BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate is not just a number, but it is
very important value for the health enthusiasts. It plays a major role in
weight loss and many times sluggish metabolism is the reason why you don’t lose
weight even after lot of hard work and strict diet. If you are into weight
management or health fanatic then the term BMR would not be new for you, however
here are some interesting facts about BMR that you need to know as well.
1.
What is BMR?
BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate is the number indicating the
calories consumed by your body at rest. These are the minimum calories your
body would need to stay alive! This means that if your BMR is high then you
would lose more pounds or burn more calories even when you are at rest or doing
nothing. The extra efforts you put in will burn some extra calories for quicker
weight loss.
2.
BMR plays a major role on your weight loss
goals
If you are on weight loss program then
it is important to know your BMR to plan your workout and diet regime. According
to the studies, out of total calories burnt, 70% accounts to BMR, 20% accounts
to exercise, and 10% accounts to diet. The component of physical activity can
be increased to 50% by increasing the level of physical activity and it may
also get lower than 20% in case of sedentary lifestyle. Hence, BMR is the
driving force to achieve your weight loss goals.
3.
BMR can be increased or decreased because
of your lifestyle
Every person has BMR according to body structure, muscle
mass, fat percentage, bone structure, and water content in the body. It is the
unique number for every individual, but it is not the constant number that
cannot be changed. It is not the number that you will attain since birth or due
to your genetic structure. This number changes according to your lifestyle. You
can increase your BMR by not skipping the meals, eating small meals at regular
intervals, exercising regularly, building more muscles, and leading a healthy
lifestyle.
4.
Skipping a breakfast is the biggest
blunder you make
You might have read this at many places that skipping a
breakfast is quite uncalled for, and this is true as it brings down your BMR
drastically. When you skip your breakfast, the first meal in the morning then you
are more likely giving your body a message to store more fat. The body in turn
reacts adversely and stops burning more calories, which would lead to lowered
BMR. It is rightly said that have breakfast like a king to lead a healthy life.
5.
Sleep deprivation, a major blow to your
metabolism
Hectic lifestyle and work commitments have left many people
sleep deprived. Getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep has become difficult in today’s
time and that brings down your metabolism. Studies have shown major decline in
metabolism due to lack of sleep. Sleep deprivation reduces the activity level
of the person due to lack of energy, which will negatively affect the
metabolism. Lack of sleep also triggers other health disorders like diabetes,
hypertension, and obesity.
6.
More muscles mean better BMR
The ratio of muscles to fat content in your body would
affect the BMR to great extent. The muscles that are formed through weight
training would increase your BMR substantially. Hence, it is important that you
work on the muscle training as much as you work on fat reduction. Building
muscles would increase the BMR that would also help you in weight management
post weight loss program.
7.
Stay hydrated
Drinking water at regular intervals have lot of importance
in health management. You may lose water during the course of day and this will
affect your activity level tremendously. This would further turn out to be slow
metabolism and low BMR. Drink enough water depending on your weight and body
structure. Remember, every person has different hydration need depending on his
weight, muscle mass, and fat store. The external condition also decides the
hydration needs.
BMR is a number that works for designing an efficient weight
loss regime. Use this number effectively and also put in efforts to keep this
number up for quick and healthy weight loss.