FFF Diva Operation Boot Camp Advice:"Bootcamp - Increasing Your Metabolism"

Excellent job on writing out your goals! Goal setting is proven to be incredibly beneficial. If we don't have clear things we are working towards, it's easy to wake up weeks and months later and be frustrated that nothing much is happening. Now that you have set your fitness goals for June, keep your eyes on them! Re-read every few days and ask yourself "what did I do yesterday to work towards those goals?" and "what can I do TODAY to reach those goals?" There is no better time than today to work towards what you want.

Today’s Mission: Remove the temptations from your home and/or office. Get rid of alcohol, ice cream, cookie, chips, etc. If the temptations are accessible to us, it increases the chances of us eating them! Replace those items with fresh fruits, veggies and whole grain snacks. (Make sure you give the items away or take them to the office, but do not eat them to get rid of them!)



Assignments:

1) get some insect repellant! the mosquitos are out right now and can be quite annoying. keep it in your car so you can give yourself a quick spray on the way to camp.

2) Invite a friend or family member to join you for the preview workout this Saturday at 8:15



What is the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) or more commonly referred to as Resting Energy Expenditure (REE)?

Metabolic rate is the overall rate at which chemical reactions use energy in our bodies. Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) or Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) is measured under standard conditions when the body is quiet, resting and fasting. A 'calorie' is a measurement of heat that tells us the amount of oxygen that is used by the cells of the body. The normal every day oxidation of carbohydrates, fats and proteins takes between 800 and 1200 calories. This means that for normal cell growth, repair, blood circulation and some everyday movement we use approximately 800 to 1200 calories. Depending on our height, weight, gender, body composition and activity level REE varies from person to person. In addition to the 800-1200 calories we expend for basic cell functions, we require approximately 500 additional calories to carry out digestion, walking and other daily routine activities.

Let's do the math on that:
1700 (1200(BMR)+ 500 burned per day through daily functions
400 (Burned at a boot camp workout) this can vary from day to day
Total: 2100

Let's say I am eating 1800 calories per day, that would be a net loss of 300 calories for me. (2100-1800 = -300)

If I kept the same calorie burn and caloric intake everyday for a week, that would be a net loss of 2100 calories for the week. (-300 cal/day x 7 days = -2100)

In order to lose 1 pound, I have to have a net loss of 3500 calories - so I may not even lose a pound until the second week and even then I could have also gained muscle mass, which could produce a net gain instead of a loss. Do you see how this is a slow process, but it works over time if you stick with it! This is also why we advocate that you measure success by how your clothes fit and not what the scale says! Muscle needs more calories to expend energy than fat. The more muscle we have the more calories we burn! Muscle also needs and attracts more water so we can retain more water, which can also cause us to appear to have gained.

What controls your REE?

There are a few factors that control the BMR, but the main regulator is thyroid hormones. REE increases as the thyroid levels in the blood rise. The response to changing levels of thyroid hormone is slow to take effect and make take several days to become present. Thyroid hormone stimulates aerobic cellular respiration and thus we give off more heat and the core body temperature rises. This is why it takes several days to weeks to start to feel the changes in your stamina, speed and strength.

How does Exercise affect REE?

During strenuous exercise, our REE can rise nearly 15 times the basal rate. Boot camp workouts will actually boost your metabolism and energy expenditure because they raise the core body temperature and burn additional calories and possibly call on our fat stores for energy. The more consistent we exercise the greater our resting BMR becomes and we will actually burn more calories more efficiently when we exercise because our body becomes more conditioned!


How does core body temperature affect REE?

As the core body temperature increases, the biochemical reactions in your body increase. For every degree our body temperature increase, the metabolic reactions increase by 10%. So heart rate, stroke volume of blood, circulation of oxygen and muscle contractions, just to name a few, will be increased by 10% the normal resting rate with each degree we raise our core temperature. When we exercise, one of the biggest things we are trying to do is raise our core body temperature to stimulate aerobic respiration, energy expenditure and ultimately fat loss. Heat is a sign that our metabolic reactions are increasing and our body uses calories to feed the system and cool us down!

How does food affect REE?

The ingestion of food raises the REE by 10-20% because of the energy cost for absorption and digestion. So if you are eating consistently 5-6 times per day, you are raising the REE through the digestion of the food consistently instead of waiting for long periods of time between meals. In the long run, this will get your body to digest, absorb and utilize food more effectively.

What else affects the REE?

There are other factors that can increase or decrease your REE. Females tend to have a lower BMR unless they are pregnant. People who live in tropical climates, who are malnourished or sleep a lot will also have lower REE's. Active people tend to have a higher REE and as you increase your activity level you can increase your REE over time. This will allow you to burn more calories during daily activity, as well as in your workouts.

How do I find my REE?

This question is a little more complicated and may entail a body fat assessment via hydrostatic weighing or Dexa scan if you are looking for an exact measure. Your REE will depend on many things including height, weight, gender, age, body composition (lean mass vs. fat mass), as well as your goals and your current activity level.

If you would like to get your body composition tested, (which we HIGHLY recommend!) you have the opportunity on Saturday June 19th. We will be having Aaron Dietz from Bodywave coming to Golds Gym for our clients on this day. If you are interested, speak to Melody or Ronny. This is a great thing to do as you embark on your exercise program.

If you are looking for a quick calculation that only takes into account body weight, try this little formula. (But please be warned is just a quick measure of REE and could be off - meaning you might need more calories or you may need less)

Take your weight in pounds and convert to kilograms by dividing your weight by 2.2.
Take you weight in kilograms and multiply by 0.9 to get the REE for 1 hour.
Take your REE for one hour and multiply by 24 hours to get your REE for one day.

Remember that your REE operates on a 24 hour cycle and does not stop when we sleep; we still need calories to pump blood, breath and dream!


-Melody Miser and the Bootcamp Staff