Elwell, Walter A. Entry for 'Will'. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. . 1997.
see metabolic rate. basal metabolism. the minimal energy expended for the maintenance of respiration, circulation, peristalsis, muscle tonus, body temperature, glandular activity and the other vegetative functions of the body. See also metabolic rate.
The number of calories your body uses to carry out these basic functions is known as your basal metabolic rate â what you might call metabolism. Several factors determine your individual basal metabolic rate, including: 1  Your body size and composition. 2  The bodies of people who are larger or have more muscle burn more calories, even at rest. 3  Your sex. 4  Men usually have less body fat and more muscle than do women of the same age and weight, burning more calories.