Physical Activity Guideline Calculator

Enter how many minutes a week you move at moderate intensity and how often you train muscles and bones, and see how that compares with the Dutch physical activity guideline.

Who is it for?

Adult or older adult (18 and over)Child or teenager (4 to 17)

The guideline has one norm for children aged 4 to 17 and one for adults and older adults.

Minutes of activity per week

Count only activity at moderate intensity or higher: your breathing speeds up and your heart rate rises, but you can still talk. Think of brisk walking, cycling, swimming, sport or physical work. Count activity at work, around the house and on the way as well.

Days per week of muscle and bone strengthening

Activities that train your muscles and bones, such as strength training, jumping, climbing, running or gymnastics. Count the number of days.

The Health Council of the Netherlands set this guideline in 2017 as a minimum. Doing more brings extra health benefits.

You reach this share of the norm

80 %

Below the norm

Norm per week

150 min

Still needed per week

30 min

That is per day about

4 min

Norm for muscle and bone strengthening

2 days per week

Strengthening days still needed

1 day(s)

Please note: This is a general guideline, not a diagnosis or medical advice. If you have questions about your health, talk to your doctor.

A calculation aid for the Dutch physical activity guideline, not a medical assessment. If you have a condition, symptoms or questions about exercise, talk to your doctor. Your input is not stored.

How this number is calculated

The blocks use your input. Change a value above and they update with it.

Step 1 · Norm per week

(Who is it for?: Adult or older adult (18 and over)) Adult norm150 =Norm per week150 min

Step 2 · Still to go per week

largest ofNorm per week150 min − Minutes of activity per week120 0 =Still to go per week30 min

Step 3 · You reach this share of the norm

Minutes of activity per week120 ÷ Norm per week150 min × Per cent100 =You reach this share of the norm80 %

How the calculation works

The Dutch physical activity guideline sets out how much activity is healthy. Adults and older adults are active at moderate intensity for at least 150 minutes a week, spread over several days, and do muscle and bone strengthening activities at least twice a week. Children aged 4 to 17 are active at moderate intensity for at least an hour every day and train muscles and bones at least three times a week. This calculation aid shows how close you are.

You enter how many minutes a week you are active at moderate intensity or higher and on how many days you train muscles and bones. The calculator compares that with the norm for your group: 150 minutes a week for adults and older adults, 7 times 60 minutes for children. You see the share you reach, how many minutes are still needed and what that is per day. Moderate intensity means an activity with a MET value of 3 to 5.9. Vigorous is 6 or more. The Dutch guideline does not count vigorous minutes double: every minute at moderate intensity or higher counts once.

Formula

Share = minutes per week ÷ norm × 100. Norm: 150 minutes (adults and older adults) or 7 × 60 = 420 minutes (children). Still needed = norm − minutes, never below 0. Per day = still needed ÷ 7.

Assumptions

The norm is the one from the Health Council of the Netherlands (2017), the current Dutch guideline. No newer version was found.
The guideline is a minimum. People who meet it can gain more by being active more often, for longer or at higher intensity.
For older adults, balance exercises belong with the muscle and bone strengthening. This tool does not count them separately.
This tool has no norm for children under 4 or for pregnancy.
The guideline also says to avoid sitting for long periods. That is outside the calculation.
You estimate the minutes yourself. Activity trackers measure it more accurately than a questionnaire or an estimate.

Example calculations

The button fills in the calculator above, so you can carry on from there.

Just below the norm

You reach this share of the norm
80 % · Below the norm

Adult or older adult (18 and over) · Minutes of activity per week 120 · Days per week of muscle and bone strengthening 1
Adult meets the norm

You reach this share of the norm
100 % · Norm met

Adult or older adult (18 and over) · Minutes of activity per week 150 · Days per week of muscle and bone strengthening 2
Child on the way to the norm

You reach this share of the norm
71 % · Below the norm

Child or teenager (4 to 17) · Minutes of activity per week 300 · Days per week of muscle and bone strengthening 2

Frequently asked questions

How much activity does the Dutch guideline ask for?

Adults and older adults: at least 150 minutes a week at moderate intensity, spread over several days, plus muscle and bone strengthening at least twice a week. Children aged 4 to 17: at least an hour a day at moderate intensity, plus muscle and bone strengthening at least three times a week.

What is moderate intensity?

Activity where your breathing speeds up and your heart rate rises, but you can still speak in full sentences. The Dutch Nutrition Centre treats a MET value of 3 to 5.9 as moderate and 6 or more as vigorous. Brisk walking and relaxed cycling are examples.

Do vigorous minutes count double?

Not in the Dutch guideline: every minute at moderate intensity or higher counts once. The WHO, the UK NHS and the US CDC do count 1 vigorous minute as 2 moderate minutes. This tool follows the Dutch guideline.

How do I know how active I really am?

Estimate it over a normal week. Add up work, housework, cycling and walking to work, and sport. For a longer test with questions about your week, use the Beweegrichtlijnentest (Dutch only) from the Kenniscentrum Sport & Bewegen.

Is the 2017 guideline still current?

Yes. The Health Council has not replaced the Dutch guideline since 2017 and Statistics Netherlands still uses it. A separate guideline for children aged 0 to 4 is on the way. We check this page every year for a new version.

Sources and checks

Sources

Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64 | NHS (opens in a new tab)nhs.uk · accessed 11 October 2026
WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour (2020) (opens in a new tab)who.int · accessed 11 October 2026

How we check it

This calculator has 11 fixed checks: 7 calculations with a result that is fixed in advance, and 4 cases of invalid input that must be rejected. They all run automatically every time we publish; if one fails, the calculator does not go live.

See the calculations

Adult or older adult (18 and over) · Minutes of activity per week 120 · Days per week of muscle and bone strengthening 1 → You reach this share of the norm 80 %
Adult or older adult (18 and over) · Minutes of activity per week 150 · Days per week of muscle and bone strengthening 2 → You reach this share of the norm 100 %
Adult or older adult (18 and over) · Minutes of activity per week 300 · Days per week of muscle and bone strengthening 3 → You reach this share of the norm 200 %
Adult or older adult (18 and over) · Minutes of activity per week 0 · Days per week of muscle and bone strengthening 0 → You reach this share of the norm 0 %
Child or teenager (4 to 17) · Minutes of activity per week 300 · Days per week of muscle and bone strengthening 2 → You reach this share of the norm 71 %
Child or teenager (4 to 17) · Minutes of activity per week 420 · Days per week of muscle and bone strengthening 3 → You reach this share of the norm 100 %
Adult or older adult (18 and over) · Minutes of activity per week 149 · Days per week of muscle and bone strengthening 2 → You reach this share of the norm 99 %

Changes

11 October 2026: First version, based on the 2017 physical activity guideline of the Health Council of the Netherlands.

Last reviewed: 11 October 2026 · How we build and check our calculators