Thanks to its convenience, running has become one of the excellent activities one can do to lose weight. But, running for weight loss requires some methods and strategies if you want the optimal results out of it.
When incorporated with a healthy diet, a few lifestyle changes, and some other activities, you will undoubtedly get the desired outcome from running. Hence, this post will give you some foolproof tips that you could utilize to maximize the effectiveness of running for weight loss.
Overview
You may be running for months and still not satisfied with its results. Or, running might not have given you the desired outcome you hoped it would have passed. Have you ever thought why or at which point you went wrong? The most important thing is that you should not compare your results with others after running for a long period of time. Instead, understand that the mechanism and the metabolism of everyone’s body have slight differences compared to one another. Besides, try to find ways and methods that you think would boost the efficiency of your running regime. So, we have shared below some solid tips that you can use with your running for weight loss plan. These tips will be helpful for you, either you are a beginner or who is already into running for weight loss.
Top 7 Tips For Running For Weight Loss
#01- Set Your Goals
Setting your goals when you start running to lose weight is extremely important. Well-planned, pragmatic, and attainable goals will always keep you going and motivated. Your primary focus is to lose weight through running, and every other matter of fact should be woven around that purpose. Therefore, your goals should be smart enough to meet certain criteria. The following points will help you to anchor your goals.
- Short-term and long-term goals- Long-term goals support you to concentrate on the long run. But, they may appear too complicated or an extended process. Thus, splitting a long-term purpose into a set of less, short-term goals could be more effective. For example, if you need to run for 30 minutes a day, you may walk for 15 minutes on days 1 and 2, run for another 15 minutes. Then from day three onwards, you could try to run for 30 minutes.
- Setting relevant goals- This is exactly what we mentioned on top: not to compare yourself with others’ accomplishments. Some other person may have a different purpose for running, but your one should be relevant to you. If reducing weight is a priority to you, then you better focus on that and run. For example, your friend who runs may need to lose weight in 4 kg in a month. But that may not be what you want in the first place, and that is totally fine.
- Specific goals- A good goal is clear. So, plan for how many minutes or hours you would run, what you eat, what other activities you would incorporate, and what time of the day you’d allocate for your running session.
- Measurable goal-setting – If you can gauge a goal, then you can accurately decide how thriving you are at reaching the destination. Let’s take your daily calorie intake, for example. If you need to consume 1500 calories per day, you can measure it.
- Time-restriction- Choose your goal and fix a deadline, respectively. Granting yourself a deadline can encourage you to get sprung and tarry on progression. You can highlight a day on the calendar, write down a goal-weight, and try to achieve it by then.
- Reachable goal-setting- Be realistic with your goals. You know that you cannot run every day since rest is a must when you are running. Therefore, set attainable goals to avoid disappointments. And do not go for unworkable weight goals, which may end up in frustrations.
#02- Diet Changes While Running
Changes in your diet are as crucial as the concern you put into running. Some people have a misconception and tend to overload calories just because they run and sweat. But in reality, since you intend to reduce weight by running, you should consume fewer calories and burn more. That is, your body needs to be at a calorie deficit. In that case, dietary changes should be done by fueling your runs accordingly. You can follow a good diet plan prepared for runners who run to lose weight. In addition, having a well-balanced diet with less sugar, salt and cutting down on processed and junk food will benefit you in many ways. At the same time, do not forget to drink water- plenty of it!
#03- Mix Things Up
When you use running to reduce weight, you don’t necessarily stick only to one specific way of running.
According to the studies, by challenging your body with varied ways of running, you can lose weight faster. In fact, you can combine a component of movement and surprise your body. Therefore, as per the experts, do not do the same sort of running all the time. For example, if you run on the treadmill every time, you could try trail running instead. Also, this could even go the other way round. If you typically run on trails, you could try running on the treadmill occasionally. This movement will be much physically and emotionally satisfying as someone who tries to lose weight.
#04- Run With A Companion
Running with one or more people will be a real investment in your weight loss journey. Your running companion should not only be your two-legged best friend. But, it also could be your four-legged doggo bestie who will accompany you throughout your run. If you find a human companion, pick someone who boosts you to get on with the progress. This move will help you stay motivated and help to prevent weariness.
#05- Train Smart On Your Non-Running Days
To maintain the stability of your weight loss process, you will have to train wisely on the days you don’t run. Including cross-training or strength training will give you added advantages while you run. Weight-lifting, swimming, and cycling are ideal activities to be done on the days you don’t go running. This will strengthen your muscles and lower the risk of injuries. Also, Always remember that rest is necessary for your body and muscles to restore and recover. Therefore, arranging rest days accordingly is a must.
#06- High-intensity Interval Training For Running (HIIT)
The studies show that interval training is one of the most effective types of running for weight loss. The continuation of high intensity promotes your muscles’ stimulus. Thus, you can accomplish a much more significant outcome as a moderate base run in the same amount of time. Moreover, investigations have revealed that high-intensity running sessions could continue to torch calories even after you finish working out. High-intensity running like hill repeats and interval runs can burn calories up to 48 hours after working out. And, these running work many muscles and require more energy later to recover. Hence, this is often recognized as the “afterburn effect”. Research has further found that the “afterburn effect” could prompt you to burn significantly more calories over time.
#07- Choosing The Time of The Day
When should I run? This question arises in most people who want to run to lose weight. Actually, studies have many controversial answers to this particular question. However, running in the morning, mid-late afternoon, or evening have their own pros and cons. A university study has shown that running on an empty stomach in the morning burns up to 20 percent more calories than when you run at any other time of the day. And, some studies also show that training when your body temperature is at its peak (this is usually the time between 4 pm to 5 pm and maybe until 7 pm). Still, the best thing would be the time that your body is ready. That is why you need to listen to your body closely and recognize what time of the day it would be easy for your body to accomplish what you do.
A Word From Us…
You cannot see the result of something unless you take the challenge. Therefore, the same theory applies to running. Above all, running is an effective and practical way to lose weight when the right tips are utilized. You can either get the best out of the best from it or go with the flow. So, we hope you will use these tips to plan your way to running for weight loss and achieve the best results out of it. Let us know your ideas by dropping us a comment down below.
Sources and References
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER)
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/weight-loss/art-20048224
National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4852338/
National Library of Medicine
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18673303/
Northumbria University, Newcastle
https://newsroom.northumbria.ac.uk/pressreleases/lose-fat-faster-before-breakfast-1195728