Overview
Activities and MET values come from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities (Herrmann SD, Willis EA, Ainsworth BE, et al. 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: A third update of the energy costs of human activities. J Sport Health Sci. 2024;13(1):6-12; https://pacompendium.com). The Compendium is free for commercial use with citation. A monthly collector copies its activity tables into our storage; MET values are stored and returned exactly as published.
Calories per minute are `met x 3.5 x weightKg / 200`: one MET is 3.5 ml of oxygen per kilogram per minute and a litre of oxygen releases about 5 kcal. `caloriesPerHour` and `totalCalories` are rounded to whole kcal. `intensity` classifies the standard MET with the Physical Activity Guidelines bands: light under 3, moderate 3 to 5.9, vigorous 6 and above, with 1.5 or below reported as sedentary.
With `age`, `sex` and `height` (all three) the API estimates resting metabolic rate with Mifflin-St Jeor (10 x kg + 6.25 x cm - 5 x age, plus 5 for men or minus 161 for women); `rmr` replaces the estimate with a measured value. That rate is converted to ml O2/kg/min and `correctedMet = met x 3.5 / RMR`, the Compendium's corrected MET method; calories then use the corrected value. `minutesToBurn` is `calories` divided by calories per minute. Search ranks activities that contain every word of the query (after synonyms such as biking to bicycling), preferring general and non-competitive entries, and falls back to partial matches.
Live Test Calories Burned Source →
Formula
One function covers the whole catalog: the first argument names the source, the next are its inputs, and the field after them says which single value lands in the cell. Formulas covers the grammar that applies to all of them.
=VERVE("caloriesburned", "query")=VERVE.CALL("caloriesburned", "query")Inputs
Required inputs are positional, in the order below, followed by the field. Everything else is passed as a "name", value pair after that — the same shape as SUMIFS. Premium inputs are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.
| Input | Type | Where it goes | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
activityOptional | string | "activity", value | Activity to search for, e.g. running, biking, yoga or mowing lawn. Required unless code is given. length 0–100 |
codeOptional | string | "code", value | Five-digit Compendium activity code to look up directly, e.g. 12150. length 5–5 |
weightOptional | number | "weight", value | Body weight in kg (metric) or lb (imperial). Defaults to 70 kg. range 1–1100 |
unitOptional | string | "unit", value | Unit system for weight and height: metric (kg, cm) or imperial (lb, in). Defaults to metric.metricimperial |
durationOptional | number | "duration", value | Duration of the activity in minutes (1-1440). Defaults to 60. range 1–1440 |
caloriesOptional | number | "calories", value | Calorie target: adds minutesToBurn, the minutes each activity takes to burn this many kcal. range 1–20000 |
ageOptionalPremium | integer | "age", value | Age in years (18-120), for a personalised estimate with sex and height. range 18–120 |
sexOptionalPremium | string | "sex", value | Sex for the resting metabolic rate estimate, with age and height.malefemale |
heightOptionalPremium | number | "height", value | Height in cm (metric) or inches (imperial), with age and sex. range 1–300 |
rmrOptionalPremium | number | "rmr", value | Measured resting metabolic rate in kcal per day (500-5000). Overrides age, sex and height. range 500–5000 |
limitOptionalPremium | integer | "limit", value | Number of matching activities to return (1-25). Defaults to 5. range 1–25 |
Passing an option
=VERVE("caloriesburned", "query", "activity", "running")=VERVE.CALL("caloriesburned", "query", "activity", "running")What lands in your sheet
The field — the argument after the inputs — is what makes the formula resolve to one cell. Its value is a dot-path from the table below, so swapping it is how you pull a different value — one formula per column.
Seeing everything at once
Leave the field out and the formula returns the whole response instead: two columns, field name on the left and value on the right, spilling from the cell you typed in.
=VERVE("caloriesburned")=VERVE.CALL("caloriesburned")The second row's table would land on top of the first's, and every cell after the first reads #REF! (#SPILL! in Excel). Keep one per sheet, or name a field, and leave the cells below and to the right empty.
Response fields
Paths are relative to data. Each one is exactly what the field argument accepts, so swapping it is how you pull a different value into a cell. On a plan without a Premium field the cell reads #PREMIUM(field) rather than a value, so a locked field never looks like a real answer.
| Use as the field | Type | Example cell value | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
query | string | running | The activity searched for, or the code looked up |
count | number | 5 | Number of activities returned |
totalMatches | number | 73 | Number of activities that matched the search |
weightKg | number | 70 | Body weight used, in kilograms |
durationMinutes | number | 30 | Duration used, in minutes |
targetCalories | object | null | The calorie target from the calories parameter, or null |
personalized | boolean | false | Whether results use a resting metabolic rate (corrected METs) |
rmrKcalPerDayPremium | object | null | Resting metabolic rate used, kcal per day: measured, or estimated with Mifflin-St Jeor |
activities | array[5] | Matching activities, best match first | |
activities.0.code | string | 12145 | Five-digit Compendium activity code |
activities.0.activity | string | Running, self-selected pace | Activity description as published in the Compendium |
activities.0.heading | string | Running | Compendium major heading, e.g. Running or Water Activities |
activities.0.met | number | 10.5 | Standard MET value as published in the Compendium |
activities.0.correctedMetPremium | object | null | MET corrected for the person's resting metabolic rate; null unless personalised |
activities.0.intensity | string | vigorous | Intensity class of the standard MET: sedentary (1.5 or less), light (under 3), moderate (3 to 5.9) or vigorous (6 or more) |
activities.0.caloriesPerHour | number | 772 | Calories (kcal) burned per hour |
activities.0.durationMinutes | number | 30 | Duration the total is for, in minutes |
activities.0.totalCalories | number | 386 | Calories (kcal) burned over the duration |
activities.0.minutesToBurn | object | null | Minutes this activity takes to burn targetCalories; null without the calories parameter |
When a cell doesn't fill
A failed lookup returns readable text starting with #ERR rather than a spreadsheet error, because Excel cannot show a custom message on a real error — you would get a bare #VALUE! with no reason. The trade-off is that IFERROR() will not catch it; test with LEFT(cell, 4) = "#ERR" instead. Error handling covers the rest.
| Cell reads | What happened |
|---|---|
#ERR Not connected | No API key saved. Open the side panel and connect your account. |
#ERR Replace <name> with a cell or value | A preview formula was copied as-is. Swap the placeholder for a cell reference. |
#ERR No "x" in caloriesburned | An option name this source does not take. The message lists the ones it does. |
#ERR No data point "…" | The field path is not in the response. Check it against the table above. |
#PREMIUM(field) | The field exists but your plan does not include it. |
#ERR Out of credits | The cycle's credits are spent. Usage resets on your billing date. |
Before the formula works
The add-in reads the API key you saved once in the side panel — the key never goes in the formula, so a shared sheet does not leak it and a collaborator without access simply sees the last calculated values.
- Install the add-in for Google Sheets or Excel.
- Open the side panel and sign in, or paste a key from your dashboard.
- Type the formula above into any cell.
Use cases
- Workout Logging Apps
- Fitness apps turn a logged activity and duration into calories burned, showing the MET and intensity class so users see why a session counted the way it did.
- Calorie Goal Planning
- Nutrition coaches use the reverse mode to tell clients how many minutes of walking, cycling or swimming offset a snack or meal.
- Corporate Wellness Challenges
- Step and activity challenges convert mixed activities, from yard work to basketball, into one comparable calorie or MET-minute total.
- Wearable and Health Platforms
- Device makers fill in activities their sensors cannot classify with Compendium-based estimates personalised to the wearer's age, sex, height and weight.
Other ways to use Calories Burned
Set up Calories Burned on VerveSheets, or reach the same source a different way. Your VerveSheets account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.
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