Track vigorous activity minutes per week.
Vigorous activity is credited at double weight against the aerobic guideline: 75 vigorous minutes satisfy the same recommendation as 150 moderate ones, and the two can be mixed freely. That exchange rate is what makes the moderate-equivalent total the useful number — 75 vigorous minutes plus 60 moderate minutes is 210 moderate-equivalent minutes, comfortably past the 150 threshold and into the 300-minute range associated with additional benefit.
Moderate equivalence
Moderate-equivalent = vigorous minutes x 2 + moderate minutes
Progress
Share of combined guideline = moderate-equivalent / (vigorous guideline x 2) x 100
These are educational and reference calculations only. They are not a diagnosis, not a substitute for measurement or laboratory testing, and must not be used to start, stop, time or change any medication or treatment. Reference thresholds differ between national guidelines and do not account for your individual clinical context. Discuss any result that concerns you with a qualified healthcare professional, and seek urgent medical attention for acute symptoms rather than relying on a calculator.
Vigorous minutes are counted directly and also doubled to give moderate-equivalent minutes, which are added to any moderate activity already done. The combined total is then compared against the guideline expressed in moderate-equivalent terms.
Vigorous activity meets the aerobic guideline in half the time, which makes it the practical route for anyone short of hours. It also drives cardiorespiratory fitness gains more strongly than the same duration of moderate work.
Running, swimming laps, singles tennis, fast cycling, hill walking with a pack or circuit training — effort where speaking a full sentence is difficult. If you can hold a conversation comfortably, it is moderate rather than vigorous.