Your Guide to BMR, NEAT and Exercise Calories

What are BMR, NEAT, and Exercise Calories?

Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body burns at rest to maintain its essential functions, such as breathing, circulating blood, and keeping your organs functioning. It accounts for about 60-70% of your total daily calorie burn.

Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) is the energy you expend through everyday activities that are not considered exercise, such as fidgeting, standing up, and taking the stairs. It accounts for about 15-30% of your total daily calorie burn.

Exercise calories are the calories you burn through physical activity, such as walking, running, swimming, or dancing. They account for about 10-20% of your total daily calorie burn.

How do BMR, NEAT, and Exercise Calories Affect Weight Loss?

To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit, which means burning more calories than you consume. You can do this by either increasing your calorie burn or decreasing your calorie intake.

BMR is the foundation of your calorie burn, as you can see from above, it accounts for the majority of your energy expenditure.  If you have a high BMR, you will burn more calories at rest, even if you are not doing anything. This makes it easier to create a calorie deficit and lose weight. There are a few ways to work out your BMR. One way is to use a BMR calculator. There are many BMR calculators available online, and they are a quick and easy way to get an estimate of your BMR. Most will use the Harris-Benedict, but there are a few alternatives. 

The Harris-Benedict equation for men is:

BMR = 66.47 + (13.75 x weight in kg) + (5.003 x height in cm) − (6.755 x age in years)

The Harris-Benedict equation for women is:

BMR = 655.1 + (9.563 x weight in kg) + (1.85 x height in cm) − (4.676 x age in years)

The Harris-Benedict equation (or other equations) is not always accurate, but it is a good starting point for estimating your BMR.

Here are some additional things to keep in mind when working out your BMR:

• Your BMR will decrease as you get older.

• Your BMR will increase if you have more muscle mass.

• Your BMR will decrease if you are sick or injured.

• Your BMR will increase if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Most of these things we don't have control of, and especially for ladies in a petite, shorter body, BMI is relatively low. However, the number one way you can influence BMR is by increasing muscle mass.

NEAT is also important for weight loss. People who are more active throughout the day tend to have a higher NEAT and burn more calories overall. NEAT can be up to 30% of calories and this is where we can have the greatest influence. 

Exercise calories can also help you lose weight, but they are not as important as BMR and NEAT. This is because exercise calories are only burned during the activity itself. Once you stop exercising, your calorie burn will go back to your resting level, so from a calorie burn point of view, it would be better to hit 10'000 steps and not workout than do a 30-minute workout and then be horrizontal for the rest of the day.

How to Increase Your BMR, NEAT, and Exercise Calories

There are a few things you can do to increase your BMR, NEAT, and exercise calories:

• Gain muscle mass. Muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat tissue. You can gain muscle mass by lifting weights or doing other strength-training exercises. Don't think you have to get 'bulky' however. Muscle takes up a lot less space than fat per gram, so you can increase your muscle mass without getting larger. 

• Be more active throughout the day. Get up and move around more often. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park farther away from your destination, and stand up while you work. A great way to work on NEAT is to gradually increase your steps each day. From wherever you are starting from, increasing this until you are regularly hitting 10'000 steps is a great way to really increase your NEAT energy expenditure. 

• Exercise regularly. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week (5 is ideal and the government recommendation)

By increasing your BMR, NEAT, and exercise calories, you can create a calorie deficit and lose weight.

Here are some additional tips for increasing your BMR, NEAT, and exercise calories:

• Eat a healthy diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. These foods are low in calories and high in nutrients, which can help you feel full and satisfied - and also, talking about increasing your calorie burn, whole grains, and fibrous plants take a fraction more energy to digest.

• Get enough sleep. When you are sleep-deprived, your body produces more of the stress hormone cortisol, which can increase your appetite and make it harder to lose weight.

• Manage stress. Stress can also lead to weight gain. Find healthy ways to manage stress, such as exercise, yoga, or meditation.

By following these tips, you can increase your BMR, NEAT, and exercise calories, which will help you lose weight and improve your health.

If you want more support either in 1-1 or online coaching to help build an exercise plan to suit your body goals contact me using the email link below.