Introduction:
The main goal in sustaining health is always interlinked to a higher metabolic rate or metabolism in individuals. Read the article to find out how to calculate the basal metabolic rate and the major tips suggested by nutrition and fitness experts to increase the body metabolism.
How Are Higher Metabolism and Health Connected?
Higher metabolism and health are linked due to the main rationale that if the body's metabolism is functioning at a higher or increased pace or rate, the individual tends to burn more calories. By burning more calories, tissue fat is naturally lost. Metabolism is known to be the combination of more complex physiologic processes that occur throughout the organ systems and tissues in the body. Every organ in the body not only needs energy to sustain the individual cell health but also to execute their physiologic functions.
The BMR or basal metabolic rate is one of the primary determinants of this metabolism in the body. Basal metabolic rate is a term that is used to denote how many calories would be utilized or burned per day at a basic level, without any physical activity. A higher basal metabolic rate is always indicative in the long run of maintaining better systemic health according to current nutrition research.
How Is the Basal Metabolic Rate Calculated?
The most commonly used formula in nutrition science to estimate basal metabolic rate is mentioned below.
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For Men: BMR = 66.47 + (6.24 × weight in pounds) + (12.7 × height in inches) -(6.755 × age in years)
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For Women: BMR = 655.1 + (4.35 × weight in pounds) + (4.7 × height in inches) - (4.676 × age in years)
This equation is mainly used to determine the resting BMR or the basal metabolic rate at rest. One would further need to apply the activity factor in order to determine their daily caloric needs. Online calculators or fitness trackers as well can easily determine the BMR upon entering the required data such as height, weight, and age along with the addition of the individual's activity level on a daily basis. Once the particular estimated range of the total number of calories consumed and burned each day is known, the healthcare provider will create a guided plan that can be adapted as per the caloric needs and nutritional requirements of an individual.
What Are the Five Major Tips to Boost Metabolism?
Here are some of the major tips that can help one boost their bodily metabolism and increase endurance levels in the body:
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Exercise or Resistance Training: According to the 2018 research-based collection of nearly 15 studies, the effects of resistance training or resistance exercise and its impact on type 2 diabetes were studied. According to this group study, the researchers discovered that significant changes were observed after individuals received resistance training or followed the resistance exercise patterns for a time period. This not only helped to improve blood sugar control (by balancing the glucose and fat metabolism in the body), but it also increased stamina or endurance in individuals following this training.
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Creating a Calorie Deficit or Excess: If an individual mainly needs to lose weight, the healthy way is to discuss their weight management goals with a registered nutritionist, dietitian, or a healthcare provider, since they will consider how best a calorie deficit can be created in order to see the expected results. Optimal calorie intake and avoiding an excess of calories on a daily basis are important in losing weight healthily and boosting one's systemic metabolism. However, the reduction of calories should not result in a feeling of exhaustion or being deprived of essential nutrients. The key is to eat minimally as per the nutritionist or dietician's advice and eat foods that can keep an individual satiated for a longer period of time in a day (that can create a calorie deficit). This can also boost bodily metabolism.
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For those individuals trying to gain weight, one needs to note that the daily calorie goal that they want should include a calorie surplus from their diet. The calorie surplus through diet is the key to weight gain and it should be through nutrient-dense healthy high calorie foods. Examples of such nutrient-dense and high-calorie foods would be high-protein meats, healthy fats, and whole grains that can add to the calorie surplus.
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Planning With a Healthcare Professional: Higher metabolism also helps when an individual has set the goal of intentional fat loss even within a specific time period. A registered healthcare provider or professional such as a dietician or a nutritionist can certainly provide guidance to follow the right diet that can suit an individual’s body type and composition based on calorie needs and nutritional requirements (that vary based on age, gender, and lifestyle factors).
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Non-exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT): Non-exercise activity thermogenesis is the energy used at any point of the day including the efforts one takes to stand, sit, walk around, clean, or even prepare for exercise. This is rather simply termed as the impact of the non-exercise movement one performs on a daily basis. Though many people may underestimate this value, it can have a greater impact on the overall metabolism than one can consider it to be. A higher NEAT is proportional to a higher metabolism in the body.
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Setting Goals and Managing Weight: The best tip usually advised by nutrition experts across the globe is to try and set reasonable goals of weight sustenance, which one believes are attainable. Once an individual reaches that goal, they can always aim to set a new resolution or goal. It is usually not advised to set goals only upon losing weight consistently and instead opt for a balanced diet comprising rich nutrient intake while losing or maintaining weight.
Conclusion:
For individuals looking forward to a healthy weight loss or sustaining the same weight healthily in the long term, the focus should be primarily on losing tissue fat, which is a subsequent result of burning calories or a higher metabolic rate. The key to systemic health should not always be on losing weight according to nutrition experts, but mainly on balancing the calorie intake and boosting the metabolism through right exercise and diet.
