The Truth about your Unique RMR

Resting Metabolic Rate, or Basal Metabolism, is unique to each individual when you are born.  When we refer to our "metabolism" slowing down or speeding up, this is the number we are referencing.

Do you know your RMR?

When we are born our body requires a very specific amount of calories to function at optimal levels.  Hormones, brain function, blood circulation, organ function, skin rejuvenation, cell reproduction all require X amount of energy to work properly.  This all adds up to our RMR.  After our first day of life we begin interfering with our unique RMR calorie number. 

Main contributors:
1. What we eat and how much
2. What physical activity

*There are other potential factors such as disease, genetics, injury to name a few that also play a role in affecting RMR.

As most people age we hear, "my metabolism is slowing down" more and more.  This metabolism we refer to and RMR are one in the same.  As we eat unhealthy foods, our body takes what good calories it is given and works with those.  As we lose muscle mass, our body simply doesn't need as many calories to function because muscle burns calories while at rest.  And over time our body becomes able to survive on the amount of "good" calories it given each day. 

Does this reduction in necessary calories affect my body?

Yes!  Again, our bodies REQUIRE from birth a specific amount of calories for optimal performance.  If we reduce that amount through poor eating habits and/or lack of exercise then something will suffer.  Our body has a priority checklist for every function.  When you begin to freeze, your body pulls blood to your core, effectively sacrificing your extremities for survival.  Same with RMR.  As we reduce good caloric intake, the body sacrifices less necessary functions like skin rejuvenation, digestive processes, potentially parts of brain function, and especially muscle mass. 

To Do's for Athletes:
As athletes we put extra strain on our body through exercise.  The main way we hurt our RMR is by not putting healthy fuel in our bodies.  To make sure we accomplish our workout, RMR is reduced to allocate calories to your workout.  The affect of this lower RMR is when we do not workout it becomes easier to gain weight as fat because it takes less food calorically to exceed the lower RMR.  As we age it becomes even more important to raise your RMR to combat weight gain and/or muscle loss. 

1. Eat More - This may cause initial weight gain BUT will fuel your body and begin raising your RMR to match the new intake.  Over time you will stop losing weight and be able to build AND maintain muscle mass which will in turn burn more calories.  Eventually leading to weight loss/better weight management
2. Build Lean Muscle - This will only happen with more food so EAT!

RMR takes a significant amount of time to reduce or adjust.  From an athletes perspective, the best weight management tool is using exercise to manage weight.