Although each of us is set up with our own unique Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), which is the rate that calories are burned for energy at rest), there are some things we can do to increase it.
So, what burns calories while the body is at rest? The simple answer is muscle!
Every pound of muscle you carry burns approximately 7 calories, every single day while doing nothing at all.
Therefore, by increasing your muscle mass you can significantly raise your BMR.
Weight training is the most obvious way to increase muscle and therefore raise your BMR.
By increasing your over-all muscle mass your metabolism will naturally increase making it possible to burn through the foods you consume more quickly and more efficiently.
Again, as I have stated in many of my articles, muscle is the physical place where calories are burned for energy.
While saying this, please don’t underestimate the power of aerobic activity as well. Aerobic activity not only has an immediate effect on your metabolic rate, it also has a lasting effect for several hours after its performed.
This one/two punch of Anaerobic and Aerobic training will actually set you up by ultimately shifting the BMR you’ve been “genetically given” and believe you may be stuck with.
