Women will naturally have a lower BMR than men, as men usually have a lower percentage of body fat and a higher percentage of muscle. They need to reset their BMR to reflect the changes that are taking place in their bodies! This is why many people can’t understand why they gain weight as they get older, but they still have the lifestyle (or eat) the same way they did in their 20’s, 30’s and even 40’s. Your BMR slows down at roughly 5% every 10 years after the age of 20. Think of your BMR as the number of calories needed to stay alive if you were bedridden. The calories you burn when awake, moving (including exercising) are not included in the BMR. The BMR includes the number of calories used for activities from breathing, maintaining your body temperature, your heart pumping, to your brain working at various levels and other functions that occur in the body while asleep. Your BMR number will depend on many factors such as your weight, your diet and your current activity level. For example, your BMR is the number of calories your body would need to spend 24 hours asleep in bed. These calories are the absolute minimum amount of energy your body burns, and includes all involuntary (independent of your own will) activities that your body does to stay alive such as digestion, respiration, circulation, removing waste products and regulating body temperature.įactors that affect your BMR include age, genetics, weight, heredity, body fat percentage and gender. This means that everyone has a set number of calories that they need in order to stay alive and it’s as different for you as it is for your children, friends, parents or even siblings. Your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is defined as the minimum number of calories your body burns whether at rest, working out or lying down. Have you ever heard of the term “basal metabolic rate”? Do you know what it is and why it’s extremely important to know your numbers? Do you know what to do to make your BMR numbers work for you regardless of whether your goals are to lose weight (body fat) or gain weight (lean muscle) and do it in a safe and effective way?