Feeling as if you have done nothing at the end of a walk does not tell you whether the walk counted. Two of the ways moderate effort is measured are taken while you are moving: the talk test is done during the activity, and a second measure counts the energy the activity uses while you do it. Neither is read off how you feel once the walk is over. How hard the walk is decides whether it counts toward a weekly aim of 150 minutes, because any aerobic activity counts, as long as it is done at a moderate or vigorous intensity. So the place to judge your walk is on the walk itself, by your breathing, your voice and a number you give the effort.
What moderate means while you are doing it
While you are moving, moderate means working hard enough to breathe harder, raise your heart rate and break a sweat. Vigorous goes further: you are breathing hard and fast, and your heart rate is higher than with moderate activity.
On the talk test, as a rule of thumb, a person doing moderate-intensity aerobic activity can talk, but not sing, during the activity, and a person doing vigorous-intensity activity cannot say more than a few words without pausing for a breath. Once you are up to your usual pace, say a full sentence out loud, then try a line of a song you know. A whole sentence and no song puts you in the moderate range on that test.
A second check is a number you give the effort yourself, on a scale where 0 is the effort of sitting and 10 is maximal effort. On that scale moderate is a 5 or 6, and vigorous begins at a 7 or 8, so a 3 or 4 is below moderate, and a 9 is vigorous.
For the third measure you look a figure up, and your fitness plays no part in it. Absolute intensity is the amount of energy used during the activity, without considering a person's heart and lung fitness, and it is counted in METs, where one MET is the energy used sitting quietly. Activity that burns 3 to 5.9 METs is moderate, and activity that burns 6.0 METs or more is vigorous. Published tables such as the Compendium of Physical Activities give the MET value of specific activities.
Side by side, with some examples of each level:
| Measure | Moderate | Vigorous |
|---|---|---|
| Talk test, as a rule of thumb | You can talk, but not sing | You cannot say more than a few words without pausing for a breath |
| Your own rating, 0 to 10 | 5 or 6 | Begins at 7 or 8 |
| Energy used, in METs | 3 to 5.9 | 6.0 or more |
| Among the examples | Walking briskly, 2.5 miles per hour or faster; recreational swimming; bicycling slower than 10 miles per hour on level terrain; general yard work and home repair work | Jogging or running; swimming laps; bicycling faster than 10 miles per hour; jumping rope |
A walk that is moderate for you and easy for someone fitter
Your walk can be moderate for you and easier for someone fitter, because relative intensity is measured on the person doing the activity: an activity that is vigorous for a person of average fitness may only be moderate for a very fit person. Walking may feel like moderate activity to you and vigorous to somebody else, and it all depends on the shape you are in, what you feel comfortable doing, and your health condition.
The talk test and the 0 to 10 scale measure your own effort, so they answer for your walk and nobody else's. The MET figures are set without considering a person's heart and lung fitness, so getting fitter does not change them. When the measures disagree, as when a walk at 2.5 miles per hour leaves you breath to sing, walking faster until you can talk but not sing settles it: the walk then passes your own checks, and a faster walk is still on the moderate list, which starts at 2.5 miles per hour.
As your own fitness changes, a route that once left you too breathless to talk can later let you hold a conversation the whole way, and that alone does not mean the walk has stopped counting. Do the checks during it again. If you can talk but not sing and you rate the effort a 5 or 6, it is still moderate for you. If you can sing the whole way round, the talk test puts the walk below moderate, and an effort you rate below 5 confirms it.
How one walk converts into the weekly total
Toward the weekly aim, each moderate minute counts once and, as a rule of thumb, each vigorous minute counts about twice. For adults that aim is 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, or an equivalent combination. So a 20-minute jog counts about the same as a 40-minute brisk walk.
Three 30-minute brisk walks and two 15-minute jogs come to the equivalent of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, since the 30 minutes of jogging count as about 60.
Walks shorter than 10 minutes count toward the weekly aim too, if you walk them at moderate effort or harder, so a few minutes of brisk walking from the bus stop to your door add to the week. Any amount of physical activity has some health benefits. The weekly minutes can be spread out during the week and broken up into smaller chunks of time, such as 30 minutes a day on 5 days.
For the most health benefits, adults need 150 to 300 minutes or more of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, like brisk walking or fast dancing, each week, so the weekly aim of 150 minutes is the low end of that range. Muscle-strengthening work comes in addition to the aerobic minutes, on 2 or more days each week (see Strength work twice a week, and why it matters during weight loss).
When you can go harder, and when you should stop
You can go harder when a walk feels like nothing while you are on it, though with a chronic health condition, check with the doctor who treats it first. An effort you would rate below 5 puts you under moderate, and so does breath to spare for a song on the talk test. If the checks during the walk put you at moderate, feeling fine at the end changes nothing about that.
Physical activity that requires moderate effort is safe for most people. With a chronic health condition, such as heart disease, arthritis or diabetes, ask the doctor who treats it which types and amounts of activity are right for you before you go harder (see Can you start moving when your knees already hurt?). Before you start vigorous-intensity activity, talk to a doctor if you have been inactive, have a disability or carry extra weight.
To reach moderate from below it, pick up your pace a little at a time, because the key is to push slowly and gradually. In general, avoid increasing the number of days you exercise, the length of time and how hard you work out all at the same time. Being tired all the time can be a sign that you may be overdoing it. Warm up by going slowly for the first few minutes, for example by walking briskly for 5 to 10 minutes before a run, and cool down at a slower pace for the last 5 to 10 minutes. If you want to go from moderate to vigorous activity, slowly replace activities that take moderate effort, like brisk walking, with more vigorous ones such as jogging.
Some sensations during a session are a reason to stop it instead of rating it. Aerobic activities should not cause dizziness, chest pain or pressure, or nausea. If any of them comes on during a session, stop. Stop right away, too, if you feel pain while you are exercising; sore muscles after a workout are to be expected. What to do next depends on the sign:
- Chest pain during or after exercise: go to the hospital right away or call 911. Treat chest pressure the same way, and for severe chest pain or pressure, call 911 to have the emergency team come to you.
- Dizziness or weakness that does not go away once you stop, throwing up that does not stop, or passing out or fainting: go to an emergency department or call 911.
- Muscle or joint pain that does not go away after self-care: contact your doctor's office. For severe pain, go to the hospital right away or call 911.
- Dizziness or nausea that passed once you stopped, or nausea that lingers without making you throw up: before you do that activity again, call your doctor's office, or a nurse advice line from your health insurance plan or employer if you have no doctor to call.
If NicoCares is part of your care, ask your care team in a Spruce message about starting vigorous activity; Spruce is the secure app NicoCares patients are invited to set up for messaging. Those messages are answered on no stated timetable, so for any sign in the list above, get the care named beside it first, and write to the care team once you have been seen.
