Running for Weight Loss

Health & FitnessWeight-Loss

  • Author Brian Adams
  • Published January 1, 2010
  • Word count 564

Running for weight loss... that is, maximum weight loss in minimum time is elusive for most people. Why? You're doing it wrong. If you're putting in hours and hours of running, but not getting any kind of weight loss whatsoever.

Running also aid in burning fat because it has to carry a lot of weight. Specifically, the weight of your head and of your hind quarters will be pulled (slightly) by gravity when you start running. In order for your body to remain in proper posture, it pulls your head and rear against the force of gravity and makes your posture symmetrical.

For one thing, successful weight loss stories always have two components: exercise and diet. They are, after all, the main building stones to work out how much calories you burn and how much calories you take in. And it is simple. Just burn more calories than you take in and you will lose weight.

The big tip for running is to use high intensity intervals... short bursts of all out 90% or higher capacity running for 10 seconds at a time. After each one of those sprints, then you can either walk or jog slowly for the next 50 seconds until you repeat the sprint again. Do 10-20 of these 2-3 times a week... depending on how your body is handling it.

If you really want to see the fat burn off your body, don't just stay on the treadmill for 10 or 20 minutes. The real benefit comes in when you stay there longer than 30 minutes, that's where the fat really starts to melt off and you start to work up a sweat. If you're not sweating a good amount at the end of the workout, you haven't pushed yourself hard enough.

Thus you run into a paradox that you would've weighted less if you did not run at all. There was an article on a new site a while ago about a guy who came to this realization after years of running to lose weight.

Once in a while is okay, but too much will hinder your efforts as well as your overall heath. If you need to, having one junk food day a week will minimize the damage.

Also, make sure to jot down everything you consume in a journal, and keep this up for two to three weeks; often times looking at the foods you eat will make it much more obvious the areas you need to change.

Choose a distance or a time goal. For example, 30 minutes or three miles. In the beginning, it's important to choose one or the other but not both. Time is often the most effective goal because the recommendation is to exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes a day to achieve maximum health benefits.

People who run frequently are often in better shape when it comes to cardiovascular health than those who do not. Your heart is important. Jogging is an excellent way to keep your heart toned and conditioned. The more often you jog, the better your heart will be able to deal with potential problems that come your way.

Running builds muscles in your legs and since muscle tissue is metabolically active, the more of it you have, the higher your resting metabolism will be. So even on a rest day you will burn more calories than you did before you started your running regimen.

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