Basal Metabolic Rate

Basal Metabolic Rate

Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the minimum level of energy your body needs when at rest to function effectively including your respiratory and circulatory organs, neural system, liver, kidneys, and other organs.  

.About 70% of calories consumed each day are used for your basal metabolism.  In addition, energy is used when doing any kind of activity.  However the more vigorous the activity is, the more calories that are burned.  This is because skeletal muscle (which accounts for approximately 40% of your body weight) acts as your metabolic engine and uses a large amount of energy.  Your basal metabolism is greatly affected by the quantity of muscles you have, therefore increasing your muscle mass will help you increase your basal metabolism.

.By studying healthy individuals, scientists have found that as people age, their metabolic rate changes.  Basal metabolism rises as a child matures.  After a peak at the age of 16 or 17, it typically starts to decrease gradually.

.Having a higher basal metabolism will increase the number of calories used and help to decrease the amount of body fat.  A low basal metabolic rate will make it harder to lose body fat and overall weight.