All About Metabolism
The body’s metabolism describes the physiological process of turning food into energy. Specifically speaking, there are five main components of metabolism that are interconnected to dictate how much fuel your body needs.
The Five Main Components of Metabolism
BMR: Basal Metabolic Rate
RMR: Resting Metabolic Rate
TEF: Thermal Effect of Food
NEAT: Non-exercise Activity Thermogenesis
EA: Exercise Activity
Let’s break them down like that food in your belly right now… see what we did there?
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): describes the very minimum amount of energy needed to support vital bodily functions. This is the fuel required to keep your heart beating, lungs breathing, kidneys removing waste, etc. The essentials to keep you alive.
BMR is influenced by age, genetics, body composition, gender, and hormonal balance. Generally, individuals with more muscle mass have a higher BMR, which is why men tend to have a higher BMR than women.
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR): similar to BMR, Resting Metabolic Rate is a measurement of the energy required to maintain essential physiological functions. The difference is that RMR extends to the energy required for circulation and the synthesis of organic compounds (building stuff… like muscle tissue, for example).
Thermal Effect of Food (TEF): this is the energy expended by the body in the breakdown and absorption of food. It accounts for roughly 10% of caloric intake and is highly impacted by age, genetics, meal timing, and the macro composition of what is being digested.
Curious about what foods have the highest thermic effect?
Fats: 0-3%
Carbs: 5-10%
Protein: 20-30%
This is why most people have a good relationship with protein. This is also why protein is so important for stoking the metabolic fire. Plus, protein is essential for maintaining lean muscle mass, which increases BMR and RMR.
Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT): this is all energy expended for ALL the things that you do that are not on purpose... Meaning, energy expended outside of exercising, sleeping, breathing, or eating. Walking around the grocery store, fidgeting at your desk, cooking dinner, etc. NEAT varies widely between individuals. In a nutshell, the more you move, the higher your NEAT will be.
Exercise Activity (EA): You guessed it… This is the energy burned during deliberate, intentional exercise, like going to the gym or out for a run. If you exercised on purpose, energy expended during that time frame falls within the EA category and accounts for anywhere between 10-30% of total daily energy expenditure.
There is a lot of hype around phrases like, “fast metabolism”, “slow metabolism”, or even “broken metabolism”. Understanding how these 5 components work together sheds light on what our bodies are doing with the food that we are eating, and further, how to safely monitor energy balance (calories in vs. calories out).
While metabolic rates aren’t entirely within our control - thanks, genetics - there are components linked to our daily choices that can impact how fast or slow our metabolism operates.
“Slow metabolism” is generally associated with limited daily movement, a lack of purposeful movement, minimal or nonexistent weight training, and undereating (specifically in regards to protein).
If you are wondering how you can increase your metabolism, we suggest that you start here:
Eat more protein!
Start a strength training program
Prioritize your sleep - aiming for 7-8 hours of sleep per night
Increase NEAT by adding more movement to your day outside of the gym
