Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET)

Definition:

Metabolic equivalent of task is the term given to the ratio of how many calories you’re burning above your resting metabolic rate when carrying out a task. So a sedentary activity, such as sitting at your desk, will have a low MET of around 1.3, whereas more vigorous exercise, like running at around 7 mph, will have a high MET of around 11.5.[1] That means you’ll be burning more than 11 times as many calories per minute as you do during sleep while running.

METs can be useful if you’re counting calories to help you understand roughly how many you’re burning in a day or with certain activities.

Treated trusted sources:
  1. Mendes, M. de A., da Silva, I., Ramires, V., Reichert, F., Martins, R., Ferreira, R. and Tomasi, E. (2018). Metabolic equivalent of task (METs) thresholds as an indicator of physical activity intensity. PLOS ONE, 13(7), p.e0200701.

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