What does our Metabolism do?

Metabolism or metabolic rate is the process where our body converts what we eat and drink into energy. During this complex process, calories in our food and drinks are combined with oxygen to release the energy our body needs to function.

There are four components that make up our metabolism....

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) 70%

Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) 15% Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) 10% Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT) 5%

BMR - Basal Metabolic Rate

This makes up a large amount of our metabolism. This is the number of calories (energy) your body needs to stay alive.

NEAT - Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis

This is what we do everyday, our daily tasks. For example, walking the dog, cleaning the house, gardening. This makes up 15% of our metabolism, that's why it's recommended to walk at least 30mins everyday and keep active throughout the day especially if you have a sedentary job.

TEF - Thermic Effect of Food

The energy lost when breaking down food, protein has a higher Thermic Effect which means it's harder to break down in your body and therefore requires more energy to breakdown. Higher protein diets are recommended for fat loss to occur because of this, it doesn't mean don't eat carbohydrates and fats, these are needed in our diet too!

EAT - Exercise Activity Thermogenesis

Physical activity (exercise) plays a small part in our metabolism, this doesn't mean we shouldn't do it though! Physical activity helps with both our physical and mental health and should mainly be seen as an aid to help improve our health not to lose weight. Of course it does help with fat loss, aslong as all the other components of metabolism are followed to help in fat loss. Eating a high protein diet, getting your steps in and staying active throughout the day.

We can increase our metabolism (metabolic rate) by physical activity, eating a high protein diet, increasing daily activity, drinking lots of water and having a good nights sleep.