Resting Metabolic Rate and You

 When losing weight, the general focus is usually to burn as many calories as possible in a given day or a week. This makes sense - if you burn more calories in a day than you consume, your body will make up for the deficit by burning stored calories in the form of fat. 

What comes to mind when you think about burning calories? Most people probably think about running, the elliptical and general cardiovascular endurance exercise as the easiest method to burn off a few calories, but there may be an easier, more pleasant way. 

An average male weighing about 160 pounds will burn about 350 calories on a 3-mile run, which is significant, but is also easy to make up for by overeating later in the day. Additionally, sustaining a three mile run, 4 or 5 times a week (12-15 miles a week) can be very strenuous and lead to overuse injuries very easily, if running form is not maintained. 

How then, can we increase the calories burned daily, without dramatically increasing physical activity? The answer is increasing lean body mass (LBM), i.e. by adding muscle to the body. This will result in the body burning more calories while resting, and during any and all physical activity. Resting metabolic rate, or the energy consumed by your body at rest accounts for the majority of energy your body consumes in a day. About 60% of the calories your body burns, it burns just by existing!

You can increase your resting metabolic rate by adding lean tissue to your body, in the form of muscle! With resistance training, most people can increase their lean body mass by 5-15 pounds in a year, which is no small feat. 

Another benefit of adding muscle to your body is that the muscle will help to burn calories during a cardio-workout. This means that adding muscle will make cardiovascular exercise a more effective weight-loss tool. 

In summary, adding muscle to your body will help you burn more calories at rest, and during exercise, enhancing weight-loss in the long term. 

For help with resistance training see any staff member at JOHO! We will create programs tailored specifically to your needs, and a30-minute orientation showing you how to do the exercises is free! Need more personalized help to stay accountable? See JOHO’s Personal Training program.