But what you may not know is that running is one of the best exercises you can choose if you want to shed pounds and get fit. Running burns more calories than most other exercises, and it offers numerous other health benefits as well.
There's no time like the present to get started. So, strap on your ASICS, consult with your doctor, and keep reading to learn more about how running can help you lose weight.
Why Choose Running for Weight Loss?
We know running helps you burn calories, but it may offer some other benefits in the weight loss department. High-intensity running and high-intensity interval training can actually help burn calories, even after your workout is finished. That's because you use more muscles during these types of runs, and your body uses more energy — or calories — to recover.
And while you can't target weight loss to certain parts of your body, studies have shown that running does tend to help you burn belly fat that's often hard to get rid of otherwise. In some cases, running can even help suppress your appetite, though the exact reason why isn't known.
What Are Some Other Health Benefits of Running?
If you're not yet sold, think about this: Running offers dozens of other health benefits. For example, there's a common myth that running is bad on your joints, but the truth is that it can actually strengthen knees, hips, and ankles.
Running can also provide the following benefits:
1. Boost your confidence
2. Expand your lifespan
3. Improve your cardiovascular health
4. Improve your mental health
5. Improve your sleep
6. Keep your eyes healthy and prevent cataracts
7. Lower your blood sugar
8. Reduce your risk of cancer
9. Reduce your risk of falling or having accidents as you age
10. Relieve stress
11. Stimulate your brain, including memory
12. Strengthen your bones
Should I Adjust My Diet if I Run to Lose Weight?
Both losing weight and beginning a running routine will require you to make some adjustments to your diet. To lose weight healthily, you may need to burn between 3,500 and 7,000 more calories than you consume each week.
Avoid making these two common diet mistakes:
1. Eating more junk food because you assume you've burned more calories and can afford it. This can actually lead to weight gain or stall your weight loss.
2. Not eating enough. If you eat too few calories, your body becomes desperate for energy, which causes it to store fat and eat away at your muscles instead.
In order to make sure you're eating enough but not overdoing it, try keeping a journal of what you eat each day. Eat five or six smaller meals throughout the day, and replace some of your carbohydrates with protein. Also, skip the sugary drinks, and rely on water for hydration.
Should I Incorporate Other Types of Exercise?
If all you do is run the same routes each day, you'll definitely lose weight in the beginning. But you may eventually find that the scale stops moving. If you're doing everything else right, you probably just need to mix things up a bit. Throwing in some other types of exercise, like swimming, cycling, or dance classes, can help boost your metabolism, build new muscles, and help you stay motivated to keep going.
Taking some time for strength training, like weight lifting, is also important. Just adding a strength training routine to your workout two to three times a week can help build lean muscle. The stronger your muscles, the more calories you'll burn, the better you'll run and the less likely you are to suffer from running injuries.
What About Interval Training?
For a beginner, running may mean strapping on your ASICS and taking off down your neighborhood sidewalk every morning. But you may lose more weight by understanding that not all running is the same. Once you get the hang of things, try mixing up your workout a little bit.
As we mentioned, high-intensity interval training — sometimes referred to as HIIT — can actually help you burn more calories. Studies have shown that just 15 minutes of interval training is more beneficial than running on a treadmill for an hour.
So, what exactly is interval training? Basically, it's combining bursts of high-energy exercise with periods of less intense exercise within the same workout. For example, you may jog for three minutes, run as fast as you can for one minute and then jog for three minutes again and repeat.
How Do I Get Started Running for Weight Loss?
So, now that you know that running can help you with weight loss, how do you get started? The short answer is to start slow. If you don't, you could end up sick or injured, and you may lose your motivation.
During the first couple of weeks, alternate jogging and walking every other minute for about 15 to 16 minutes. Aim for at least three days a week. As you feel more comfortable, work your way up to 30 minutes, and try running or jogging for 2 minutes and walking for 1 or 2 minutes in between each 2-minute running interval.
After the first month, try jogging for 3 minutes and walking for 1 minute in between each 3-minute interval. Continue steadily working towards your time and distance goals.