Exertion Score
Understand fitMetrics Exertion Score
Sep 29, 2025
7 mins
What is an Exertion Score?
Exertion is your daily measure of physical effort. It captures how hard your body is working across all activity—not just workouts—to help you train smarter, avoid overexertion, and reach your goals faster and safer.
At the top of your fitMetrics dashboard, the Exertion Score gives you a clear signal of your daily load. Whether you’re chasing performance, building consistency, or protecting recovery, your score helps you balance effort with rest.
Because your body isn’t static, neither is your score. As new data comes in throughout the day—workouts, naps, stress—your exertion score will refresh, so your afternoon plan can adapt to your morning reality.
How the Exertion Score Works
Your Exertion Score is calculated from a blend of factors that reflect both your activity and recovery. It looks at your daily activity levels, including step count, intensity minutes, and overall movement, alongside cardiovascular strain, measured through heart rate patterns throughout the day. It also incorporates your sleep and recovery quality, recognizing how well-rested you are before taking on new stress, fitMetrics then analyzes all of these inputs against your personal baseline to generate your score. Instead of combing through charts or raw numbers, you get a clear, simple signal that shows whether your effort is on track—or tipping toward overtraining.
How to Interpret Your Score
Think of your Exertion Score as a daily guide to balance effort with recovery:
80–100 (High Exertion): You’ve put in significant effort. Great for peak training days, but ensure recovery is planned.
60–79 (Moderate Exertion): Productive activity level—ideal for steady training and building fitness.
40–59 (Light Exertion): Active but not taxing—maintenance activity, recovery walks, mobility work.
0–39 (Minimal Exertion): Rest day or very light activity. Useful for recovery, or a cue to add more movement.
Why fitMetrics Does It Better
Unlike most platforms tied to a single device, fitMetrics connects to Apple Watch, Garmin, Oura, Fitbit, Withings, and more. You can even connect multiple devices simultaneously for the most complete view of your exertion. We normalize the data from one wearable overtime so you get one consistent score even if you stack devices.
And because exertion is only meaningful when it’s personal, your score is calibrated to your own patterns and capacity—not a population average.
fitMetrics enables you to get the most out of your data. We provide personalized daily recommendations from our proprietary AI agent so you can really understand and act on your data. With your permission, you can share exertion scores and health trends directly with your physician, nutritionist, trainer, and more. This gives your care team a clearer picture of your day-to-day health, enabling more informed conversations and personalized care.
Why Can’t You See Your Exertion Score?
If your Exertion Score isn’t showing, it’s likely because a wearable isn’t connected. To unlock the full experience, connect your Apple Watch, Garmin, Oura Ring, Fitbit, or another compatible device. You can even connect multiple at once to capture your activity more completely.
Privacy You Can Trust
fitMetrics never shares or sells your information. You choose who gets access, and you can revoke it at any time. Our insights are for informational purposes.