Running is a great form of exercise, but if you haven’t exercised for a while, and need to lose a lot of weight, start your exercise program with walking, rather than running, and do see a doctor for a health check first.
Running is said to burn 100 calories a mile, and while that seems a lot, you need a calorie deficit of 3500 in order to lose one pound.
Obviously, you are not going to do this in a single day. But over the course of a week, if you burn 500 calories more than you eat each day, you will lose that pound.
Obviously, it’s not enough to lose weight running. You will also have to modify your diet to start shedding pounds. You should combine the exercise with a healthy diet.
Keep in mind that runners have special nutritional needs. Serious runners should have 60 to 65 percent of their calories in carbohydrates because they are the best source of energy for those who work out strenuously. Protein provides energy and also helps to repair muscle tissue damaged during training. It should make up 15 to 20 percent of your daily intake. Fat doesn’t have any specific utility for high exercise people and should be limited to no more than 25 percent of your diet.
Don’t overcompensate by eating more when you are trying to lose weight running. Some runners find that they gain weight when they run more because of the extra calories they consume. If this is a problem for you, keep a food diary and track all of the calories you take in.
You shouldn’t skip meals when using running as a means to drop pounds. Also, you should eat something small before and after you train so that your body has the energy to work out. Plan these snacks into your overall calorie consumption for the day. Also, make sure you are well hydrated. In addition to drinking water regularly throughout the day, make sure you drink water before, during, and after the run.
After you run, you want to replenish your energy as quickly as possible. Studies have shown that muscles are most receptive to rebuilding stored glucose within the first 30 minutes after exercise. If you eat within this time period, you can minimize muscle stiffness and soreness. The best food to eat has one gram of protein for every 3 grams of carbs. Many sports bars follow this formula. A bagel with peanut butter or a smoothie made with fruit and yogurt also fit the bill.
The next step in losing weight by running is to run regularly. It’s not enough to get started, you need to exercise on a regular schedule. Shoot for at least 3 times a week, but it is even better if you can run every day.
Incorporate speed work or interval training in your running. Speed work will help you burn a lot of calories in a very short period. This also increases your muscle mass which in turn increases your metabolism helping you to burn calories throughout the day, even when you are not exercising.
If you keep these principles in mind, you will lose weight running.
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