The energy or calories your body burns just to keep you alive is called your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Also referred to as your resting metabolic rate, it reflects how many calories you would burn if you stayed in bed all day, and tells you how many calories your body needs to survive. This is important because many people eat too few calories when dieting and find that their energy is very low and that they physically struggle with exercise. This is because your body is not receiving the energy it needs to perform normal functions. It is very important to give your body a balanced amount of calories per day so it can function optimally and keep you strong and healthy. Depriving yourself of food in hopes of losing weight decreases your BMR, hindering your attempts of losing weight.
You will have undoubtedly also noticed that every year it becomes harder to eat whatever you want and stay slim, and that's because your BMR decreases as you age. However, a regular routine of cardiovascular exercise can increase your BMR, improving your health and fitness at a time when your body's ability to burn energy gradually slows down.
Knowing your BMR is important because it allows you to manage your weight and exercise requirements: you need to ensure that you are eating enough to stay healthy but not too much to put on weight. It will also encourage you to keep moving so that your BMR doesn't drop. Use our BMR calculator below to calculate yours.