A method for estimating a metabolic equivalent of task for use with a computing device is provided herein. The method includes receiving input from a capture device of a user； and tracking a position of each of the plurality of joints of the user. The method further includes determining a distance traveled for each of the plurality of joints between a first frame and a second frame； and calculating a horizontal velocity and a vertical velocity for each of the plurality of joints based on the distance traveled and an elapsed time between the first and second frames. The method further includes estimating a value for the metabolic equivalent of task using a metabolic equation including a component for the horizontal velocity and a component for the vertical velocity for each of the plurality of joints； and outputting the value for display.
