As much as we are standing, at rest and doing nothing, our body never stops working. There are thousands and thousands of functions that are constantly given in our body, for example, neural connections, breathing or heartbeat. All these actions expend energy. Obviously, it is not the same to be lying on the sofa than to run a marathon, however, this does not mean that by the simple fact of existing we are already spending energy, or what is the same, burning calories.
Wondering how many calories I burn at rest? In the following article we are going to give you the data so you can find out, in addition, we will also give you tricks and tips to increase that amount.
What are calories?
When we talk about calories, we refer to the unit of measurement that we use when it comes to knowing the amount of energy provided by the different foods, calories that are necessary since it is also what our body uses to obtain energy and be able to maintain normal functioning.
Even being at rest we burn calories, then we will see how many, the problem comes when these calories we burn are lower than those we eat with food. This excess will accumulate in our body as fat.
There are many people who talk about calories as if they were demons or something to avoid, the reality is that it is our source of energy, which allows us to fulfill all its functions, all of them indispensable to live. The only thing to do is to consume the necessary ones and not do it in excess and, to achieve it, we must know the ones we burn.
Basal metabolism: calories burned at rest
We know as basal metabolism the minimum energy value that the cell needs to stay alive. That is, basal metabolism is the calories we burn at rest, simply because we are alive. These calories are not constant for everyone or at all times, it depends on factors such as weight, height or age.
There is a formula to calculate our basal metabolism, to know how many calories you burn at rest:
In men
Basal metabolism: 66,473 + ((13,751 x weight in kg)) + (5,0033 x height in cm)) – ((6,55 x age in years))
In women
Basal metabolism: 655.1 + ((9.463 x weight in kg)) + (1.8 x height in cm)) – ((4.6756 x age in years))
You should keep in mind that the result of this operation will only give you an approximate idea of the calories you burn at rest, it will never be something exact. In the event that you want to check it exactly, you will have to submit to more specific calorie measurements at the individual level instead of statistical averages.
Another important point that you should know is that these results can be interpreted as the calories you burn at rest, but you should also understand that if you exceed that number of calories with food and do not burn more you will be getting fat.
An easier and more accurate way to know the calories you burn depending on what you're doing is to visit our calorie calculator.
Foods to burn more calories at rest
There are foods that help us burn more calories by being accelerators of metabolism. A diet that gives preeminence to this type of products will make it easier for us to burn calories, even when at rest, which will facilitate the goal of losing weight. Foods to burn calories are:
- Coffee: no milk and no sugar.
- Tea: no milk and no sugar.
- Peppers.
- Ginger.
- Artichoke.
Proteins:
- Eggs.
- Fish.
- Chicken meat.
- Turkey meat.
- Tofu.
- Nuts.
Foods rich in Omega 3:
- Tuna.
- Salmon.
- Chia seeds.
- Sardines.
- Flaxseed oil.
Another important aspect when it comes to accelerating the metabolism is to drink 8 glasses of water daily, in addition, if we do it with ice even better.
How to Burn More Calories at Rest
But not only do the food and liquids we eat influence, the way we do it is also very important when it comes to burning more or less calories. Below we are going to explain some tricks to burn more calories at rest:
A bad habit that many people have is to make three meals a day, three meals that, on the other hand, are usually very copious. Keep in mind that the longer we go without eating, the slower our metabolism will go. That is why what we must do is eat less and less time, less copious meals but present throughout the day. The ideal would be to make 5 meals a day, with breakfast being the most important and eating very little before going to sleep.
We have previously talked about the foods that help you burn more calories, but what are the foods that cause a slow metabolism? Within this group, those foods that generate insulin resistance are gathered, such as:
- Trans fats.
- Junk food.
- Red meats.
- Sweets.
- Frying.
