Metabolic Equivalent (MET) Level
Don't wait for your ship to come in... Swim out to it!
A fourth way of measuring physical activity intensity is by the
metabolic equivalent, or MET, level. Although the intensity of certain
activities is commonly characterized as light, moderate, or vigorous, many
activities can be classified in any one or all three categories simply on
the basis of the level of personal effort involved in carrying out the
activity (i.e., how hard one is working to do the activity). For example,
one can bicycle at intensities ranging from very light to very vigorous.
The table, General Physical Activities
Defined By Level of Intensity
(PDF-1.4K), provides one method of characterizing physical
activities at different levels of effort based on the standard of a
metabolic equivalent (MET). This unit is used to estimate the amount of
oxygen used by the body during physical activity (Ainsworth et al.,
1993).
1 MET = the energy (oxygen) used by the body as you sit quietly, perhaps while talking on the phone or reading a book.
The harder your body works during the activity, the higher the MET.
- Any activity that burns 3 to 6 METs is considered moderate-intensity physical activity.
- Any activity that burns > 6 METs is considered vigorous-intensity physical activity.
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Page last updated: May 22, 2007
Content Source: Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
