Physical Fitness

General Physical Activities Defined by Level of Intensity

The following is in accordance with CDC and ACSM guidelines.

Moderate activity⁺

3.0 to 6.0 METs*

(3.5 to 7 kcal/min)

Vigorous activity⁺

Greater than 6.0 METs*

(more than 7 kcal/min)

Walking at a moderate or brisk pace of 3 to 4.5 mph on a level surface inside or outside, such as

• Walking to class, work, or the store;

• Walking for pleasure;

• Walking the dog; or

• Walking as a break from work.

Walking downstairs or down a hill

Racewalking—less than 5 mph

Using crutches

Hiking

Roller skating or in-line skating at a leisurely pace

Racewalking and aerobic walking—5 mph or faster

Jogging or running

Wheeling your wheelchair

Walking and climbing briskly up a hill

Backpacking

Mountain climbing, rock climbing, rapelling

Roller skating or in-line skating at a brisk pace

Bicycling 5 to 9 mph, level terrain, or with few hills

Stationary bicycling—using moderate effort

Bicycling more than 10 mph or bicycling on steep uphill terrain

Stationary bicycling—using vigorous effort

Aerobic dancing—high impact

Water aerobics

Aerobic dancing—high impact

Step aerobics

Water jogging

Teaching an aerobic dance class

Calisthenics—light

Yoga

Gymnastics

General home exercises, light or moderate effort, getting up and down from the floor

Jumping on a trampoline

Using a stair climber machine at a light-to-moderate pace

Using a rowing machine—with moderate effort

Calisthenics—push-ups, pull-ups, vigorous effort

Karate, judo, tae kwon do, jujitsu

Jumping rope

Performing jumping jacks

Using a stair climber machine at a fast pace

Using a rowing machine—with vigorous effort

Using an arm cycling machine—with vigorous effort

Weight training and bodybuilding using free weights, Nautilus- or Universal-type weights

Circuit weight training

Boxing—punching bag

Boxing—in the ring, sparring

Wrestling—competitive

Ballroom dancing

Line dancing

Square dancing

Folk dancing

Modern dancing, disco

Ballet

Professional ballroom dancing—energetically

Square dancing—energetically

Folk dancing—energetically

Clogging

Table tennis—competitive

Tennis—doubles

Tennis—singles

Wheelchair tennis

Golf, wheeling or carrying clubs

––––

Softball—fast pitch or slow pitch

Basketball—shooting baskets

Coaching children’s or adults’ sports

Most competitive sports

Football game

Basketball game

Wheelchair basketball

Soccer

Rugby

Kickball

Field or rollerblade hockey

Lacrosse

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Volleyball—competitive

Beach volleyball—on sand court

Playing Frisbee

Juggling

Curling

Cricket—batting and bowling

Badminton

Archery (nonhunting)

Fencing

Handball—general or team

Racquetball

Squash

Downhill skiing—with light effort

Ice skating at a leisurely pace (9 mph or less)

Snowmobiling

Ice sailing

Downhill skiing—racing or with vigorous effort

Ice-skating—fast pace or speedskating

Cross-country skiing

Sledding

Tobogganing

Playing ice hockey

Swimming—recreational

Treading water—slowly, moderate effort

Diving—springboard or platform

Aquatic aerobics

Waterskiing

Snorkeling

Surfing, board or body

Swimming—steady paced laps

Synchronized swimming

Treading water—fast, vigorous effort

Water jogging

Water polo

Water basketball

Scuba diving

Canoeing or rowing a boat at less than 4 mph

Rafting—whitewater

Sailing—recreational or competition

Paddle boating

Kayaking—on a lake, calm water

Washing or waxing a powerboat or the hull of a sailboat

Canoeing or rowing—4 or more mph

Kayaking in whitewater rapids

Fishing while walking along a riverbank or while wading in a stream—wearing waders

––––

Hunting deer, large or small game

Pheasant and grouse hunting

Hunting with a bow and arrow or crossbow—walking

––––

Horseback riding—general

Saddling or grooming a horse

Horsebackriding—trotting, galloping, jumping, or in competition

Playing polo

Playing on school playground equipment, moving about, swinging, or climbing

Playing hopscotch, 4-square, dodgeball, T-ball, or tetherball

Skateboarding

Roller-skating or in-line skating—leisurely pace

Running

Skipping

Jumping rope

Performing jumping jacks

Roller-skating or in-line skating—fast pace

Playing instruments while actively moving; playing in a marching band; playing guitar or drums in a rock band

Twirling a baton in a marching band

Singing while actively moving about—as on stage or in church

Playing a heavy musical instrument while actively running in a marching band

Gardening and yard work: raking the lawn, bagging grass or leaves, digging, hoeing, light shoveling (less than 10 lbs per minute), or weeding while standing or bending

Planting trees, trimming shrubs and trees, hauling branches, stacking wood

Pushing a power lawn mower or tiller

Gardening and yard work: heavy or rapid shoveling (more than 10 lbs per minute), digging ditches, or carrying heavy loads

Felling trees, carrying large logs, swinging an ax, hand-splitting logs, or climbing and trimming trees

Pushing a nonmotorized lawn mower

Shoveling light snow

Shoveling heavy snow

Moderate housework: scrubbing the floor or

Heavy housework: moving or pushing heavy

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bathtub while on hands and knees, hanging laundry on a clothesline, sweeping an outdoor area, cleaning out the garage, washing windows, moving light furniture, packing or unpacking boxes, walking and putting household items away, carrying out heavy bags of trash or recyclables (e.g., glass, newspapers, and plastics), or carrying water or firewood

General household tasks requiring considerable effort

furniture (75 lbs or more), carrying household items weighing 25 lbs or more up a flight or stairs, or shoveling coal into a stove

Standing, walking, or walking down a flight of stairs while carrying objects weighing 50 lbs or more

Putting groceries away—walking and carrying especially large or heavy items less than 50 lbs.

Carrying several heavy bags (25 lbs or more) of groceries at one time up a flight of stairs

Grocery shopping while carrying young children and pushing a full grocery cart, or pushing two full grocery carts at once

Actively playing with children—walking, running, or climbing while playing with children

Walking while carrying a child weighing less than 50 lbs

Walking while pushing or pulling a child in a stroller or an adult in a wheelchair

Carrying a child weighing less than 25 lbs up a flight of stairs

Child care: handling uncooperative young children (e.g., chasing, dressing, lifting into car seat), or handling several young children at one time

Bathing and dressing an adult

Vigorously playing with children—running longer distances or playing strenuous games with children

Racewalking or jogging while pushing a stroller designed for sport use

Carrying an adult or a child weighing 25 lbs or more up a flight of stairs

Standing or walking while carrying an adult or a child weighing 50 lbs or more

Animal care: shoveling grain, feeding farm animals, or grooming animals

Playing with or training animals

Manually milking cows or hooking cows up to milking machines

Animal care: forking bales of hay or straw, cleaning a barn or stables, or carrying animals weighing over 50 lbs

Handling or carrying heavy animal-related equipment or tack

Home repair: cleaning gutters, caulking, refinishing furniture, sanding floors with a power sander, or laying or removing carpet or tiles

General home construction work: roofing, painting inside or outside of the house, wall papering, scraping, plastering, or remodeling

Home repair or construction: very hard physical labor, standing or walking while carrying heavy loads of 50 lbs or more, taking loads of 25 lbs or more up a flight of stairs or ladder (e.g., carrying roofing materials onto the roof), or concrete or masonry work

Outdoor carpentry, sawing wood with a power saw

Hand-sawing hardwoods

Automobile bodywork

Hand washing and waxing a car

Pushing a disabled car

~Occupations that require extended periods of walking, pushing or pulling objects weighing les than 75 lbs, standing while lifting objects weighing less than 50 lbs, or carrying objects of less than 25 lbs up a flight of stairs

Tasks frequently requiring moderate effort and considerable use of arms, legs, or occasional total body movements.

For example:

• Briskly walking on a level surface while carrying a suitcase or load weighing up to 50 lbs

• Maid service or cleaning services

~Occupations that require extensive periods of running, rapid movement, pushing or pulling objects weighing 75 lbs or more, standing while lifting heavy objects of 50 lbs or more, walking while carrying heavy objects of 25 lbs or more

Tasks frequently requiring strenuous effort and extensive total body movements.

For example:

• Running up a flight of stairs while carrying a suitcase or load weighing 25 lbs or more

• Teaching a class or skill requiring

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• Waiting tables or institutional dishwashing

• Driving or maneuvering heavy vehicles (e.g., semi-truck, school bus, tractor, or harvester)—not fully automated and requiring extensive use of arms and legs

• Operating heavy power tools (e.g., drills and jackhammers)

• Many homebuilding tasks (e.g. electrical work, plumbing, carpentry, dry wall, and painting)

• Farming—feeding and grooming animals, milking cows, shoveling grain; picking fruit from trees, or picking vegetables

• Packing boxes for shipping or moving

• Assembly-line work—tasks requiring movement of the entire body, arms or legs with moderate effort

• Mail carriers—walking while carrying a mailbag

• Patient care—bathing, dressing, and moving patients or physical therapy

active and strenuous participation, such as aerobics or physical education instructor

• Firefighting

• Masonry and heavy construction work

• Coal mining

• Manually shoveling or digging ditches

• Using heavy nonpowered tools

• Most forestry work

• Farming—forking straw, baling hay, cleaning barn, or poultry work

• Moving items professionally

• Loading and unloading a truck

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity. Promoting physical activity: a guide for community action. Champaign , IL : Human Kinetics, 1999. (Table adapted from Ainsworth BE, Haskell WL, Leon AS, et al. Compendium of physical activities: classification of energy costs of human physical activities. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 1993;25(1):71-80. Adapted with technical assistance from Dr. Barbara Ainsworth.)

* The ratio of exercise metabolic rate. One MET is defined as the energy expenditure for sitting quietly, which, for the average adult, approximates 3.5 ml of oxygen uptake per kilogram of body weight per minute (1.2 kcal/min for a 70-kg individual). For example, a 2-MET activity requires two times the metabolic energy expenditure of sitting quietly.

+ For an average person, defined here as 70 kilograms or 154 pounds. The activity intensity levels portrayed in this chart are most applicable to men aged 30 to 50 years and women aged 20 to 40 years. For older individuals, the classification of activity intensity might be higher. For example, what is moderate intensity to a 40-year-old man might be vigorous for a man in his 70s. Intensity is a subjective classification.

Data for this chart were available only for adults. Therefore, when children’s games are listed, the estimated intensity level is for adults participating in children’s activities.

To compute the amount of time needed to accumulate 150 kcal, do the following calculation: 150 kcal divided by the MET level of the activity equals the minutes needed to expend 150 kcal. For example: 150 )3 METS = 50 minutes of participation. Generally, activities in the moderate-intensity range require 25-50 minutes to expend a moderate amount of activity, and activities in the vigorous-intensity range would require less than 25 minutes to achieve a moderate amount of activity. Each activity listed is categorized as light, moderate, or vigorous on the basis of current knowledge of the overall level of intensity required for the average person to engage in it, taking into account brief periods when the level of intensity required for the activity might increase or decrease considerably.

Persons with disabilities, including motor function limitations (e.g., quadriplegia) may wish to consult with an exercise physiologist or physical therapist to properly classify the types of physical activities in which they might participate, including assisted exercise. Certain activities classified in this listing as moderate might be vigorous for persons who must overcome physical challenges or disabilities.

~Note: Almost every occupation requires some mix of light, moderate, or vigorous activities, depending on the task at hand. To categorize the activity level of your own position, ask yourself: How many minutes each working day do I spend doing the types of activities described as light, moderate, or vigorous? To arrive at a total workday caloric expenditure, multiply the minutes spent doing activities within each intensity level by the kilocalories corresponding to each level of intensity. Then, add together the total kilocalories spent doing light, moderate, and vigorous activities to arrive at your total energy expenditure in a typical day.