1 activity point corresponds exactly to one MET minute. This metabolic quantity describes the intensity of the respective load in relation to the basal metabolic rate. The basal metabolic rate is different for each person and describes the amount of energy you consume in 24 hours at rest. If you now convert the basal metabolic rate to one minute, i.e. divide it by 24 hours * 60 minutes, you get 1 MET minute or 1 activity point.
1 activity point= 1 MET minute = basal metabolic rate / (24 (hours/day) * 60 (minutes/hour)) = basal metabolic rate / 1440
So 1 activity point is exactly the amount of energy you use during one minute of sitting quietly. More activity points mean several times this amount of energy. So if you get 10 activity points, it means that you have used 10 times as much energy as in one minute of sitting.
1 activity point also means a different amount of activity for each person. So for a person with a high basal metabolic rate of 1900 kcal per day, one activity point equals 1.32 kcal (1900 / (24*60)) and for a person with 1400 kcal basal metabolic rate per day, one activity point equals 0.97 kcal (1400 / (24*60)).
As a result, a strong person with a high basal metabolic rate must also do more work to get the same number of activity points. So for strength training, for example, a higher weight has to be lifted. However, since endurance sports use proportionally more energy for the same duration, only the duration is decisive here. This creates fairness and comparability among different people.
From activity points to calories
If you are wondering how many calories are in your activity points, you can estimate this with a rough approximation. With the help of your body weight, you can roughly determine your basal metabolic rate.
Your body burns about 1 kilocalorie per kilogram of body weight in one hour at rest. To get to one MET minute, you have to divide this value by 60 minutes. This results in
1Activity Point= 1 MET Minute≈ 1 kcal * (body weight in kg) / 60.
For a person with a 70kg body weight, this results in the following example calculation:
1Activity Point= 1 MET Minute≈ (1 kcal * 70) / 60 = 1.167 kcal.
Now, if this person collects 300 activity points, it is quite easy to estimate the number of calories:
300 activity points= 300 * 1 MET Minute≈ 300 * (1 kcal * 70) / 60 = 300 * 1.167 kcal = 350 kcal.
Please note that this is only an approximation of the number of calories and the actual amount of calories may differ! On the Smart Strength devices and the Branded Member App, we use more accurate formulas to calculate the base 1 MET minute individually.
For more info on activity points, check out our blog at:
https://egym.com/uk/blog/egym-activity-points-make-fitness-and-health-measurable