How Many Calories do You Expend on the Job?

     How physically taxing is your job?  Some vocations require a lot of physical effort, others very little.  Here is a look into the energy requirements (metabolic equivalent or METS*) to perform a particular job and the amount of energy expended (kcals) per half-hour of work for various occupations.  Calculations are based on a 150 pound individual.

Baker:  4.0 METS; 143 kcals

Desk Job:  1.5 METS; 54 kcals

Firefighter, general tasks:  12.0 METS; 430 kcals

Mason:  7.0 METS; 251 kcals

Nurse, patient care requiring lifting: 4.0 METS; 143 kcals

Physical Education Teacher, participating in class activities: 6.5 METS; 233 kcals

Store Clerk: 2.3 METS; 82 kcals

     It is important to note that the above values are estimates and that the actual energy demands of a particular job can be altered due to such factors as the pace of work, worker's body size, climate of work environment, and types of technical/automated devices used.

*A metabolic equivalent or MET is a unit of measure that describes the energy expenditure of a particular activity or its intensity.  It is the ratio of the amount of energy expended during an activity to the amount of energy expended at rest.  One MET is the amount of energy expended at rest.  A 3 MET activity requires energy to be expended at 3 times the rate of energy expended at rest.

Resources:

The Compendium of Physical Activities Tracking Guide www.prevention.sph.sc.edu/tools/docs/documents_compendium.pdf

2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans www.health.gov/paguidelines