Determining your Active Metabolic Rate (AMR)

The first part of determining your AMR is identifying your current physical activity level.  Which of the following options sounds most like you?

a. Sedentary Physical Activity Level

Do you have a desk job or do some other kind of work that keeps you in your chair for most of the day? If the answer is yes, your score is 1.1.

b. Light Physical Activity Level

Are you on your feet and walking around for at least half the day? Stay-at-home moms, salespeople, and doctors fall into this category. If this is you, your score is 1.2.

c. Moderate Physical Activity Level

If you're on the move pretty much all day, with a few limited periods of being sedentary, this is the level for you. People in this category include gardeners, carpenters, and mail carriers. If you're in this category, your score is 1.3.

d. High Physical Activity Level

Does your job require being constantly on the move, and does it entail significant amounts of manual labor? Construction workers, farm workers, and movers are among those who land in this category. If you're in this group, your score is 1.4.

Another element you need to calculate your total AMR is the number of calories you burn from exercise on an average day. The number of calories you burn during any exercise session depends on a few things, primarily your body weight.  Here is a link for WebMD.com's Fit-O-Meter:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthtool-fitness-calorie-counter

Now you have your BMR, your daily activity score, and your exercise expenditure.  Simply multiply your BMR by your daily activity score, and then add your exercise expenditure. 

(BMR x daily activity score) + exercise expenditure = estimated AMR

Whatever you get from this final calculation is your Active Metabolic Rate.

Determining Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), also similarly known as your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR), is the total number of calories you burn throughout an inactive day.  This number is particularly important so you can determine the number of calories you should allow yourself on any given inactive day.  Here's how we determine your BMR:

MALE: 66 + (6.3 × body weight in pounds) + (12.9 × height in inches) − (6.8 × age in years) 

FEMALE: 655 + (4.3 × weight in pounds) + (4.7 × height in inches) − (4.7 × age in years)

Keep this number in mind and make wise, healthy decisions this week.

The Rule Of The Game: Intensity!

Here's a quick and insightful read from Jillian Michaels about stepping up your workout intensity.  Enjoy!

"If you're looking to shed stubborn pounds, the rule of the game is to increase the intensity of your workouts. I want you to be working out at 85 percent of your maximum heart rate (MHR). However, you may have heard the "fat-burning zone" theory that encourages you to work out at just 70 to 75 percent of your MHR. The outdated assumption is that your body is drawing predominately on fat calories for energy — WRONG! It's completely misleading and it's time to lay the "fat-burning zone" myth to rest. 

During physical training, your body has three possible sources of energy: carbs, fat, and protein. Protein is a last resort — of the three energy sources, your body is the most reluctant to draw on your protein stores. 

Whether your body takes energy from glucose, which it gets from the breakdown of carbs, or fat depends on the intensity of your workout. Training at a high level of intensity forces your body to draw on carb calories for energy — they are a more efficient source of energy, and your body goes for its premium fuel when you're working hard. If you are training at a low level of intensity, your body doesn't need to be as efficient, so it will draw on a higher percentage of fat calories for fuel. 

Sounds like low-intensity training would be more effective when it comes to losing fat, right? Wrong. These physiological facts are the ones that spawned the mistaken belief that low-intensity activity is better than high-intensity activity when it comes to burning fat and losing weight. These days we know that even though the ratio of fat-to-carb calories might be higher during low-intensity exercise, fewer calories are used up overall. High-intensity exercise burns the biggest number of calories."