Age = Diminished eating skills....

Metabolism 101

Metabolism refers to all of the processes in the body that create and use energy. These processes include the circulation of blood, the contraction of muscles, the creation of new cells, and others.

Your “metabolic rate” is a measurement of how much energy your body uses. Metabolic rates vary from person to person and are affected by gender, age, and amount of lean body mass (muscle). Your body uses energy (burns calories) in three ways:

• Normal body functions, carried out even at rest, burn 60-75% of your daily calories;
• Exercise will burn about 20-30% of your daily calories;
• Digestion burns about 10% of your daily calories.

The body requires more energy, or calories, to maintain lean muscle than it does to maintain fat, so those with a lower percentage of body fat have a higher metabolism. This means that lean bodies burn more calories throughout the day and even during sleep.

Exercise helps to build and maintain lean mass. Your metabolism remains elevated for about four hours after a workout. To avoid weight gain, you must burn what you consume. A typical exercise session burns an average of 300 calories. To maintain a healthy metabolism, try to exercise for at least 30 minutes most days of the week.