Fitbit Charge 4
• Fitbit Charge 5
• Fitbit Charge 6
• Fitbit Inspire 2
• Fitbit Inspire 3
• Fitbit Luxe
• Fitbit Sense series
• Fitbit Versa series
• Google Pixel Watch series

All other Fitbit devices can track active minutes .

Set Your Active Zone Minute Goal By Yourself

As we mentioned above in the passing you can also set your daily goal of Active Zone Minute. Be default it is set for 22 minutes but if you want to take it up a notch or bring it down just follow these steps:

• Open Fitbit application and click on Today tab and then your profile.
• Scroll down and head for settings.
• Tap on Activity and Wellness button.
• Next click on Daily Activity.
• Choose Active Zone Minutes.

Under the section you will find all sort of information about the AZM feature. Click on daily goal and change the number according to your need. Keep in mind your weekly minute would always be divided by 7. So, if you are seeking to go for 210 minutes of weekly workout you should set 30 minutes of Active Zone Minute goal for daily basis.