Calories burned during exercise: Measure with METS
Posted February 26th, 2007 at 8:39 AM by Martha Jones
Section: Health & Fitness, Exercise, Weight Loss
To help you determine how many calories you use during various activities, scientists recommend a common measure called a MET, the amount of energy you use when you sleep.
It comes out to about one kilo-calorie per kilogram of body weight, or one half a calorie per pound. For example, a 130-pound person burns 60 calories per hour during sleep. A 155-pounder uses 70 calories per hour.
When you ride a bicycle at 12 miles per hour, you are exercising at about ten METS or 10 times the amount of energy that you use during sleep.
That’s the same as running a 10-minute mile, playing racquetball competitively, jumping rope at a moderate pace or playing in a soccer game.
To show you how much you increase your metabolism during exercise, consider that 10 METS are equal to five times as much energy as you use when you wash dishes, shop, cook, iron or walk at a leisurely pace.
This post is written by Dr. Gabe Mirkin, M.D. and used with permission. Dr. Mirkin is board certified in Sports Medicine and has practiced for over 40 years. He has completed more than 40 marathons and was a talk show host of a nationally-syndicated radio program for about 25 years. For more articles by Dr. Mirkin, please check out: www.DrMirkin.com
***Note: We encourage EVERYONE to see a doctor before altering their diet, taking a supplement and/or performing athletic, fitness or other strenuous physical activity. It is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any information, instruction, opinion or advice contained in the content. Please also see our complete disclaimer.***
Tags: burning calories, calories, calories burned, MET, METS
Like what you see? Subscribe to our feed!
The Final Sprint