Brea Getting Fit » BMR

Personal best?

breefawn — Sun, 17 May 2009 02:39:56 +0000

My husband and I woke up very early this morning to run a 5K. Although this is the fourth race that I’ve run since I’ve started running (December 2008), this race was different. This was the first race that I’ve actually PACED myself. I ran a race last weekend, and finished FAR too quickly. I realize that in order to make any type of distance improvement, I need to learn to pace myself. I shouldn’t get to the end of the race and feel like I’m dying…. So today, I used my Polar F6 Women’s Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Green Tea) to pace myself. I was determined to run 11 minute miles, which is a little bit slower than my normal race pace. (I absolutely ADORE my HRM, by the way! It’s quite possibly the best money I’ve ever spent. It definitely helps me to determine my exercise level in accordance with my BMR.) As I was running, I hit the 1 mile mark at EXACTLY 11 minutes. WOW! So I kept at that pace, and was SO excited to hit mile 2 at 22 minutes!! As I was running toward the finish line, I was skipping through songs on my Apple iPod shuffle 1 GB Silver (2nd Generation) and “Remember the Name” by Fort Minor came up. I LOVE that song. It pushes me to run harder and finish stronger. (Shop on iTunes) I finished the race just under 34:00, and while that is MUCH slower than my previous finishes, it was a personal best for me.

When temptation gets the best of you….

breefawn — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:21:33 +0000

You have to realize that life happens and move on. Today I ate about 600 calories worth of Easter candy (Snicker’s and Hershey Kisses to be exact). This wouldn’t be too terrible, except that it put me WAAAAY outside my normal BMR. I realize that I can workout, which I will do tonight, but it’s still frustrating to have one little indiscretion throw your plans for the day. There are a few things that I’ve learned about caving for “trigger” foods:

1. Figure out what caused you to reach for that particular food. Are you stressed/happy/hungry?

2. Think about better options that you have available so that this doesn’t happen again (at least anytime soon).

3. Make a list of other ways to deal with stress/depression/anxiety/happiness/sadness….basically any emotion that would normally trigger you to eat. Do you like to write? Create a blog. Exercise? Go for a walk. Cook? Make a casserole to freeze for later in the week.

4. Be honest with yourself. What you ate needs to be written down in your journal so that you can go back and figure out WHY you gained that .5 pounds (or didn’t lose).

5. Perhaps most importantly, you need to realize that fitness is a daily journey. It’s very important that you learn from your mistake and then…

6. MOVE ON! Do NOT let one little indiscretion completely derail your efforts. Just because you ate ALL the Pringles does NOT mean that you can continue to be a human vacuum cleaner.

All that being said, I ate the candy because I was bored sitting here at my desk. I feel slightly guilty, but I’m more uncomfortable, since my tummy is NOT used to this! LOL I think that I would rather play Solitaire in the future than feel my tummy be all puffy again any time soon. We all have these kinds of days…for me they usually follow holidays (especially ones where candy plays a larger role)…in this case, a friend gave me some chocolate…so I thought “why not?” In the future, any candy that I recieve will go in the office candy dish so that I can share my sweet disposition with others.

Here’s to a fresh start (and no more tummy aches)!!

Journaling

breefawn — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:43:05 +0000

Okay, so I know that logging my caloric intake and expenditures are paramount to maintaining (and getting to) a healthier me. I struggled for so long trying to find a journal that fit me. Well, I found it, and I L-O-V-E it! It’s the best fit for me (which is important if you’re going to stick with a routine. I like the fact that this journal has space for absolutely everything, from vitamins to exercise to what you eat (and WHEN!!). I was a little put-off by the bright orange cover, but was happy to discover that it actually comes off! The journal is VERY discrete and fits into my purse (which may also be able to hold a kitchen sink if I organize right). In all honestly, the journal is about the size of an average orgainzer. It’s very easy to grab it and write down my thoughts, bites and workouts. It even has space for me to figure out my daily calorie deficit! Overall, I have used this journal for just about 6 weeks.

Here’s a look at the actual tracking pages:

I have found it to be very user-friendly. Each week also has a section where you can compare your previous measurements/BMR/BMI and any other measurements that you want to track. I really cannot say enough great things abou this journal. It has helped me to realize when I’m really hungry, and when I’m munching. AND it helps me to keep track on my Nutrition Tracker located at www.sparkpeople.com. If you’re looking for something portable and functional, you just found it!! It really does take away all the excuses that I had for not ‘remembering’ what I ate!

Get yours here:

http://www.amazon.com/Diet-Fitness-Journal-Personal-Journals/dp/1593596707/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239647730&sr=8-1

Basal Metabolic Rate

breefawn — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:31:00 +0000

Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the amount of calories that your body needs to lay in bed all day and do nothing. This is the amount of calories that you MUST EAT in order to maintain your body’s mass at rest. BMR does NOT include your daily activities.

To determine your BMR, you can use this equation (www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/):

Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) – ( 4.7 x age in years )

Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) – ( 6.8 x age in years )

After you know your BMR, then you need to find out what your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is. This is calculated by multiplying your BMR by your Activity Metabolic Factor (AMR). Your AMR is determined by your activity level during an average day. In general, most people will find that their AMR to be 1.2 (sedentary). It is important to remember that AMR does NOT include your calories burned through exercise.

Exercise increases your overall energy expenditure, and should be added to your TDEE. For example, I have a desk job, so I would be considered “sedentary”, but when I exercise, I can add the number of calories I burn during my workouts to my TDEE, therefore increasing my daily calorie expenditure. I find it easiest to view exercise as an “out of the ordinary” activity. Let’s make it simple:

BMR x AMR + calories burned through exercise – calories consumed = DAILY DEFICIT (DD)

I think that it is important that I make mention of the fact that I use a Polar F6 Heart Rate Monitor to determine the exact amount of calories that I burn through exercise. Whenever I workout, I wear it. This way, I get an accurate picture of my daily expenditure.

If you DO NOT have a HRM, I strongly encourage you to look into purchasing one. Check out this website: http://www.heartratemonitorsusa.com/ and use the coupon code “GALAXY” for an additional discount. In the meantime, here’s a breakdown of AMR:

Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)

Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise, approx. 1-3 days/wk)

Mod. active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise, approx. 3-5 days/wk)

Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise, approx. 6-7 days/wk)

Extr. active = BMR X 1.9 (hard exercise 7 days a week, physical job, training more than 1x/day)

If your AMR is anything BESIDES 1.2, here is the calculation that you will need to use:

BMR X AMR – calories consumed = DD

Creating a calorie deficit is actually fairly simple. In order to lose weight, you HAVE TO consume less than you burn. It all comes down to CALORIES OUT – CALORIES IN. In order to lose, you have to know what your deficit is every day (even your rest days), and you can accomplish this through journaling. In order to lose a pound a week, you need to burn 3,500 (1 pound = 3500 calories) calories in that week. This breaks down to approximately 500 calories per day. This can be accomplished one of three ways:

1. Create a 500 calorie deficit from your diet every day

2. Create a 250 caloried deficit from your diet and burn 250 through exercise per day

3. Burn 500 calories per day through exercise alone

There is actually a great article on one of my favorite websites, SparkPeople.com:

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/calorie_calculation101.asp

I am blogging about this because it is SO VERY IMPORTANT to understand that you MUST EAT in order to lose. If you do not consume enough calories, you body will go into a “starvation mode” where you will be losing muscle, not fat. If you continue to consume below your BMR for too long, then your body will eventually stop losing all together. This severely inhibits your metabolism and could potentially cause long term damage. I want everyone to understand that food is FUEL that your body needs, ESPECIALLY if you are working out.