Metabolism is the amount of energy (calories) your body burns to maintain itself. Whether you are eating, drinking, sleeping, cleaning etc... your body is constantly burning calories to keep you going.Metabolism is affected by your body composition. By body composition, I mean the amount of muscle you have versus the amount of fat. Muscle uses more calories to maintain itself than fat. Your basal metabolic rate, or BMR, is the minimum calorific requirement needed to sustain life and to maintain bodily functions while your body is at rest. Another way to look at it is as the amount of energy your body would expend if you were to lie in bed all day. It does not take into account any other daily activities that would expend calories such as working, walking, exercise, or any other daily chores.To determine your resting metabolism, simply enter your age, weight and height into the fields below to estimate the number of calories your body burns while at rest.

An important factor that affects metabolism is the amount of lean muscle in your body. Lean muscle mass is a primary consumer of energy in your body. This is why exercise is so important to a weight loss program. Weight bearing and cardiovascular exercises help to build lean muscle which increase your basal metabolism and help to burn more fat while at rest. Also, 15 to 40 percent of the calories that you burn come from the various activities you perform throughout the day. This includes anything from mowing your lawn to working around the house. The more active you are the healthier your metabolism and your body will become!