10Jan

Metabolic age and you

Earlier, I wrote about metabolic age as an important measurement of your body’s functionality. It is a newer measurement than resting metabolic rate or your basal metabolic rate. Both of these terms refer to the amount of calories a person burns while the body is at rest (not involved in exercise). This is sometimes referred to as your BMR.

BMR Calculations

For women:

BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years)

For men:

BMR = 666 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches ) – (6.8 x age in years)

Once you have your BMR, you can then compare to other in your same age bracket.

Your metabolic age is simply the age at which your body is functioning.

So, if you are 5 foot 4 inches, female and have the same BMI as a 16 year old female of that height and weight, your metabolic age is 16. You can find many charts and calculator tools online.

Another option is to use various scales that measure your metabolic age.

As a trained IN.form coach, I use a biotracker. This is a fancy name for  a scale that takes various measurements. I input the sex, age, height, and activity level. It then does the calculations for weight, body fat, daily caloric intake, hydration levels, visceral fat, bmi, bone mass and metabolic age. Not a single one of these measurements is an end-all and be-all. The idea is that the weight, visceral fat, metabolic age, bmi, and body fat all come down, while the other numbers go up. These measurements are merely tools to give visual confirmation and feedback to confirm we are doing the right things for our bodies. It can be a huge motivation to see those numbers change. I know it was for me. Especially when my initial reading was 92! (Completely, not kidding….it was a whopping 92!! I was functioning. metabolically as a 92 year old woman….at 40!)

How do we increase our metabolism?

-Exercise

Move your body! Just get up and move. It does not matter what kind of exercise you choose to do. Just pick one. The best kind of exercise for you is one you will do!

-Supplements

Some synergystic blends of supplements may help speed

-Proper Sleep

This is an area where I lag behind. I tend to burn the midnight oil. Not getting adequate rest can work against weight management efforts. Most experts agree that an adult should get between seven to 10 hours of sleep a night. Eight hours is a nice middle ground.

-Stress management

This is where I REALLY fall behind. My stress management, at this time, sucks! As a wholistic consultant and IN.form coach, I know I should probably serve as an example. However, let’s face it. I am human just like all of you. My stress levels have been through the roof, at times! That’s when I find myself eating and grabbing the chocolate. I also know that certain adrenal hormones, produced as a reaction to stress, block weight loss attempts!

Whatever you do, know that there is always a tomorrow.

So your readings one day aren’t that great. Oh well. The world did not quit spinning. You try again. And again. The idea is to keep up the effort. Everyday you make another small change for the better. You then become better and better until you are the best you there is to be!

 

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