Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): How to find Normal BMR Range

Table of Content

• What is Basal Metabolic Rate?

• Factors that Affect Basal Metabolic Rate

• How to Find Basal Metabolic Rate?

• Ways to Maintain a Healthy Metabolism

• Take-Home Points

• FAQ on Basal Metabolic Rate

Introduction

Calories have always been the talk of the town since the day fitness took over the front seat in the minds of people. If you are a fitness enthusiast, you would have probably heard BMR, BMI or RMR almost repeatedly. Here you would know what these words mean to your fitness goals. Read on to know these to level up your knowledge of fitness and health. 

What is Basal Metabolic Rate?

Basal metabolic rate is the number of calories that are burnt when you perform basic activities (ie., while resting). Knowing the BMR helps you in knowing the calorie requirements of your body for performing the most sedentary activities. A higher BMR indicates that you have an active metabolism and need more calories to sustain yourself.  

Factors that Affect Basal Metabolic Rate

Below are a few of the factors that affect basal metabolic rate,

• Age: Your metabolism slows down as you age because of the loss of muscle tissues, and also due to molecular changes that occur in neurological and hormonal systems. Thus, you would find having low BMR as you age. 

• Muscle mass: Having high muscle mass increases calorie usage due to high surface area and therefore, you need high BMR with increased muscle mass. 

• Body size: People with larger bodies and high weight have high BMR because they have big organs and fluids to metabolize and support. 

• Gender: Men usually have a faster metabolism than women and hence have BMR higher than women. 

• Physical activity: Physical activity increases your muscle mass, hence more calories would be required in carrying out simple metabolic reactions, therefore raising your BMR. 

• Environmental factors: Extreme environmental conditions like high hot or cold temperatures can make your body work harder to maintain the normal temperature, thus increasing BMR. 

• Hormonal factors: Hormonal imbalances like thyroid disorders can increase or decrease your BMR. 

• Diet: Foods highly affect your metabolic rate - "You are what you eat"! While some foods increase your BMR, others would reduce it. 

• Drugs: Drugs like caffeine, and nicotine can increase your BMR as they power up your metabolism.

• Genetics: Some people have higher BMR due to their genes and also many genetic defects. 

Difference Between Basal Metabolic Rate and Resting Metabolic Rate

Basal metabolic rate (BMR) and Resting metabolic rate are both ways of assessing the calories used by your body to perform various metabolic activities. The BMR is a more restrictive measurement of the energy your body uses for basic functions (such as breathing, blood circulation and organ functions) whereas the RMR is your energy expenditure during a normal resting or non-exercising state ie. during sleep. To measure your BMR at home, you can use your weight, height and age data in the formula given below. 

How to Find Basal Metabolic Rate?

Finding BMR in men,

BMR = 88.362 + (6.251 x weight in lbs) + (12.189 x height in inches) – (5.677 x age in years)

Finding BMR in women,

BMR = 447.593 + (4.203 x weight in lbs) + (7.869 x height in inches) – (4.330 x age in years)

Basal Metabolic Rate - Ideal Values

Traditionally, the ideal basal metabolic rate is calculated based on gender and age. Here is the table below which can help you in interpreting the BMR of your body. 

Link Between Basal Metabolic Rate and Fitness Level

Having an ideal BMR for your age and gender indicates that you have an optimum metabolic rate for all biochemical processes in your body. Knowing the BMR would help you in losing weight and cut down on unnecessary calories. Since BMR is the minimum calorie requirement, you should have a calorie intake just slightly higher than BMR to lose weight. That's the reason why fitness enthusiasts are highly interested in BMR! 

Ways to Maintain a Healthy Metabolism

Here are the ways you can maintain a healthy basal rate. By having a good BMR, you can lead a healthy, happy and active life. 

• Have a healthy and regular breakfast every morning. 

• Do cardio with strength training for at least 20 minutes. 

• Include sources of lean protein in your diet.

• Eat regularly without starving yourself for long hours.

• Eating enough calories (more than 1200 KCal/day)

Take-Home Points

• Basal metabolic rate is the speed at which your body performs basic metabolic functions.

• Age, muscle mass, body size, gender, physical activity, environmental factors, hormonal factors, diet, drugs and genetics are some of the factors that affect BMR.

• The resting metabolic rate is the speed at which your body carries out metabolism in sleep. 

References

• Weight gain and BMR

• BMR and Food Habits

• Determinants of BMR