This page is intended educate readers who may be unfamiliar with some terms used in the realm of and/or to describe aspects of human nutrition and exercise. Recognizing these terms and knowing their definitions are extremely helpful in understanding certain concepts related to this field of study.
calorie: a calorie is a unit of energy. In nutrition, calories refer to the energy people get from the food and drink they consume, and the energy they use in physical activity.
basal metabolic rate (BMR): the number of calories you burn as your body performs basic (basal) life-sustaining function; the amount of energy required to maintain current body shape/size/weight that excludes any physical activity performed during the day
malnutrition: malnutrition is an imbalance between the nutrients your body needs to function and the nutrients it gets. It can mean undernutrition or overnutrition. Ex: You can be malnourished from an overall lack of calories, or you might have a protein, vitamin or mineral deficiency. You might also have more excess calories than your body knows what to do with.
macronutrients: nutrients that people regularly require in large quantities to provide their body with energy to perform bodily functions and daily activities – carbohydrates, proteins, lipids (fats), water
micronutrients: the term micronutrients refers to vitamins and minerals, which can be divided into macrominerals, trace minerals and water- soluble and fat-soluble vitamins. An adequate amount of micronutrients often means aiming for a balanced diet.
metabolism: the chemical reactions in the body’s cells that change food into energy. Our bodies need this energy to do everything from moving to thinking to growing
Figure 1: Diagram that illustrates the bodily process (metabolism) by which energy stored in foods we eat is converted to energy that our body uses to function properly (ATP). (Image credit: BYJU’S)
compound movement: any exercise that require the use/movement of more than one joint. Ex: bench press, squat, deadlift, etc.
hypertrophy: the increase in the volume of an organ or tissue. This term is usually related to a certain rep-range and training method used for mainly growing muscle.
Sources for definitions of terms as well as images on this page can be found on the Sources & Ideas section.