Do you know your BMR?

You already know about BMI (Body mass index) and the fact that if you have a high BMI, you are obese. But how much do you know about BMR (Basal metabolic rate)? BMR is defined as the number of calories your body burns at rest to maintain normal body functions. In other words, BMR shows the number of calories your body needs to operate when you are not engaged in any activity. It is sometimes called as the resting metabolic rate (RMR), the rate at which you use up energy when at rest.

As we all know, metabolism varies from person to person. BMR changes with age, weight, height, gender, diet and exercise habits. A person’s BMR is based on body functions such as respiration, digestion, heartbeat and brain function. BMR is much greater in childhood than in adulthood. Additionally, regardless of gender or other factors, some people naturally have slower metabolisms, and others have higher BMRs. As a very rough guide, the average person’s BMR is about half a calorie per pound of body weight, per hour. Complicated equations are used to calculate BMR. Get to know of your BMR from here.

What you need to know about BMR

* The higher your BMR, the easier it is to lose weight.

* Your BMR decreases if you reduce your food intake and go on a diet which has fewer calories than your normal diet.

* Your BMR increases in response to increased physical activity.

* Exercise is the only effective way to increase your BMR – Many diets claim to increase metabolic rate through special fat-burning exercise or fat-burning foods. The truth is that your metabolic rate falls if you start dieting and start to shed excess pounds.

* With age, the metabolic rate slows, and so older people have a different BMR ratio than younger people with identical weight and height.