In the beginning, there was change

META: Did you know that our valuable term,  Metabolism, comes from a Grecian word metabole that means “to change” ?

Well before a Harvard dropout named Zuckerberg changed the name of the social network corporation he leads to Meta, this multi-purpose word had philosophical and self-reflective meaning.

Then along came a Monarch butterfly 

Metamorphosis  – such as the life cycle from a caterpillar to its chrysalis to a butterfly is a dramatic change of shape.   Well, we certainly don’t change our shapes as radically as a butterfly, yet we can transform our body composition and shape to healthier profiles – can’t we?

Be or transform to a healthier pear-shaped profile rather than a relatively unhealthy Apple profile, please!

Just One

In a science quiz, one MET is measured as 3.5 milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute. Whew, that is a breathful.

For a 70 kilogram person, one MET equates to a total of 1/4 liter of O2 per minute (70 times 0.0035 liters/kg/minute) .

METs quantify the energy expenditure of an activity relative to resting metabolism, with one MET equal to the energy cost and oxygen demands of sitting quietly.  The higher the MET value of an activity or exercise, the higher the demand placed on one’s metabolism. And, we’ll delve into the key VO2 Max measure too, so stay tuned!

Incidentally, scientists do adjust the MET standard for age with a breakpoint at age 65. With lower heart rates, a bit of sarcopenia and slightly smaller lung capacity associated with aging, one MET _older is about 20 % lower than the MET_younger standard for a younger individual. For your quiz, that is  2.7 milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute.

3 Key Components of a MET Table:

You may see a matrix or table that lists 3 components:

• Activity: ranging from light to vigorous. 
• MET Value: The numerical value representing the energy expenditure of the activity, relative to resting metabolism. 
• Intensity Level: Categorized by their intensity level (e.g., light, moderate, vigorous) based on their MET value. 

Three Levels of METAs with example activities are:

• Light Intensity: Strolling at conversational pace, washing dishes, yoga, fishing (sitting).
• Moderate Intensity: Brisk walking, bodyweight training, yard work, swimming laps.
• Vigorous Intensity: Singles tennis, shoveling, competitive soccer, running, rowing, and rucking in hilly terrain.

I want us to understand the intensity of different activities so that we can tailor our workouts at this stage of our periodization, and in line with our performance goals.

Example:

Weightlifting effort “generally” is in a moderate intensity range, with MET values between 3.0 and 5.9. A MET value of 6 or greater is considered “vigorous” or high intensity.

Moderate weightlifting for maintenance and tone, or nominally  >12 repetitions exercises in a set with light resistance, is around 3.5 METs. Heavier weight or resistance training with 8-12 repetitions can reach 5 METs. Vigorous weight lifting, such as circuit training with minimal rest, or power lifting (3-6 repetitions with heavy weights) can reach 8 METs.

This Figure illustrates a Met and Time process calculation:

Using this illustrated walk example, a reasonable Daily META for us is based on our government’s recommendation of 90 Met minutes or 1.5 MET Hours daily  – 5 times each week. 

This totals 7.5 Met Hours per week to meet our Government standard – which is actually fairly low.

Remember that this ½ hour walking activity is in addition to the basic metabolic rates that are equated to sitting quietly or sleeping.  Those sedentary or still “low level” MET hours far exceed the activity or exercise MET hours we just considered.

Next, let’s relate MET minutes / hours to the second half of our Government’s activity recommendation per week.

Seventy-five (75) minutes of MET level 6 – per week – are our Government’s suggestion for more intensive activity.  These higher intensity efforts require more oxygen, and higher lub dub beats of our working hearts.  See my blog article for more details of interval or higher intensity training.

Note that this alternate channel for activity also tallies 7.5 MET Hours per week, just as the lower intensity option did.  

This too is a fairly low bar. Yet too many Americans do not get enough META, as the obesity and sickness of our unfit society shows in mortality statistics.

Those of us who strive to be better than decent may double, triple or triple- double the META recommendation (MET Hours).  

For example, in this phase of my fitness periodization, I log 6-8 hours of low intensity exercise, and 1 to 1.5 hours of higher intensity and interval sessions each week.  For this case, my low intensity is 7 hours x MET Level 3, or 21 MET Hours. 

And, my higher intensity work per week (which I limit to about 20 percent of my total training time) results in level 7 x 1.5 hours for another ~10.5 MET Hours.

The Goverment suggests 7.5 MET Hours per week, and my investment average of 31.5 MET Hours is 4 times our Government’s minimum.  Parenthetically, my weekly workload is about average for competitive rowers of my age.

Do I suggest that more folks raise their MET Hour bars? You betcha. 

That is, of course, with medical approval, plus sense and respond awareness of exercise-induced stress and recovery needs.

I do acknowledge, and will delve into the uniqueness of exercise Dose-Response for “proper” metabolic effort.  Too much of a very good thing, like exercise, is not wonderful when it is toxic or harmful.

This graphic shows a “safe range” between no-good risky,  and good healthy exercise doses for an individual:

Citation: Borodulin, Katja, Anderssen, Sigmund. Journal of Food & Nutrition Research. 2023/06/26.

As we wind up this META overview, I virtually shout out to our down under Health professionals who kindly document how much exercise Medicare-aged folks (in any country) should pursue.

A ‘lil bit extra ?!

Just a slight increase in activity each day can improve our health and well being. Our revved-up metabolism at work and at rest can help:

• reduce the risk of health issues, like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, bone and joint problems, heart disease, and some cancers
• maintain a healthy weight
• reduce the risk of falls and injury
• give you more energy
• improve your sleep
• reduce stress and anxiety
• improve concentration
• improve your mental health.  (citation Ibid)

Who doesn’t talk about, or try to walk the talk of a booster like this?

Credit istock

I hope that I piqued your interest about the quantity and quality of META to perform at a good or great level for many years to come.

Be strong to save,

Dave Frost