I went to PHD Health in Millers Road to get my metabolism tested and to establish a baseline. As I get older, there are a lot of factors that influence my training and, more importantly, my nutrition. My baseline metabolism, fat metabolism, etc. play an important role in how I feel, how I train and consequently, how I perform in races.

I had hoped to understand my resting metabolic rate, body composition and VO2max. I didn’t get a chance to do the VO2max test or my muscle strength, fast vs. slow twitch muscle recruitment, etc. But it was still an important learning experience.

Among the most important things I learned were:
1. My Resting Metabolic rate is low. So, I have slower than average metabolism (this might explain why I tend to put on weight really quickly if I am not training or if I have a week off). I’m about 13% below average for my age a, gender, height, etc. And this is for the whole population, so I’m certainly significantly lower compared to athletes.
2. My metabolism is mostly a result of carbohydrates (87.2%) and only minimally using fats (12.8%). So, I need to work on endurance (burning fat) by working on both aerobic sessions and changing my diet.
3. I have lower than average bone density – this is partly because I have very low Vit D (which I am taking supplements for, but need to watch). I was also recommended to incorporate weight training and resistance exercises to prevent further bone density loss.
4. Body fat % is high – this could be because of my diet (lots of carbs), not enough strength training, and genetic factors (South Indians are usually very prone to putting on high % of fat).

All this means that (as I had suspected), I am working off a distinctly disadvantageous position. So, I need to focus on a well-structured diet, monitoring Vit D & Calcium levels, building bone density through resistance & weight training, and redressing the body fat percentages.