Have you ever heard someone say, “I want to increase my metabolism?” I often wonder if most people even know what that means, or exactly how to go about doing it. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, metabolism is defined as the sum of all the chemical processes in the body. In lay terms, it is essentially the amount of calories used by the body to perform its daily functions, or, more specifically, the calories “burned” on a daily basis.
Two terms are often used interchangeably to represent metabolism…basal metabolic rate and resting metabolic rate. They represent caloric values, with basal values being lower than resting values. When working with clients, I often tell them that their resting metabolic rate is the amount of calories that their body needs to function if they laid in bed for 24 hours doing absolutely nothing. Basal levels would be lower and need to be determined under much tighter conditions, such as in a university research facility.
For most individuals, metabolic rates fall somewhere between 1,200 and 2,600 calories daily, though there are exceptions. Numerous factors contribute to your specific metabolic rate: genetics, height, weight, age, body composition, diet composition, supplement intake, frame size, activity level…the list goes on. Clearly, some of these factors can be modified to positively affect our metabolism, while others cannot. If you want to know more about this topic, or other health and fitness questions check out http://www.jamcoretraining.com/blog/
