Metabolism - Facts and Myths

The body's metabolism converts food into energy which is needed to produce and sustain cells and tissues. The metabolic rate is the rate at which calories are burned to perform these functions. The resting metabolic rate is the rate at which calories are expended during periods of rest.

Fact: Participation in regular exercise increases the body's metabolic rate. Aerobic exercise causes the body to burn calories well after the exercise session ends - during periods of rest. As a result, an increase in resting metabolic rate increases the total calories burned.

Many who are unaware of this spend needless hours exercising in order to burn all the calories they consumed during the day. They get disappointed when readings from the exercise machines only amount to several hundred calories burned. The fact is that most calories are expended during periods of rest. Only a small percentage of total calories is burned during exercise. Exercise, however, is the one component that makes this whole process work. One study has shown that as the level of exercise intensity increases so does the amount of post-exercise energy expenditure.

Fact: Strength training also known as weight training or resistance training may also increase the resting metabolic rate. Strength training increases muscle mass. Muscle burns energy in order to sustain itself while fat just sits there. As the muscle to fat ratio increases so does the resting metabolic rate. This "invisible exercise" (calories burned by muscle) continues to burn calories 24 hours a day.

A study was conducted by the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Maryland to determine the effects of strength training on resting metabolic rate (RMR), energy expenditure of physical activity and body composition. It was found that strength training significantly increased the RMR in the group of subjects that participated in this study.

Since muscle mass burns more calories than fat, a body with increased muscle to fat ratio will burn more calories even while at rest. And the fact that almost 70% of calories are burned during periods of rest, should encourage one to maintain her muscle mass by exercise and strength training.

Myth: Many people think they can't lose weight because they believe their weight is genetically predetermined. This is not true. In fact only 25% of your weight has been predetermined by your genetic make up. The rest is a product of your behavior, which includes diet patterns, exercise participation, and stress levels. Many studies have shown that metabolism can be increased by exercise participation and proper diet regardless of a person's age.

Evidence from a recent study from the Journal of Gerontology revealed that older people show the same muscle development as young people during weight training. Consequently, even the elderly can build lean muscle mass and therefore increase their metabolic rate.

In conclusion, in order to have a favorable body composition with a higher muscle to fat ratio, we need to exercise regularly. The addition of weight training further increases muscle mass which fuels the metabolic process. Add to that a well balanced diet and you have the perfect formula for weight loss maintenance.