Important Values and Conversions

Important Conversion Units
• Body weight into kg = {body wt. (lbs.)/2.2}
  
• Kilocalories (kcal)
  •  Working with milliliters (mL) → 1 kcal = 200 mL O₂
  •  Working with liters (L) → 5 kcal = 1 L O₂
     
•  Weight to Kilocalories (kcal)
  • Approximately 1 lb. of general body mass gain or loss = 3500 kcal
  • Approximately 1 lb. of lean body mass = 2500 kcal
     
• MET to mL∙kg^-1∙min^-1
  •  MET = VO₂ in mL·kg^-1·min^-1/ 3.5
     
    • 1 MET= 3.5 mL·kg^-1·min^-1 of oxygen consumption to keep 1 kg of body mass functioning at rest.
    • Exercise increases the number of METS required for maintenance. The higher the intensity exercise the higher the MET rating. For example, to work at 10 METS is equivalent to working 10 times harder than when at rest. Also it is true that the body is now using 35 mL·kg^-1·min^-1 of oxygen to maintain itself.
       
  • MET-min = Number of METS times minutes of Physical Activity (PA) per workout, day, or week.
    • Eg. Client exercises at 10 METS for 10 minutes, three times per week, they have done 100 MET-mins physical activity per workout session and a total of 300 MET-mins for the week.  Session Calculation = 10 METS x 10 mins = 100 MET-mins/session; Weekly Calculation = 100 MET-mins/session X 3 sessions/week = 300 MET-mins/week.