Basal Metabolic Rate, or BMR, is an amount of energy that a person require to maintain basic bodily functions while at rest. Even when you are not moving, your body is performing processes that requires energy, such as pumping blood through the heart, expanding the lungs for breathe, and sending electrical signal through the brain. These biological processes require fuel, and the amount of fuel required for these processes is known as your Basal Metabolic Rate.
Basal Metabolic Rate is the fundamental cost of existing, and understanding Basal Metabolic Rate is necesary because Basal Metabolic Rate determines how your body handle food and fat. Many people focuses on the calories burned during exercise, but exercise is only a small part of total energy expenditure. Basal Metabolic Rate account for a large portion of your total daily energy expenditure, and Basal Metabolic Rate often makes up more than half of your total caloric need.
Basal Metabolic Rate and Your Daily Energy Use
Even when you are sleeping, your body use energy at a rate close to your Basal Metabolic Rate because your body must maintain vital organ function and perform cellular repair. Therefore, Basal Metabolic Rate is a constant process that occur even when you are not physically active. You can estimate your Basal Metabolic Rate by using mathematical model, and the Mifflin…
St Jeor formula is a common model used to calculate Basal Metabolic Rate. The Mifflin, St Jeor formula calculates Basal Metabolic Rate based on your weight, your height, your age, and your biological sex. Different variable will change the calculation of Basal Metabolic Rate.
For example, a taller person requires more energy then a shorter person, and a person with more body mass requires more energy than a person with less body mass. Additionally, aging can cause Basal Metabolic Rate to decrease, so a person’s Basal Metabolic Rate may change as that person get older. Body composition also affect Basal Metabolic Rate, because muscle tissue and fat tissue use energy at different rate.
Muscle tissue is metabolically expensive, which means muscle tissue require a high amount of energy to maintain even when you are resting. Fat tissue is relatively passive, which means fat tissue require less energy to maintain than muscle tissue does. If a person has more muscle mass, that person will have a more higher Basal Metabolic Rate.
If a person has more fat mass, that person will have a lower Basal Metabolic Rate. Thus, building muscle is a way to increase your Basal Metabolic Rate. Internal organ also determine how much energy is used in your Basal Metabolic Rate.
Your organs require a significant amount of energy to function, and your organs are the primary driver of your Basal Metabolic Rate. For example, your brain consume a large portion of your Basal Metabolic Rate because the brain is always active. Your liver and your muscles also consume a large amount of energy, so the liver and the muscles contributes significantly to your Basal Metabolic Rate.
Because organs drive these processes, factors such as thyroid health and hormonal balance is important because thyroid health and hormonal balance regulate your Basal Metabolic Rate. You can influence your Basal Metabolic Rate through specific lifestyle change. Building muscle through resistance training is one way to increase Basal Metabolic Rate, because increasing muscle mass increase the energy your body require at rest.
Consuming protein is another way to influence energy use, because your body must use energy to digest protein. This process is called the thermic effect of food, and the thermic effect of food increase the energy your body use. Additionally, staying hydrated and increasing non-exercise activity can help maintain your metabolic function.
After you determine your Basal Metabolic Rate, you must calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, or TDEE. Total Daily Energy Expenditure is the sum of your Basal Metabolic Rate and the energy you use during physical activity. You calculate Total Daily Energy Expenditure by multiply your Basal Metabolic Rate by an activity factor.
An activity factor is a number that reflects how much you move during the day. For example, a construction worker have a higher activity factor than a sedentary office worker, so the construction worker will have a higher Total Daily Energy Expenditure than the office worker. Knowing your Total Daily Energy Expenditure allow you to understand your total caloric need.
