Running To Lose Weight
Those who choose to lose weight by incorporating running into their exercise program often find themselves with great success. Running burns more calories for time spent exercising than most, if not all, other forms of exercise.
Interested in using running as a means of losing weight? Here are some tips. First, if you are just starting a weight loss program or just starting to run, consult your health care provider to make sure you do not have any medical conditions that should prevent you from running. Weight Loss is about healthy eating Running may burn calories, but to lose weight you must also include a healthy eating plan. To lose weight you need to be using more calories than you take in by eating and drinking. Know how many calories you are eating (keep a journal of everything you eat for two weeks and count up calories, fat grams, carbohydrates and proteins), learn how many calories you should be eating (find out using a daily calorie counter like this one), and calculate how many fewer calories you need to reduce daily to help you lose weight. Learn to eat the better foods, which will not only help you lose weight, but will also fuel you properly for your runs. Exercise and healthy eating together make great results. Run with a purpose Going out and just running without a plan or a purpose isn’t the best way to run. Sure you are exercising, and yes you are burning calories, but to achieve great results you need to have a program with goals and monitor your progress. If you are incorporating running into a program that includes other means of exercise such as weight training or yoga, mark out your running days from your other exercise days. Don’t forget to include rest days for resting and recovery. If running is your only form of exercise, break your week into run days to make sure you are not running too much or too little. If you are new to running altogether, take it slow. Let your body build a base and good foundation. If you have never run or are getting back into running after a long layoff, your body needs to adapt. Take it easy and you will see improvements in your running. Know your running pace Understanding how fast you are running is easy if you use a treadmill. The treadmill setting provides you with your speed and should also let you know the pace. Running outside, however, you may not know. To get your pace, measure out the distance in a route, say at half mile and one mile. Run that distance a few times with a watch and note the times you past the half mile and one mile markers. After a couple of runs, you should get an idea of your pace for each of those distances (if only a half-mile, then multiply by 2 for an estimated time for a mile). Knowing how fast you run can help you when it comes time to change up your running program to increase muscle, burn more calories or improve your speed. Change up your running exercise Like any exercise program if you do the same exercises over an over again, at the same pace or distance, you body will eventually get used to it and hit a plateau. Changing your routine will keep your body working, shocking your metabolism and muscles, getting you continued benefits. Once you’ve established a solid base, normally about running constantly for 20 minutes, you could include some speed work that may include faster intervals or repeats (run faster for a certain distance followed by walking and then repeated). Running faster burns more calories. Add hill running to your workout to increase your muscle development. Run up a hill, walk down and repeat. Running hills build leg strength. Every week or two, look to add mileage. If you mind yourself struggling a little, incorporate some walking into your new mileage and look to reduce the walking each time you run. Don’t expect overnight results Experts state that safe weight loss is about ½ pound to 2 pounds per week. Although some people will achieve more, understand that it is not going to happen immediately. Be patient, stick to your program and if you do hit a plateau, make some changes in both your running program and your eating. A slight change can make a difference. Do you have a success story about weight loss and running? We would love to hear about it! Check out our Real Runners…Real People Profiles and let us know if you want to be profiled on our website. |
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John Jankowski
44 years old In May 2010, John Jankowski decided he was going to take up running to lose weight. With a starting weight of 252 lbs., John hadn’t run since high school when he had to run 1 ½ miles every year for gym class. Choosing to follow the Couch to 5K program, John ran his first 5K race in September of 2010. His weight at race time was 205 lbs. and his finishing time was 30:20. Experiencing a setback due to injury during his first year of running, John never gave up, worked through the injury, and throughout 2011 ran several 5Ks, a 5 miler and his first 10K, exactly one year later from his first race. John is continuing his running and has his goals for 2012 in place, with a possible half-marathon at the two-year anniversary of his first 5K. John’s Personal Bests 5K: 28:30 (Sept 2011) 10K: 1:03:39 (Sept 2011) Read John's complete Real People...Real Runner Profile including his tips on motivation and starting a running program. |
Disclaimer
This site is for informational and educational purposes only. The information contained herein does not constitute the rendering of medical advice or the provision of any treatment or treatment recommendations. Any medical related decision, including whether or not you are healthy enough to run should be made in consultation with your qualified health care provider. Consult a trained and licensed health care provider prior to starting any exercise program.
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You2CanRun.com provides various links to running equipment, books, materials and other products and information. Many of these links include affiliate programs, where You2Canrun.com receives compensation for displaying information, sending readers to these links and/or visitors purchasing from some of these sites. Compensation is direct from the merchant and prices ARE NOT increased in order to support any affiliation with You2CanRun.com. Prices and Purchases are made direct from the merchant and not through this website.
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