RMR – What Is Yours?

Posted on by runinboise

This afternoon, I went to the Boise State University Kniesiology lab to get my resting metabolic rate tested. I was going to get my VO2 Max tested too, but at $40 a test and scheduling difficulties, I am putting that one off for a little bit.

The test took about a half hour to get hooked up, a Polar heart rate monitor put on you and the test and results. They have you breathe into a mouthpiece with your nose plugged and just sit for 15 minutes. That is the whole test.

You can’t eat before the test so when my student tester wanted to bump up my appointment 3 hours, I said YES!

My results. I don’t know what to do with these numbers. I guess if I burn 2604 calories a day how many calories can I really eat and lose weight? I can happily and comfortably eat 1500 calories on any regular day and get really cranky, really cranky if I am on one of those diets that force me to eat 1200-1300 calories. I feel like I am starving myself and constantly thinking about food on those diets posted in magazines and such. And I don’t stick with them for very long.

I think I am going to work on what I put into my mouth. I felt pretty good on the one diet I found in Muscle and Fitness Hers a couple of months ago. Egg whites and oatmeal w/cinnamon for breakfast. Protein shake, PB, 10 almonds, and greek yogurt for snack. Salad with balsamic and shrimp for lunch, turkey and sweet potato for dinner. There was some brown rice and asparagus in there somewhere. I will have to look it up. 

Anyways, this is the info that the student sent me to increase your metabolism.

Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)
Resting metabolic rate is the rate at which your body uses energy at rest.  RMR accounts for 60-70% of the calories you burn daily.
Metabolism: All of the cellular processes in the body needed to sustain life.
            Catabolism: Processes needed to break down or utilize
            Anabolism: Processes needed to build or construct
Determining Factors
·         Age – Metabolic rate decreases approximately 5.0% per decade after age 40.
·         Gender – Men generally use more calories than women due to muscle tissue.
·         Heredity – Metabolic rate is partially due to genetic factors.
·         Thyroid disorders – Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland) and hyperthyroidism   (overactive thyroid gland) can slow down or speed up metabolism, but only 3% and .3% of the population have hypo- and hyperthyroidism.  
How to Increase Metabolism
Temporary
Aerobic exercise: Different activities use different quantities of calories, it is important to raise your heart rate and sustain the activity for approximately 30 minutes on 5 or more days of the week.
Eat small, frequent meals: Extending the time between meals decreases your metabolism as a means to conserve energy and prevent starvation. Skipping meals does not help you cut calories or lose weight; in fact, people generally eat less overall when they eat small, frequent meals. In addition to having four to six small meals per day, eating healthy snacks will also increase metabolism.
Drink iced water: When your drink ice cold water, the body uses energy warming it to body temperature. More than ninety percent of the chemical reactions in the body occur in water, and hydration is important.
Long Term
Resistance training: Muscle require energy for maintinance, while adipose tissue does not require energy (73.0 more calories/kg/day). More muscle = higher RMR. Every muscle cell that you gain uses calories, even while you sleep, and amplifies caloric expenditure when you exercise. 

This is stuff that I kinda already knew but it always helps to reread it every now and then. 

And while the weather is almost 60 degrees outside I am going to slog a few miles. My garmin and ipod should be charged enough to go. 

What do you think about the resting metabolic rate? Have you done it? What is your advice? What is your workout today?