Sit. Breathe. Relax. Sounds nice and calming, right?
Now imagine that as you’re doing that, you’re also providing insights about how your metabolism is performing, including how many calories you’re burning and from what fuel sources.
This is the experience of the Resting Metabolic Assessment at Life Time. By measuring your resting metabolism, you can unlock insights about your health and create an informed plan for how best to fuel your body.
“No two people have the same calorie burn, especially when there’s coexisting metabolic barriers or hormonal stress,” says Chella Wahlin, MS, RD, LD, CSSD, registered dietitian for nutrition programs at Life Time. “You could be eating and training in ways that appear healthy, but if your metabolic burn is too high, too low, or carb-dependent, you may need to pivot for your metabolism to heal and function optimally. The only way to know is to measure through the Resting Metabolic Assessment.
“Consider how much time you spend fueling your body. Most people eat around 21 meals per week, plus other snacks, drinks, and supplements. Each decision you make can either support or hinder your metabolism, and if you don’t have the data to understand your baseline, then your strategy is guesswork.”
To learn more about this assessment, we asked Danny King, Master Trainer and director of performance and recovery at Life Time, and Wahlin, to share more about it and how the data can inform a more effective nutrition plan.
What is a Resting Metabolic Assessment?
The Resting Metabolic Assessment measures your metabolism while you’re at rest. It’s performed under the guidance of a Dynamic Nutrition Coach while you’re seated in a reclined position and calmly breathing with a mask on.
“The goal of the test is to determine how your body uses energy at rest so you can understand your baseline metabolism and how to fuel appropriately for your goals,” explains King. “Using advanced breath analysis technology, we measure how many calories your body burns while resting, along with how your body utilizes fat and carbohydrates.”
The test measures how much oxygen you’re taking in and how much carbon you’re exhaling. “Oxygen consumption is the measure of caloric consumption; the way we’re able to measure your metabolic rate is through how much oxygen your body is consuming at any given point,” says King. “Measuring the amount of carbon dioxide being exhaled helps us understand the fuel your body is using — or the ratio of fat to carbohydrates — at any given time.”
Taking this measurement at rest is important because that’s how we spend most of our day (versus active in movement). “Understanding your individual metabolic efficiency and fuel utilization in this state can help uncover hormonal or metabolic issues that could be getting in the way of your goals,” says Wahlin. The data collected from the Resting Metabolic Assessment can guide nutrition, training, and lifestyle changes to help you improve your metabolic health and see better results from your efforts.
What can be expected from the testing experience?
For the best results, you’ll receive guidelines for some prep ahead of time. It’s ideal to do the test in the morning, within the first few hours of waking, so you can be fasted; it’s recommended that you don’t consume any food or caffeine 8 to 10 hours before.
The whole experience takes 50 minutes, with the assessment itself only lasting about 15 to 20 minutes. You’ll begin by completing a brief intake with the coach performing your assessment. Together, you’ll review your goals, lifestyle, training habits, and any other factors that may impact your metabolism, such as your sleep habits or stress levels.
Next, the coach will walk you through the testing process and equipment, so you know exactly what to expect. You’ll be fitted with a comfortable SpiroFit breathing mask that’s connected to an iPad via Bluetooth. You’ll then lie back or recline in a quiet, calm environment while your breathing is measured. The assessment is passive for the individual; the intent is that over the 15 to 20 minutes it takes, you allow your body to settle into a true resting state. During this time, the coach will monitor your baseline metabolism.
Once the test is complete, the coach will review your results with you. They will explain resting caloric needs and how this information can guide your nutrition, training, and recovery decisions. You will leave the session with a clear understanding of your baseline metabolism and an accurate starting point for building a nutrition and fitness plan that supports your goals without guesswork.
What information does the Resting Metabolic Assessment provide, and how do you use the information to inform a nutrition and training plan?
The data reveal how many calories your body is currently utilizing or burning at rest, and the energy sources — fat or carbohydrates — those calories are coming from.
This information provides a clear, personalized foundation of knowledge that can guide your nutrition and training plans. This can be especially helpful when you’re striving for body-composition outcomes or long-term metabolic health. Many people have used their RMA results to inform when to push harder during their workouts, recover faster, lose body fat, gain muscle, or increase their energy.
Because the test is administered by a Dynamic Nutrition Coach, they can appropriately interpret your results and provide recommendations. “Dynamic Nutrition Coaches have the metabolic knowledge to accurately assess what the results tell us about the individual’s metabolism and how that translates into an informed plan,” says Wahlin.
How you use the information depends on your results and your goals. “If someone’s body shows it’s burning predominantly fat, that indicates their metabolism is flexible and running efficiently — this is ideal to see at rest,” explains Wahlin. “If we see their resting metabolism is not within an efficient or flexible range, however, that could potentially indicate factors such as undereating or thyroid dysfunction, for example. This is why we look at the full picture — your assessment result, plus your eating and lifestyle habits and symptoms — to shape what the results mean for you.”
Someone’s fuel usage can also be a clue about how stressed their body is, according to King. “If your body is burning a ton of carbs while at rest, it could signal that you’re stuck in fight-or-flight mode,” he says.
The data can also indicate any red flags, such as if your resting metabolism is too low or too high. “If your resting metabolism is too high, it indicates your body is likely running in overdrive and is at risk of burnout,” says Wahlin. “It can also be a sign that there could be metabolic stressors driving inflammation and short-term insulin resistance, which can lead to whole-body health issues in the long term. A low metabolic rate is representative of a sluggish metabolism, which requires specific strategies to restore.”
Your resting metabolism could also be higher or lower depending on any hormonal issues you may be experiencing.
The assessment can show how your metabolism is trending, too. “It’s possible for someone’s metabolism to look ‘normal,’ but for the data to show that they’re driving toward a really high-sugar-burn area, for instance,” shares Wahlin. “If that’s the case, it’s likely that person is going to be having serious cravings for carbs and sugar, which we can then help them curb.”
These results give you true data to work with, unlike what you’d get if you were to reference an online metabolic calculator. “That’s not going to account for someone’s actual metabolic individuality,” says Wahlin.
The assessment gives individuals a good starting point, and then if they want longer-term guidance or to fully optimize their plan, there are opportunities to continue working with a Dynamic Nutrition Coach. In addition to offering ongoing recommendations, they can also look further into any symptoms, your wellness history, and more.
Wahlin emphasizes that all results, regardless of what they are, can be empowering. “Even if the results aren’t what the member was hoping for, these are not results they’re stuck with,” she says. “This is a starting point and gives us the information we need to help get them to where they want to be. The member can take the recommendations and, if they choose to continue to work with a Dynamic Personal Trainer or Dynamic Nutrition Coach, or ideally both, they’ll then have a lot of opportunity to improve or achieve whatever their goals are.”
Who is this test for?
This test is for everyone, says Wahlin.
“Anyone wanting to improve their health can benefit from assessing this data,” she says. “It doesn’t matter if your goal is to maintain where you’re at or if you’re hoping to improve your overall nutrition or fitness, lose body fat, or gain muscle. And it doesn’t matter if you’re a recreational exerciser or a more advanced athlete. This test can be insightful for most everyone. It can also be particularly helpful if you’ve been on a plan but are not seeing the results you want.”
How often should someone do a Resting Metabolic Assessment?
Your metabolic rate can change over time. For optimal progress, Wahlin recommends testing every 12 weeks — especially if you’ve made changes to your nutrition or training.
“The Resting Metabolic Assessment can help reflect measurable metabolic changes that come from consistency with exercise and nutrition adjustments. It can help us understand what habits may be driving an increase or decrease in your metabolism. Significant fat loss or significant muscle gain can also sway your metabolic rate. It’s important to continue to understand what your baseline is if you want to continue to see optimal health outcomes.”
How is a Resting Metabolic Assessment different from an Active Metabolic Assessment?
Although the Resting Metabolic Assessment and Active Metabolic Assessment (AMA) both measure how much oxygen you consume and how much carbon dioxide you expire, the RMA measures your fuel efficiency and flexibility at rest, while the Active Metabolic Assessment shows how your body utilizes fuel for energy during exercise. The Active Metabolic Assessment determines your individual heart-rate zones, as well as other factors like your aerobic base, anaerobic threshold, and VO2 max.
“Together, having the results of both assessments creates a powerful launching pad for building an individualized nutrition and training plan to support your goals, while taking into account your current metabolic health,” says Wahlin.
How do you sign up for a Resting Metabolic Assessment?
Talk with a Dynamic Nutrition Coach or Dynamic Personal Trainer at your Life Time athletic country club. They’re available to discuss your nutrition and fitness goals and schedule the test. You can also book in the Life Time app.
