Is it possible to stop counting steps on my Apple Watch but continue to do heart rate monitoring?

[iMore Question]

If I allow both the Apple Watch and my iPhone to count steps, I get double counts. Therefore, I need to turn the step counting on one of the devices off. I choose to count steps on my iPhone. I'm able to turn step counting off on my Apple Watch. However, when I disable step counting, the heart rate monitoring on my Apple Watch is unreliable--indeed, on demand heart rate monitoring on the Apple Watch stops functioning completely. The only heart rate monitoring that happens on the Apple Watch, with step counting turned off, are the automatic readings that happen from time to time. It would appear that "Fitness Tracking" disabling in the Apple Watch app on my iPhone causes on demand heart rate monitoring to be disabled on the Apple Watch. I expect that I'm just doing something wrong, but I don't know any other way to disable the step counting on the Apple Watch. My method of turning step counting off on my Apple Watch is to go to "My Watch"/"Privacy"/"Motion & Fitness"/"Fitness Tracking"--I disable at that point; the "Heart Rate" remains enabled.

 

[kch50428]

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204516
http://help.apple.com/iphone/8/#/iphbb8259c61