Burn Calories Without Doing Anything

"Basal Metabolic Rate is the amount of energy expressed in calories that a person needs to keep the body functioning at rest."                 -Maria Faires, RD

In other words, your body requires a certain amount of  calories each day just to continue functioning, and therefore even when you are resting your body is burning a ton of calories for you. Cell processes, breathing, blood circulation, brain functions and maintaining body temperature all demand calories from you but require no action from you physically.

If you began reading this post in the hopes that I would share with you some quick fix in which you could lose weight and still be sedentary, you may be disappointed. However, being aware of your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and learning how to improve it will still help you in your wellness goals.

There are many factors that influence a persons BMR. The most important one being body composition. The more muscle you have, the higher your BMR will be. This is because the upkeep required for muscle cells is greater than for fat cells, and therefore requires more energy. Learning this should be an extra incentive for you to go to the gym because not only will you tone and lose fat, but it will also increase your BMR.

Another factor is weight. The heavier you are, the more calories you need per day in order to function. This is why it is easier to burn calories at the start of a diet or workout regimen.

Other factors are age, gender, and body surface area. However, you cannot control these so dwelling on them too much may even be detrimental to talk about. It is easy to find excuses for the reason why you are unhealthy, so we will avoid them.

There are two other processes that regulate how many calories you burn per day other than BMR. They all work together in order to regulate your calorie consumption.

One is the Thermic Effect of Eating. This is the amount of calories your body uses in the digestion, absorption, and transportation of the food you eat. This normally accounts for about 10% of your calorie consumption.

The other process is the Thermic Effect of Activity. This is the rate you burn calories while working out or even your everyday activities. "An inactive personal usually requires 30% more calories above basal, whereas a lightly active person might need 50% above basal, a moderately active person 75%, and a very active person 100%."

Thank you for reading and please post any comments you might have. Also, if you haven't yet but would like to, you can follow me through google+ or by email. Both options are in the right-hand margin of the page, at the top.

Below are the resources I used for this article:
-http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/understanding-metabolism-what-determines-your-bmr.html#b
-"The Dorm Room Diet" by Daphne Oz