Defining Basal Metabolism

If there ever were a misconception about exercise and calorie burning it would be that calories only burn within a very specific type of activity. In other words, a person has to be in movement. Now, some forms of movement such as working in a coal mine will burn a certain amount of calories and doing a five mile jog will burn will also burn a certain amount of calories. (Bonus points for those who know that working in a coal mine all day will burn more calories than a five mile jog!). The reality is that the body burns calories even when it is completely at rest. This is what is known as basal metabolism.

Basal metabolism is essentially the number of calories required to maintain ones weight when one is basically not active at all. Sleeping, watching TV, etc. are all forms would be examples of the body at complete rest. Honestly, saying the body’s basal metabolism refers to “complete rest” is not entirely accurate. When one is asleep, the heart beats, the lungs expand, scratches that may exist on the skin will heal, etc. In other words, there is always some activity required when a body is alive and all activity burns calories. Granted, when “at rest,” the body does not require a great deal of calories. So, if one is sedentary, in order to stay in shape, one needs to eat very few calories.

If one is too heavy and wishes to lose weight and is not active, one simply needs to look at what one’s basal metabolism is and then subtract calories from the daily calorie maintenance that creates the obesity and then subtract calories either by cutting down via diet or burning more calories through exercise. If anything, basal metabolism calories levels will give a person a clearly defined parameter as to why a person is overweight and what amount of calories must be cut in order to drop the pounds. At the very least, basal metabolism provides a barometer for weight loss that is very helpful.