Knowing your Basal Metabolic Rate is the first step in creating a personalized health and fitness plan. BMR represents the calorie count your body needs to maintain basic functions like breathing, circulation, and cell production at rest. Knowing your BMR will help you plan better for calorie intake and burn to achieve your fitness goals.

In this article, we will be talking about the science of BMR, how you can calculate it, and what you will do with that information to create your diet and exercise plan.

Understanding BMR & Its Relevance

BMR Explained
BMR stands for Basal Metabolic Rate. It is the minimum calories that your body needs to perform vital functions when resting. These include:

• Keeping the body temperature
• Maintaining brain functions
• Supporting the pumping action of your heart

What is the relevance of BMR?

1. Personalized Nutrition: BMR serves as a basis to determine how many calories you require daily.
2. Weight Management: It is vital for setting achievable goals, whether you want to lose, maintain, or gain weight.
3. Personalized Fitness Programs: The knowledge of your energy requirement will help you adjust your exercises according to your food intake.

The Mathematics Behind BMR Calculation

1. The Mifflin-St Jeor Formula
   This formula is widely accepted and accurate for most individuals:
   • For Men:
     BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age in years) + 5
   • For Women:
     BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age in years) − 161

Example:

For a 30-year-old woman weighing 60 kg and standing 165 cm tall:
BMR = (10 × 60) + (6.25 × 165) − (5 × 30) − 161 = 1332.75 calories/day

Citation:

Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, Hill LA, Scott BJ, Daugherty SA, Koh YO. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990;51(2):241-7. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/51.2.241

2. The Harris-Benedict Equation
   An older but still useful formula:
   • For Men:
     BMR = 88.362 + (13.397 × weight in kg) + (4.799 × height in cm) − (5.677 × age in years)
   • For Women:
     BMR = 447.593 + (9.247 × weight in kg) + (3.098 × height in cm) − (4.330 × age in years)

Citation:

Harris, J. A., & Benedict, F. G. (1918). A biometric study of human basal metabolism. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 4(12), 370-373.

3. The Katch-McArdle Formula (For Athletes)
   This method considers lean body mass for a more precise calculation:
   • BMR = 370 + (21.6 × lean body mass in kg)

Lean Body Mass Calculation:
Lean Body Mass = Total Body Weight − (Body Fat Percentage × Total Body Weight)

Citation:

Katch, F. I., & McArdle, W. D. (1973). Prediction of body density from simple anthropometric measurements in college men and women. Human Biology, 45(3), 445-454

Common Myths About BMR

“BMR Stays the Same Over Time.”
False—BMR decreases with age or weight loss and increases with muscle gain.

“Exercise Immediately Boosts BMR.”
While exercise can improve your metabolism over time by increasing muscle mass, its immediate effect on BMR is minimal.

“BMR Is the Same as Metabolism.”
BMR is just one part of your metabolism, which also includes physical activity and digestion.

Simplify BMR Tracking with Eufori Health

Understanding your BMR is a game-changer for personalizing your health and fitness journey. While it is possible to calculate it manually, it is much easier and more reliable to let technology do the heavy lifting.

Keep up-to-date with BMR and so much more completely, accurately, and effortlessly through Eufori Health. Stay tuned for the next article, where we discuss Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) and how it blends perfectly with BMR for fine-tuning a fitness plan.

Begin with Eufori Health today—your body will thank you!