5 things about metabolism that you didn’t know yet

Health Fact #1: Already heard about the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)?
BMR is the rate at which the body uses energy while at rest, to sustain basic life processes, such as breathing, heartbeat and circulation. It is responsible for most of your energy expenditure, therefore by increasing your BMR you can burn a lot more calories even when you’re resting.

Health Fact #2: Your metabolism is not predestined by your genes.
Yes, your genetics may influence it. But usually its people’s lifestyle and dietary choices that drive us into overweight, not the genetics. Environmental factors and habits lead to different weight gain, independent of genetic background.

Health Fact #3: Very low calorie diets can fail.
Our bodies are smart and programmed for survival. Severely limiting calories can make your body think it’s entering a famine, and that it needs to conserve energy, thus the metabolism slows down.

Health Fact #4: Having more muscle speeds up the metabolism.
Lean body tissue or muscle is more ‘metabolically active’ than fat, which means it burns more energy, even when you’re resting. Metabolic activity of muscle accounts for about 25% of total energy expenditure compared to fat at only 5%. It is why men, who naturally have a higher ratio of muscle to fat, tend to burn up what they eat faster. Although a fat man may have a slower metabolism than a slim woman with more muscle tissue.

Health Fact #5: Metabolism slows down slightly with age.
This happens as a result of us having less muscle tissue as we get older, as per previous fact. However, this can be avoided by regularly doing strength training.

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