6 Things That Affect Your Calorie Burning

If you've ever been to a group exercise class where everyone's heart rates and projected calorie burning are displayed on a screen, you know how different these numbers can be. You've probably also observed that guys burn more calories than women on average. Have you ever wondered why, even during the same workout, different people burn calories at such varied rates?

 

The truth is that metabolism, which refers to all of your body's mechanisms for breaking down nutrients for energy, growth, and other purposes, is far from simple. There is a constant ebb and flow of reactions that build or repair our bodies (anabolism), as well as reactions that break down food and energy stores for fuel (catabolism) (catabolism). It's a difficult topic to research because it's so complicated. Several factors influence how quickly or slowly you burn calories at any particular time. Here are the top six that have the most impact on how many calories you burn while exercising.

 

1. Body Weight

 

The more weight you have, the more calories you will burn per session. Calories are a unit of energy, so the more weight you have, the more energy it takes to move your body. To put it another way, if two persons are of different weights, the one who is heavier will burn more calories because they use more energy when moving.

 

Internal organs (such as the heart, liver, kidneys, and lungs) tend to be larger in people with larger bodies, which has a role in how many calories are expended during exercise and at rest because these organs and their operations demand energy. According to one study, variances in the size of people's internal organs can account for up to 43% of the variation in total calorie burn.

 

This is one of the many reasons why weight reduction is so difficult: as your weight falls, your body burns less calories, which can lead to a weight loss plateau or even regaining weight. However, that isn't the sole cause. Weight loss can also cause other physiological adaptations, such as the body's tendency to burn stored fat for energy, a process known as fat oxidation; increased hunger due to higher levels of the hormone ghrelin; and less satiety as levels of the hormone leptin drop, according to a previous review.

 

Consider working with a registered dietician who specializes in weight reduction and can help you reach your goal in a healthy and sustainable way if you're trying to lose weight and have reached a plateau.

 

Also, regardless of whether you lose weight or not, exercise is beneficial to your general health. While greater exercise does not always lead to long-term weight loss, enhanced cardiorespiratory fitness is linked to better health outcomes and a lower risk of premature mortality, regardless of weight, according to a review published in iScience in October 2021.

 

2. Muscle Mass

 

This is where things get a little more complicated. Someone who has higher muscle mass burns more calories than someone who is the same weight but has less muscle mass. Fat tissue consumes less calories than muscle tissue. However, claims about how many calories a pound of muscle burns are frequently exaggerated. In reality, a pound of muscle burns roughly five calories per day, while a pound of fat burns about two calories per day, according to research.

 

Because your body has to produce more energy to maintain the greater pace at which your muscles contract during exercise, having more muscle mass will raise your total calorie burn. To summarize, if you want to increase your calorie burn, consider increasing your strength-training routine. Lifting weights burns more fat and provides greater long-term benefits than cardio exercise, with the caveat that everyone's goals and skills are different, and it's ultimately up to you to decide how you exercise.

 

3. Birth Sex

 

Men, on average, burn more calories while resting and exercising than women. But there's nothing mysterious about why this occurs — men are typically larger than women and have more muscle mass than women of similar age and weight. Males burn 5 to 10% more calories at rest than females, and this number usually increases with exercise.

 

While women can build muscle mass through strength training, physiological factors mean that they can't be as thin as males in general. To support hormone production and childbearing, women are naturally prone to store more fat.

 

Body fat is also necessary for tasks such as storing energy, protecting internal organs, and supporting important functions like growth, immunity, hormone synthesis, reproduction, and metabolism, according to the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

 

According to the American Council on Exercise (ACE), men need at least 2 to 5% body fat to be healthy, while women need at least 10 to 13%. These minimum figures, however, may not be sufficient. While there is no official recommendation for a healthy body fat percentage for persons under the age of 40, the most widely referenced study on the subject claims that a healthy range for men is 8 to 20% and for women is 21 to 33%. However, the link between health and body fat is complicated and poorly understood.

 

Focus on the things you can control rather than worrying about how your birth sex influences your calorie burn. The basic message is that men and women should use a well-balanced cardio and strength-training regimen to build muscle and improve cardiovascular health.

 

4. Age

 

We lose muscular mass as we get older. After the age of 30, you start losing 3 to 5% of your muscle mass per decade. The reasons for this aren't fully known, but according to a review published in Ageing Research Reviews in July 2017, it's probable because your body becomes more resistant to hormones that drive protein synthesis, which is essential for muscle preservation. At rest and during exercise, this loss of muscle mass lowers your metabolic rate, which is the pace at which you burn calories.

 

The findings of a study on human metabolism published in the August 2021 issue of Science made news since they suggested that metabolic rate does not fall throughout adulthood, but rather plateaus between the ages of 20 and 60 before declining. The energy expenditure of 6,421 men and women aged 8 to 95 years was measured using the doubly labeled water technique, which is the gold standard for this type of measurement.

 

However, this does not imply that everyone's calorie burn remains consistent throughout maturity. This study on daily energy expenditure over the span of a human life is intriguing, but it's hard to quantify metabolism correctly, therefore it's not conclusive proof that our knowledge of metabolism is incorrect. Furthermore, aging is accompanied by a number of physiological changes, not all of which have been corrected for, even by experienced eyes.

 

Strength training can help you boost your resting metabolic rate, which helps you burn more calories at rest over time. While you can't stop your body from aging, you can preserve or even enhance your muscle mass with regular strength training.

 

5. Fitness Level

 

It appears that the more you do a particular type of training, the easier it becomes. That isn't a figment of your imagination; your body does adjust to make things easier over time. Overall, this is a positive development. It means that with experience, you will be able to run faster or for longer periods of time, and that with correct training, your muscles will be able to lift greater weights.

 

However, it has an impact on your calorie burn. You will burn fewer calories with the same workouts as your body adapts to training. Your body becomes more efficient as you get more fit, from your lungs to your muscles to your heart to your brain. That's why a rookie can burn a lot more calories than someone who has been doing the same workout for years — and why switching up your workout regimen can help you improve your fitness and burn more calories.

 

6. Training Intensity

 

It's also possible that two persons who are doing the same workout are burning different amounts of calories because they aren't doing the same workout. A high-intensity workout, which means you're breathing rapidly and can't hold a conversation, can burn twice as many calories in the same amount of time as a low-intensity workout. And just because you're running the same distance or going through the same motions as someone else doesn't mean you're both working out at the same intensity.

 

According to the DHHS, 150 minutes of low-intensity exercise per week can result in a variety of health advantages, including reduced anxiety, improved sleep, lower blood pressure, increased cardiovascular fitness, and reduced risk or delayed progression of some chronic illnesses. Incorporating higher-intensity exercise into your regimen will increase your calorie burn while amplifying these advantages. ACE suggests raising your speed, range of motion, or the amount of weight you use for strength-training exercises to raise the intensity of your workouts.

 

The bottom line is that you should avoid worrying excessively about things that are beyond your control. The most essential thing is to find sorts of activity that are fun and seem sustainable, as exercise has numerous benefits beyond simply burning calories. The best sort of exercise for a person is ultimately determined by their goals, physical fitness, and ability.