Running is an accessible and effective strategy for weight loss, especially when combined with a balanced diet, quality sleep, and other healthy habits. It burns calories and fat while increasing endurance, and requires minimal equipment - just a good pair of running shoes. This article explores how running can aid weight loss, covering different types of running and how they contribute to overall wellness.
Why Running is Effective for Weight Loss
Running helps you lose weight by elevating your heart rate, leading to increased energy expenditure and the burning of calories and fat. While walking is also beneficial, studies indicate that running burns more energy. However, factors like walking speed and incline can influence the calorie burn. Walking at a steep incline can provide a similar burn to running on a flat road, and walking three miles a day can be more effective than running one mile a day. Walking can also prevent weight gain, especially for women as their metabolism slows with age.
Cardiovascular exercises like running are linked to reduced belly fat. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) can decrease overall abdominal fat in women with obesity by targeting both visceral and subcutaneous fat. Visceral fat lines the internal organs in the abdominal cavity, while subcutaneous fat accumulates under the skin. HIIT workouts are effective for burning more calories in a single session. Incorporating interval training into your running routine involves alternating between intense sprints and recovery periods of walking or jogging.
Research suggests that running can suppress appetite and increase metabolic rate. During cardio workouts, the body reduces levels of acylated ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite. In men, intense workouts increase peptide YY, another hormone that reduces appetite. The afterburn effect, where the body continues to burn calories after the workout, is another benefit of running for weight loss.
The Health Benefits of Running
Beyond weight loss, running offers numerous health benefits. General guidelines recommend two and a half to five hours of moderate-intensity exercise or about an hour and 15 minutes of vigorous-intensity workouts per week, spread out over three to six days. These benefits include:
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- Healthier Heart: As a cardiovascular exercise, running lowers blood pressure and cholesterol.
- Higher Lung Capacity: Running makes breathing easier over time.
- Reduced Risk of Chronic Diseases: Running is associated with a lower risk of certain cancers and other chronic illnesses.
- Improved Insulin Sensitivity: Running helps control blood glucose levels.
- Better Mental Health: Running produces mood-boosting and pain-relieving hormones.
Running also supports strength training by building strong muscles. Strength training exercises such as squats, weight lifting, lunges, planks, crunches, and push-ups are recommended two days a week for maintaining good health.
Running vs. Other Forms of Cardio
Running burns more calories than most other forms of exercise due to the increased effort of the heart. However, it also carries potential drawbacks such as knee, ankle, shin, and foot injuries, as well as risks from trips and falls.
Other forms of cardio include:
- Cycling: A lower-impact option suitable for beginners. Biking fast uphill can provide a similar burn to jogging.
- Climbing Stairs: Can burn many calories and build muscle with more resistance than running.
- Walking: Walking briskly at an incline can boost calorie burn.
- Swimming: High resistance in water provides a solid calorie burn and works more upper body muscles than running.
- Dancing: A fun way to get in cardio while working underused muscle groups.
- Elliptical: A low-impact machine that is gentle on the joints, while still increasing heart rate.
Types of Running
Different types of running can help with weight loss, muscle building, and overall wellness:
- Base Runs: Runs at a normal pace to build fitness and endurance.
- Long Runs: Extended base runs to supplement regular training.
- Progression Runs: Runs that start at a base pace and gradually increase in speed.
- Intervals: Incorporating quick sprints into slower-paced runs to increase mileage and calorie burn.
- Hill Repeats: Fast, quick runs uphill to build muscle and increase endurance.
- Tempo Runs: Running as fast as possible for as long as possible to improve speed and endurance.
- Recovery Runs: Shorter runs at an easy pace for light cardio benefits.
Tips for Starting a Running Program
Beginners should start slowly to reduce the risk of injury and prevent burnout. Here’s how to build up to running:
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- Start with Walking: Build endurance and strengthen muscles with brisk walking before jogging.
- Experiment: Find out what works best for you, whether it’s running outside or on a treadmill.
- Warm-Up: Prepare for a run by walking or jogging slowly and stretching daily.
- Gear Up: Wear proper running sneakers and apparel, and consider using earbuds for music.
Nutrition and Running
While some research suggests that people with obesity can lose weight by running without changing their diet, most studies indicate that a healthy eating plan is more effective.
Tips for nutrition to accompany running workouts:
- Cut out refined carbohydrates and low-fiber foods.
- Eat more meals and snacks high in protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs.
- Drink plenty of water.
If running and mindful eating do not yield weight loss results, consult with a healthcare provider about additional options.
Is Running the Best Way to Lose Weight?
Running can be an effective and efficient way to lose weight. One study indicated that running burns more calories than most other forms of exercise. However, potential drawbacks include knee, ankle, shin, and foot injuries.
Is Walking or Running Better for Weight Loss?
Running is generally more effective for weight loss due to the higher calorie burn in a shorter time. A 160lb person burns approximately 606 calories per hour running at a 5 mph pace, compared to 314 calories per hour walking at a 3.5 mph pace. One study showed that running can result in 90% more weight loss over several years than walking.
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However, walking can also be effective for weight loss as long as you’re mindful of your calorie intake. Research shows that walking for 30 minutes 5 days a week is just as effective as walking for 60 minutes 5 days a week when combined with a calorie deficit.
Both walking and running have similar health benefits, such as reducing the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and possibly coronary heart disease.
Is Running Better for Losing Belly Fat?
Running is more effective for losing belly fat. One study found that individuals who ran 20 miles per week at a vigorous pace lost more visceral fat and overall body fat than those who walked 12 miles per week.
Tips for Making Running Easier
If you decide to incorporate running into your weight loss efforts, here are some ways to make it easier and reduce the risk of injury and burnout:
- Start Slow: Build up to running longer distances and for longer unbroken periods.
- Wear Proper Footwear: Get a pair of shoes that suits the shape of your foot, your stride, and your body weight.
- Don’t Rely Only on Running: Incorporate different cardio machines and forms of exercise to prevent overuse injuries.
- Accept That Running Is Uncomfortable: Running is physically and mentally challenging, and even the best runners have days where they struggle.
How to Make Walking More Challenging
If you’re hesitant to start running but walking feels too easy, there are several ways you can make walking more challenging:
- Change Your Incline: Walking at an incline is more difficult than walking on a flat road.
- Wear a Weighted Vest: Wearing a weighted vest increases your VO2 max and improves your core strength.
- Incorporate Intervals: Alternate between walking at a faster pace and walking at a slower recovery pace.
The Role of Cardio Exercise
Cardio exercise is beneficial not only for weight loss but also for overall health and well-being. Some of the many benefits of cardio exercise are that it:
- Helps lower blood pressure.
- Increases HDL cholesterol.
- Can help improve sleep quality.
- Improves symptoms of depression.
- Improves memory and brain health.
The Importance of Strength Training
While cardio exercises like walking and running are fantastic for burning calories and fat, incorporating strength training can amplify your results. Strength training helps build muscle, which in turn increases your resting metabolic rate, meaning you burn more calories even when not exercising. This combination is also beneficial for overall body composition, endurance, and health.
Weight Loss Apps
Several weight loss apps can support your running and healthy eating habits:
- MyFitnessPal: A nutrition tracker with a large food database.
- Lose It: Offers multiple ways to track meals and provides macronutrient tracking.
- Nourishly: Focuses on recording emotions, hunger levels, and fullness levels to promote mindful eating.
- MyNetDiary: Allows customization of the home screen and provides a food score to help users make healthy choices.
- Fooducate: Grades food items and provides alternative options.
- Lifesum: Tracks calories and monitors daily, weekly, and monthly goals.
- WW (Weight Watchers): Uses a point system to encourage portion control and healthy food choices.
- Noom: Uses a psychology-based approach with personal coaching.
- My Diet Coach: Offers a whimsical and motivational approach with daily challenges.
- Rise: Connects users with registered dietitians for expert feedback.