METs x 3.5 x (your body weight in kilograms ) / 200 = calories burned per minute. You can calculate how many calories you have burned using this MET-specific formula: Classically speaking, weight loss can be achieved when you are burning more calories than you are consuming. Although counting calories is not everyone’s favorite task, it can give you an idea of how much energy is going in (calories you are eating) versus energy that is going out (calories you are burning). You may already track how many calories you burn after a workout. When you are standing you are engaging your leg muscles and your core, so they will work harder and burn more energy compared to when you are seated. You could do this by using a standing desk at work or in your home office. Including light MET scores into your daily routine can also help increase your metabolic expenditure (remember the calories you burn at the end of the day all add up). But it is worth noting that combining both medium and high-intensity activities will help you meet your MET minutes faster, which can appeal to people who are on a tight schedule (and it can keep things more interesting). The great part about following the MET system is the freedom to change exercises, as long as you hit your intensity goals. Should I Only Focus on High Met Score activities? It’s important to learn when to push harder, and when to pull back. Pushing yourself beyond your limits may give you short-term satisfaction in the heat of the moment (especially if you are competitive), but it can increase your risk of injury. When you start working out it is important to develop healthy exercise habits that you can do on a consistent basis and can easily fit into your schedule. Very fit people may be able to run fast at a MET of 12.0, while new runners may be more comfortable exercising at a MET score closer to 4.0. You should exercise at a MET intensity level that is within your physical abilities. How Many METs Should Someone Exercise at? Here is a chart with some examples of activities and their different MET scores³.⁴
MET scores have been assigned to various activities through different sources of literature. How do you interpret that data? We now know that a brisk walk will burn 3-6 times more energy than if you were sitting, and running can burn 8 times more energy. Running tends to be more vigorous than walking and has a higher MET score of 8. Low-intensity exercises have a lower MET value while high-intensity physical activities have a high MET score.² For example, a brisk walk has a MET score of 3-6. It tells you how much energy you are expending just by sitting still, using your lungs to breathe, and your heart pumping blood to your organs. One MET is equivalent to your basal metabolic rate (sometimes called your resting metabolic rate or RMR). This includes: lowering cholesterol, decreasing your waist circumference, lowering your blood glucose levels, and even managing your stress levels. This information tells you the exercise intensity, which some people can find helpful to track if they are trying to improve their level of physical activity.¹Īs you improve your endurance, you can sustain higher MET activities for longer, which can help you tap into the health benefits associated with physical exercise.
In this article, you’ll learn how METs work, and how you can start using them to track your physical activity progress.Ī MET can provide insight into how hard your metabolic rate is working during exercise compared to rest. But how do you know how much energy you are burning throughout the day? Metabolic equivalent tasks (also called METs) can help you understand how different activities are affecting your energy expenditure.
There are some activities you can do that increase your body’s ability to burn more calories, even as you do less physically active tasks. Your body burns energy all the time, even as you drive to work or read a book.
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