Your body is the vessel that carries you through this thing we call life, and it takes some careful consideration and planning to get the most out of it. Investing in your health and yourself requires a lot no matter how you classify your exercise and nutrition regimen; you spend a lot of time making sure you are eating the right foods, choosing the right workouts, and ultimately developing a healthy, sustainable lifestyle.  

Like anything in life, it takes a good plan and careful execution to develop and meet your goals – like living a long and happy life – and any good plan has data-driven research to help you make the right decisions. One of the best tools to help you with your fitness plan is knowing more about your metabolism. How your body uses the foods (fuel) you feed it. 

Metabolism is the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy. While it’s a fairly complex and scientific process involving the calories you consume from both food and beverage, which are combined with oxygen and which release the energy your body needs to function, you only need a basic understanding to put your metabolism up to bat for you.  

Even when you’re at rest, your body needs energy for all its subconscious, “hidden” functions, like breathing, circulating blood, adjusting hormone levels, and growing and repairing cells. The number of calories your body uses to carry out these basic functions is known as your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) — what we call metabolism and which we refer to as a Resting Metabolic Rate Test. 

Several factors determine your individual RMR, those include:  

• Your body size and composition. People who are larger or have more muscle burn more calories, even at rest. 
• Your sex. Men usually have less body fat and more muscle than women of the same age and weight, which means men burn more calories. 
• Your age. As you get older, the amount of muscle tends to decrease and fat accounts for more of your weight, slowing down calorie burning. 

As you can see, the main factor influencing how many calories it takes for your body to do the basics is MUSCLE. The more muscle your body has, the more calories it burns.  

Now that you know what metabolism is, you can see some benefits of knowing your RMR. One of the most beneficial is knowing what foods work best with your activity and metabolism. With this knowledge, you can provide your body with the fuel it needs to live a healthy lifestyle. You might think that as long as you eat healthy foods, you’re doing the right thing for your body. But some “healthy” foods may not actually be healthy for your genetics, body composition, and your metabolism. Metabolic testing can help you find the right foods for you. 

With a good analysis of your metabolism, you can now create a personalized fitness plan to really focus on what types of exercise will benefit your body the most. Metabolic testing allows you to see your body’s weaknesses and strengths, so you can cater your exercise routine to capitalize on making it better and making you a healthier athlete. 

Learning about your metabolism and body composition can also help you avoid many preventable diseases later on in life. Although you might be doing everything you can to keep physically fit by working out and eating right, you have to remember the genes of your ancestors can also make a big impact on your health. If your grandparents had high blood pressure or diabetes, there’s a chance that you might have an increased risk of developing it too. By knowing how your body reacts to different foods and exercises through metabolic testing, you can create a healthier life plan to counter attack some of those predispositions you got from your family tree. 

So, as you make your strategic plan for your life, consider metabolic testing as a great tool for your health. Knowing what your body needs makes it much easier to figure out how to make it last for a long, long time.