It is tempting to think that running is a magic form of exercise that melts the weight you are trying to lose. We are told running is the best way to burn calories, and weight drops when you begin running, we hear. There are even some runners who believe that running makes them lose weight.
The idea that running can lead to weight loss is alive and fuelled by stories of running-to-lose workouts and articles celebrating the effects of running on weight loss for years. Running for weight loss isn’t the best exercise or activity when it comes to weight loss, but it works for many and it is worth trying. Running can help you lose weight when combined with a healthy diet, flexible, and easy to start.
According to Natalie Rizzo, a registered dietitian from New York City who works with daily athletes, running is a great way to lose weight because it burns a lot of calories. We know that weight loss is a process of working on a negative energy balance which means that you burn more calories than you consume and running can help you reach that goal. There are billions of benefits of running, including weight loss, but there’s no reason to ignore your diet if you’re trying to lose it.
Running burns calories faster than sprinting or lifting weights, resulting in more muscle. Weight training can become part of their regular routine because you burn calories faster than strength training and your increased muscle mass will increase your mileage. Walking and running for weight loss can also help burn calories for the body, and depending on the intensity of the workout, they can help reduce abdominal fat.
The inclusion of interval training in your running plan for weight loss can help you save a ton of calories in a short time. Running at high intensity creates an afterburn, so your body burns calories even when you’re not moving, Rubin says. Davis adds that a 1-mile run that takes a new runner 10 minutes to complete is likely to have little to no weight loss or cardiovascular health but it’s a positive start.
The statistics came from the Weight Loss Control Registry, a research group that studies people who lost weight and have maintained weight loss to the point where they need to burn 2,800 calories a week through exercise to lose weight. Long-term studies have shown that the calories burned while running can cause 90% more weight loss than those burned while walking. Research by the University of Tampa has shown that endurance training, such as 45 minutes on a treadmill at a steady pace but not with maximum effort (think sprinting), contributes to weight loss.
In fact, countless studies show that running burns more calories than weightlifting, and burns calories even after quitting, causing more body fat to melt. With proper refuelling, nutrition planning, and meals, runners can be on their way to losing weight and running faster and more efficiently over time. In this special resource guide to running for weight loss, you will learn how to run for weight loss, why diet and nutrition are critical and how you can best boost your race to have more energy for better performance.
If weight loss is your primary goal, it is not the best way to achieve results when you focus your fitness routine on stable state running (running at a low to moderate intensity at a stable pace). Hiring a running coach that can help guide you through the weight loss journey by teaching correct techniques for the same. Understanding weight loss and long-term success, including lessons on why walking more and eating less don’t help you lose weight, why your weight fluctuates throughout the day and the best ways to spread calories throughout the day can be best taught by a fitness/running coach. If you manage your daily diet, you can combine four 30-minute runs a week with a conservative diet and calorie deficit to lose weight.
A nutritionist and director of wellness and nutrition at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute, adds that the amount of calories that you burn during a run varies depending on how long and intense your workout is but says that nutrition plays a big role in making running effective. Let’s focus on how running can help you maintain a calorie deficit through eating more food so you can lose weight without feeling like you’re starving yourself. For starters, weight plays a key role in how many calories are burned while running, according to a study by Elizabeth Sadler of Vanderbilt University.
Monitoring your heart rate is crucial for running for weight loss because you know how many calories you are burning because of your increased heart rate. Research by many groups show that sprinting is a safe way to lose weight but running can also build muscle and improve metabolism. Another way running can help weight loss is supported by research published in the Journal of Obesity, where running has a beneficial effect on appetite and helps reduce food intake after exercise. Apart from running, indulging in HIIT training near you can also help in the weight loss journey.
The benefits and risks of running and walking offer various health benefits, including a healthy weight and heart health improvement, but these benefits come with risks. As with walking, you can burn calories, lose weight, and reduce your risk of heart disease while running, but there is much debate about what is better. Calories burned in your daily activities do not include the amount of exercise you do; the weight loss type you perform or meaningless tasks such as the elevator or stairs or standing or sitting at work.
