Weight loss/gain, exercise and our individual metabolism rates can sometimes seem like a confusing Rubik’s Cube as we seek our paths to wellness. No one ‘answer’ exists, but understanding the factors involved in weight maintenance and metabolism will serve as a road map to your golden treasure chest.

Dr. Justin Braverman

The Mayo Clinic’s online health site explains that metabolism is the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy. During this complex biochemical process, calories in food and beverages are combined with oxygen to release the energy your body needs to function. Even when you’re at rest, your body needs energy for all its “hidden” functions, such as 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 basal metabolic rate (BMR) — what you might call metabolism. Several factors determine your individual basal metabolic rate:

• Your body size and composition. The bodies of people who are larger or have more muscle burn up more calories, even at rest.
• Your sex. Men usually have less body fat and more muscle than do women of the same age and weight, burning 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.

Energy needs for your body’s basic functions stay fairly consistent and aren’t easily changed. Your basal metabolic rate accounts for about 60 to 75 percent of the calories you burn every day.

Most experts agree that weight training and aerobic exercise will increase metabolism both while you are exercising and after your exercise activity is done. They disagree, however, on how long after exercise your metabolism remains increased.

When you are exercising aerobically, your focus should be on burning calories and working your cardiovascular system. Because it takes more calories to exercise, your metabolism is sped up during the activity. When you are lifting weights or doing other resistance work, focus on the activity itself which not only burns calories but increases muscle strength, tone and endurance.

The combination of aerobic activity and weight training will result in a body that has more muscle and less fat – so the end result will be a higher metabolism.

The N.E.W. Program’s weekly workshop series continues Tuesday when Dr. Justin Braverman, presents “Exercise, Metabolism and Prevention of Weight Gain.” The workshop will be presented at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 4 at our Newport Beach location.