Some people have come up with some creative ways to log in steps on their tracking devices without actually accumulating the steps by exercising themselves. You might be wondering why people would cheat. Sometimes they are competing against friends and family members, and they don't want to be the one who always come up short. Also, some jobs offer cash and other prizes for the one whose device shows the highest number of steps.
Cheating methods
Hopefully, these won't give you any ideas to cheat on your own device, but the Wall Street Journal reports that people are attaching their Fitbits and other fitness trackers to their dogs, hamster wheels, ceiling fans, power tools, remote race cars and anything else that will move the numbers up on their device.
One woman says she can get extra steps by rocking her baby in a rocking chair. The newspaper says a dog wearing a tracker can log up to 30,000 steps during one day of walking, running, and playing. This number goes far above the standard goal of 10,000 steps each day.
There are dozens of other tricks listed on social media. Needless to say, some of them are bizarre. One person says he puts his tracking device in the dryer and the number soars to the top. A mother lets her active daughter wear her Fitbit so the numbers would be among the top when she shows it to her co-workers who are competing for prizes on their job during a fitness challenge.
My dad attached his fitbit to my dog at home to cheat and get more steps😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/zKSya8Flst
— Danielle (@danielleshaps) April 28, 2016
Fitbit's statement
Fitbit disapproves of the tricks people are using to cheat instead of using the device for which it was intended.
A spokesman for Fitbit says cheating with its product defeats the entire purpose that the company is trying to help people achieve. Fitbit is trying to motivate people to walk, run, or take the stairs to log in steps to become more physically fit. After all, that's probably the reason they bought it in the first place.
My wife attached her @fitbit to the dog this pm to cheat at "Workweek Hustle." He logged 3k steps...on four feet. pic.twitter.com/wDY4o7Hooa
— Kenny Beck (@kennybeckWXII) April 26, 2016
Creative ways without cheating
People can get more steps the fair way if they strap their tracking device around their legs and tap their feet while they are working at their desk.
Also, it will help people accumulate some steps if they dance while a commercial is on television.
Some use the term "Fitbit" for all tracking devices. While Fitbit is popular, it is not the only one. There are others that have been tested and found to be just as good. Even some people prefer other devices over Fitbit. No matter which one you use, know that none of them will work the way they are supposed to if you cheat.