Weekly Exercise Minutes Calculator
Add up your weekly moderate and vigorous activity (vigorous counts double), plus everyday walking, and check it against the WHO/CDC 150–300-minute guideline, the 2-day muscle-strengthening goal, the older-adult balance goal or the children’s 60-minutes-a-day target — with the gap to close, MET-minutes and a chart.
How it works
Adults: moderate-equivalent = moderate min + 2 × vigorous min · guideline = 150–300 min/week + muscle-strengthening on 2+ days (older adults also balance on 3+ days) · Children 5–17: average = (moderate + vigorous min) ÷ 7, target 60 min/day, vigorous and strengthening on 3+ days · MET-min ≈ 4 × moderate + 8 × vigorous
Major physical-activity guidelines (WHO 2020, the US 2018 guidelines used by the CDC, and the UK NHS) recommend that adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, or a mix — one vigorous minute counts as two moderate minutes — with more benefit up to 300 minutes or more. They also ask for muscle-strengthening on at least 2 days a week; for adults 65 and over, balance-focused multicomponent activity on 3 or more days; and for pregnancy and after birth, at least 150 moderate minutes. Children and teens aged 5–17 should average 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity a day, with vigorous activity and muscle- and bone-strengthening on at least 3 days. Enter your sessions, any everyday brisk walking or active travel, and your strength days. The calculator converts everything to moderate-equivalent minutes (or the daily average for children), shows how far you are from each part of the guideline, suggests ways to close the gap and estimates MET-minutes for comparison with other tools.
Worked example
Three 30-minute brisk walks (90 min) plus one 25-minute run (25 × 2 = 50 moderate-equivalent) totals 140 moderate-equivalent minutes — 93% of the target and 10 short of the 150-minute guideline, which one extra 10-minute walk would close. With 2 strength sessions the strength part is met. In MET terms the week is about 90 × 4 + 25 × 8 = 560 MET-minutes.
Sources: WHO — Physical activity guidelines · CDC — Adult activity: an overview · US HHS — Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition · NHS — Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64
Frequently asked questions
Why do vigorous minutes count double?
Vigorous activity delivers roughly twice the intensity per minute, so guidelines let 75 vigorous minutes substitute for 150 moderate minutes. Mixing them is fine — the tool converts both to a common scale. For children the guideline is a plain 60-minute daily average, so their vigorous minutes are not doubled.
Is more than 300 minutes better?
Additional activity brings extra health benefits for most people, with diminishing returns. The 150–300 minute band is a floor and a sensible target, not a ceiling.
Does everyday walking count?
Brisk walking that noticeably raises your heart rate counts as moderate activity, including walking or cycling to work or the shops — enter it under “Everyday brisk walking or active travel”. Slow strolling generally does not reach the moderate threshold. Since 2018 the US guidelines count bouts of any length, not only 10 minutes or more.
Do strength workouts count toward the 150 minutes?
Muscle-strengthening is a separate part of the guideline: 2 or more days a week for adults. Circuit-style sessions that keep your heart rate up can count toward aerobic minutes too, but enter them in only one place to avoid double counting.
What changes for older adults and in pregnancy?
Adults 65 and over follow the same 150–300 minutes and 2 strength days, plus balance-focused multicomponent activity on 3 or more days to help prevent falls. In pregnancy and after birth the aim is at least 150 moderate minutes a week; vigorous activity is generally fine if you did it before, with your midwife or doctor’s agreement.
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This is a general educational estimate, not medical advice. Individual responses vary — for decisions about exercise, sun exposure, heat, cold or health conditions, talk to a qualified professional.