The DL on BMR

Hi again followers,

Sorry for the brief hiatus. Had to take advantage of these hot summer days!

We briefly mentioned BMR (short for basal metabolic rate) in my last post about natural energy balance, and we thought we'd give you the quick run down on what exactly it is, and how you can manipulate it to look and feel better.

First and foremost, everybody's BMR is different. I'm sure everyone can identify a friend (or enemy) that seems to be able to eat anything and never gain any weight! Some refer to this as a "high metabolism", which basically means that they burn more energy at rest than the average person.

Let's think about our daily energy expenditure as a whole. Standing, sitting, walking, preparing food, and even typing on a computer can contribute to burning calories. BUT only 20% of the calories you burn in a day are attributed to physical activity. The largest portion of calories that you will burn daily are due to basal life processes. For example, breathing, your heart beating, and your kidney and liver function all burn calories. Together, all these processes represent a resting metabolic rate, because your body will consume this energy regardless. A great part about our resting metabolic rate is that it CAN be changed. Skeletal muscle makes up a large percentage of our resting metabolic rate, because it consumes energy even at rest. Therefore, adding more skeletal muscle to your frame can help you burn more calories even on days you aren't exercising. This is why many fitness trainers and health care professionals recommend resistance exercise for everyone.

Finally, the last 10% of calories you burn are due to thermogenic processes of digestion. Literally, your body spends energy breaking down the food you eat. Protein, by far, takes a lot more energy to break down. Therefore, a diet high in protein not only helps you build and repair muscle, but it takes more energy to digest! I strongly recommend adding whey protein to your everyday diet for this reason (check out our store for some great deals!).

I hope this helps clear up any questions you had about basal metabolic rate. The take away message is to add a little resistance exercise to your fitness plan. Adding more protein to your diet is important as well. Building skeletal muscle will not only make you look great, but it will help burn more calories in the future.

Stay healthy friends,

Complete Nutrition Canada team