What Are METs and How Can They Help Improve Your Fitness?

METs: The Secret to Better Fitness and Longer Life

Many of us, especially around New Year's, resolve to become more fit. However, going to the gym doesn't help much if you don't know what you're doing. Medical studies suggest improving your METs level may save your life. The following explains what METs are, how they measure your current fitness, and how to increase your METs level.

METs Defined

METs is short for "Metabolic Equivalents" with one MET equal to 3.5 milliliter oxygen per kg body weight per minute. Put simply, METs measure how hard your body is working. The harder your body works, the more oxygen it burns to release the energy it needs to work, the higher the METs level. At complete rest, on average, your METs level will be 1.0 or 1 MET.

METs During Activity

The University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ provides useful tables of METs levels for a variety of activities, both day-to-day and fitness.

Some interesting examples:

- Studying - 1.8 METs.

- Walking a dog - 2.5 METs.

- Walking at 3 mph - 3.5 METs.

- Shoveling - 6 METs.

- Hiking - about 7 METs.

- Swimming at moderate speed - about 8 METs.

- Running at 6 mph - 10 METs.

- Running at 10 mph - 16 METs.

- Interestingly, weight-lifting has a value of about 6 METs, lower than a fast jog.

What Your METs Level Tells You

Dr. Howard LeWine, chief editor of Internet publishing, Harvard Health Publications, and clinical instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital says¹: "average healthy but non-athletic middle-aged men and women have peak exercise capacities in the range of 8 to 10 METs; marathon runners can have values as high as 18 to 24."

A rule of thumb he provides sets a target METs level (here's a bit of math, but not too hard): for men subtract 0.11 times your age in years from 14.7. For women, subtract 0.13 times your age from the same 14.7 METS. Thus a 40 year old woman would have a target METs level of 9.5 (= 14.7 - 0.13 x 40).