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| Your basal metabolic rate, or BMR, is the minimum caloric requirement to sustain life during rest. This caloric requirement is vital for normal bodily processes such as respiration, blood circulation, temperature regulation, etc. Our BMR is responsible for 60-75% of our daily caloric needs and is often referred to as our maintenance level. In order for our bodies to properly function, it is important to know and understand our individual BMR. Different levels of testing can be done by most medical providers so ask your primary care physician for more details. From birth, there are many factors affecting your BMR, and as we grow older, these factors play an ever increasing role in determining how many calories we need to sustain life. Some factors can be controlled, and others are encoded to us by our parents. Genetics is one factor that we cannot control. It is thought that our genes may have as much as 60-70% of a role in what we weigh. At first glance, this may seem somewhat discouraging but upon further analysis, it is clear that despite our genetic predispositions, positive changes can still be made. For example, take a 250 pound female with a history of obesity in her family. According to current research, genetics may explain up to 60-70% of her weight struggle. However, if she was able to change only the remaining 30-40%, she could still lose up to 100 pounds. Losing up to 100 pounds would be sufficient for this person to reduce most if not all obesity-related risk factors. Age is another factor we cannot control; however, the effects of aging on our BMR can be decreased with a proper exercise program. Current research has found that the average weight gain for women between the ages of 25-60 is around 20 pounds. There are several explanations for this weight gain but the most prominent seems to be the loss of lean muscle mass with a subsequent decrease in metabolism. It is suggested that we lose 3 pounds of lean mass every decade starting at age 30. Inactivity and the loss of lean mass can decrease our BMR by up to 10-15% and contribute to an increased fat mass of 20 pounds or more per year. To offset the loss of fat free mass, we need to begin, and continue, a properly progressed exercise program which includes resistance training. Regular interval-style training and a proper resistance training program can help reduce the affects of aging on metabolism. To learn more about exercise, metabolism and women, please contact our highly trained staff at 281.341.2045.
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Randy Kaiser has a Masters of Education in Exercise Science and is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine. He was voted the top Personal Trainer in Fort Bend County in 2006, currently teaches for Exercise Etc., a national continuing education company, and is the Program Director at Lifestyles at OakBend.