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Educating the Student Body
cut-points have become rigid, obscuring the fact that rate of energy 
expenditure is a continuous variable and cut-points are arbitrary.
Categories of Intensity of Physical Activity
Category
Range of 
Metabolic 
Equivalents 
(METs)
Examples of Activities
Sedentary Activity
≤
1.5 METs
Sleeping, lying down, sitting, 
watching television
Light-Intensity 
Activity
>1.5-<3.0 METs
Standing; walking slowly; 
everyday activities such as 
getting dressed, making a 
bed, cooking
Moderate-Intensity 
Activity
≥
3.0-<6.0 METs
Walking, table tennis, ball-
room dancing
Vigorous-Intensity 
Activity
≥
6.0 METs
Running at various speeds, 
shoveling snow, mowing the 
lawn while walking with a 
hand mower
BOX 2-1 Continued
of healthy body composition, and reduces the likelihood of acquiring risk 
factors for the development of chronic diseases later in life. The currently 
recommended dose of physical activity for children and adolescents is at 
least 60 minutes of vigorous- or moderate-intensity physical activity per 
day, with vigorous physical activity on at least 3 of those days (Strong et 
al., 2005; PAGAC, 2008).
In 2005 a panel was convened by the CDC specifically to consider the 
physical activity needs of children and adolescents (6-18 years of age). The 

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Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School
Status and Trends of Physical Activity Behaviors and Related School Policies
 
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