Are you tired of feeling like your workouts are not producing the results you want? Are you looking for a way to maximise your efforts and achieve your fitness goals faster? Look no further than the MET calculator.
This powerful tool can help you measure the intensity of your workouts and adjust them accordingly, allowing you to burn more calories and build more muscle in less time. But where do you start if you’re new to the world of MET? In this beginner’s guide, we’ll explain everything you need to know about using the MET calculator, from how it works to how to incorporate it into your fitness routine.
With this valuable information, you’ll be well on your way to achieving the body you’ve always dreamed of. So, let’s dive in and discover the secrets of maximising your workout with MET!
What is the MET Calculator
To determine the intensity of physical activity, a MET calculator is often used. It can help you determine how many calories you burn during exercise and how much time you spent working out.
The MET is an acronym for metabolic equivalent, which is a unit of measurement that describes how much energy it takes to perform various activities.
The MET calculator uses this measurement to calculate how many calories you burn while performing specific activities. It also measures the intensity of your workout by evaluating your heart rate and oxygen consumption.
How to Calculate MET
MET stands for Metabolic Equivalent of Task and is a value that tells you how much oxygen you use per minute when you do a given activity. The higher the MET value, the more energy-demanding an activity is. The MET level of an activity can be determined by multiplying your body weight in kilograms by the intensity level of your activity and then dividing by 3.5.
Scientifically, Your muscles’ cells use oxygen to help produce the energy required to move them. Per kilogram (kg) of body weight per minute, 3.5 millilitres of oxygen are consumed to equal one MET.
For example, if you weigh 70 kg (154 lbs) and bike at an intensity level of 7 on a scale from 1 to 10, your MET value would be:
MET Value = [(70 x 7) / 3.5] = [49 x 7 / 3.5] = [2157 / 3.5] = 696
If you’re having trouble computing the MET, click here to access our free and easy calculator. All you need to do is to input values and we generate results for you!
Factors that Affect MET
The effect of METs on the body is dependent on several factors, including the person’s gender, age and health conditions. For example, older people tend to have a lower level of physical activity than younger people, so they may need to spend more time doing low-intensity activities to achieve the same health benefits as younger people.
The following are some factors that affect MET values:
- Body size: The larger your body, the more energy you need to maintain your body temperature. People who weigh more have higher MET values than those who weigh less because they burn more energy while performing physical activities compared to lighter individuals with similar levels of exertion.
- Body fat: Body fat is an insulator, so the fatter you are, the harder it is for your body to lose heat.
- Age: Because children have a higher ratio of surface area to body mass than adults, they lose heat faster and need more calories to maintain their body temperature. The MET value decreases with age. For example, if a 30-year-old man takes up jogging for 20 minutes three times per week at an intensity of six METs, he will burn about 450 calories in an hour. However, if he does this activity at 70, he will only burn about 200 calories in an hour due to decreased muscle mass and a slower metabolism.
- Gender: Men tend to have more muscle mass than women do, so they may burn more calories but not necessarily more METs (if they are doing the same activity). Women tend to have more body fat than men do, which means that activities like walking will use fewer METs for them than men of equal weight but less muscle mass.
Using MET to Achieve Your Fitness Goals
Incorporating the MET system into your fitness tracking can help you get a better grasp of how hard you’re working, and it can help you make sure that you’re not overdoing it. It’s also useful for determining whether or not you need to go to the gym after work or if you can just settle for a brisk walk.
In terms of food choice, knowing your METs will help you better understand how many calories you’re burning. You can then use this information to increase or decrease your calorie intake. For example, if you’re trying to lose weight and want to eat more protein, but you don’t know how many grams of protein a person needs per day, simply look up the MET value for foods that contain protein. This will give you an idea of how much energy (calories) is required for your body to process that food.
MET measures both energy expenditure and oxygen consumption and is commonly used as an indicator of health status. For example, if someone has heart disease or diabetes and needs to lose weight, they may need to exercise at higher levels in order to achieve lower BMIs. In this context, it’s important not only to use the right amount of exercise based on your fitness level but also to make sure that you’re getting enough sleep and keeping active throughout the day by engaging in activities like walking or vacuuming instead of sitting around watching TV all day long!
Conclusion
To sum up, the benefits of setting your MET as a baseline for your goals is that you will be able to measure your rate of weight loss/gain accurately and you will have a better understanding of where you are by focusing on average MET values for each meal and food. And if you’re just leading an overall healthier lifestyle, it’s a great way to get some extraordinary insight into what’s happening in your body when you engage in different activities. Whether you are looking to lose weight or simply lead a healthier life, tracking your calorie burn through MET is a helpful tool.
If you’re serious about the data and have a good idea of what your body is telling you, then I’m sure you’ll be able to achieve better results for your health. Book a call today if you need help in achieving your fitness goals.