After age 30, total calorie needs of physically inactive adults fall steadily throughout adulthood due to a decrease in basal metabolism. Basal metabolism may be influenced by a number of factors such as age, basal metabolism generally decreases with age and with the decrease in lean body mass. Increasing muscle mass on the other hand through exercise has the effect of increasing basal metabolic rate.
muscle contraction increases interstitial fluid pressure and compresses the blood vessels within the active muscle. As a consequence, blood flow is highest when muscles relax between successive muscle contractions.
