Calories Burned (MET)

This formula estimates how many kilocalories a person uses during an activity by combining the activity’s intensity, the person’s body mass, and how long they do it. A MET is a standardized measure of exercise intensity: 1 MET is roughly the energy cost of resting, so higher MET values scale the calorie estimate upward in proportion to how hard the body is working. Because a larger body and a longer workout both require more energy, multiplying by mass and time gives a practical estimate of total calories burned.

Use this when estimating energy expenditure for workouts such as walking, running, cycling, swimming, or gym classes. It is also useful for comparing the calorie cost of different activities or planning exercise intensity and duration for fitness goals.

• Using minutes instead of hours for t without converting to hours first
• Treating MET as calories rather than an intensity multiplier
• Forgetting that the result is an estimate and can vary with age, fitness, efficiency, and workout type