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Metabolism:
Calculate Your BMR

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the amount of energy we expend at rest. The calculator below applies a factor of 1.2 to account for a sedentary lifestyle. Therefore, the BMR below accounts for the calories you burn in a day with minimal activity (driving, desk work, sleeping, eating, etc..). Any activity above this sedentary level would increase your daily need for calories. For example, walking / running a mile will burn approximately 100 calories. Just 10 minutes of calisthenics will burn 50-70 calories. If your daily routine includes a lot of walking, lifting, and other movement, your metabolic rate will be considerably higher.

BMR Calculator

Age in years:
Weight in pounds:
Height in inches:

BMR
Calories/day for men
Calories/day for women

While there are factors that we can't control when it comes to metabolism (gender, age, and genes), there are plenty of factors that we CAN control:

Muscle-to-Fat Ratio:

A cell of muscle will burn 8 times as many calories as a cell of fat. As your fitness plan is put into practice, you will be increasing muscle mass and decreasing body fat. This will increase your metabolism and help the cause even further. Male body composition usually contains 10-15% more lean muscle mass than female body composition – that accounts of the difference above in the male and female BMR.

Increase Activity / Exercise:

Exercise is the best way to increase your metabolism. The increased activity level that you institute as part of your fitness plan will pay dividends to not only your overall fitness, but your metabolism, as well.

How Often We Eat:

Our metabolism increases with the digestion of food (thermal effect of food). By skipping meals, we can actually decrease our metabolism. After approximately 4-5 hours with no food, our metabolism can be reduced by as much as 10-20%. This is our body’s innate survival reaction to a food shortage. To benefit from the thermal effect of food (increased metabolism), eat smaller meals, starting with breakfast. If it helps, break your lunch into 2-3 portions and eat it from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. Make sure your meals are well-balanced and provide the necessary nutrients that you need.

Now that you have a feel for what your body’s daily energy needs are, compare that with your food log to see if you are creating a deficit (fat loss), or a surplus (fat gain). Remember it takes a 3,500 calorie deficit to loss a pound of fat. This is why it’s best to allow time for your fitness plan to reach your goals. Many diets will restrict a person to 1,200 calories a day during a 30-day exercise routine. While some diet’s results are great, the mentality is to “get to the end”. When the “end” arrives, most people return to their old habits and gain all, if not more, of their original weight back. Diets really don’t work for the long-term. Change your long-term fitness habits and you’ll live a long-term life.

Factor your BMR into build Your Fitness Plan




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