The Benefits Of Running for the Weight Loss Battle

Posted April 25, 2017 in Conditioning, Sports No Comments »

Running can help achieve that fit body you’re aiming for. Today, we will explain to you how running can be good in the battle for weight loss!

Many people strive to have a body that will impress. However, the path going there isn’t a simple battle. Many challenges will hinder you from making progress. The first thing that you should ask yourself is, are you up to the challenge?

Spartan Runners

Although running sounds like a simple exercise, its benefits will amaze you. Running has many advantages including better health, uplifted emotions, weight loss, and improved focus.

So, What Are The Benefits?

1. Running Efficiency

Running is probably the most effective and efficient way to lose calories. Just ask the athletes, sprinters and triathletes out there that have been running for years.

Happy running girlIf you try to observe, the athletes participating in professional sports or track and field are incredibly ripped and typically have low body fat. Of course these athletes typically don’t preform steady state cardio, but instead use frequent high intensity bursts.

That alone should be a good sign for you if you’re looking to lose weight. Not only is it an efficient calorie burner, but it can also be done in a fast way. You don’t need to spend many hours on a treadmill just to lose a considerable amount of calories.

A good 20 minute burst every day is enough to guarantee at least a pound’s worth of weight loss by the end of the week. Of course, you’ll still need to follow an effective diet plan to make it work.

2. Running Is Still In Effect Even At Rest

While some workouts are effective in burning calories, running is much more versatile. This is because even after you’ve stopped running, your body continues to receive benefits from the sprint.

The reason for this is the concept of the afterburn. When you perform a workout with a high intensity, your workout will stimulate more afterburn. This causes your body to lose more calories than the usual.

In the case of running, if you do it at a high intensity, you’re guaranteed to shed more calories even at rest. This is because your intense sprint will leave your resting energy expenditure (Basal Metabolic Rate, BMR) elevated for hours.

Try to think of it as outrunning the calories you burn. Since you’ve outrun your calories, they continue to “burn” even if you’re resting. They are always trying to catch up with your high intensity flash workout.

3. Running Is Easy To Access

Running is easy to access since you can do it anywhere and anytime of the day. Be it in the morning, afternoon, or even midnight, running is not picky with the schedule. This means that you have more opportunities to lose weight or get in shape.

stair running girlTake this as an example; you just ate a sundae at your local fast food chain. Now that you’re planning to go home, you’re about to ride a train or use your car.

Well, let’s say your house is just 3 miles away? And you’re looking to burn what you ate? (Well, you shouldn’t be eating a sundae in the first place).

As you can see, you have an option to run every day. Life presents you with many opportunities to lose weight through running; it’s just that you don’t consider it at times. The only question you need to ask yourself is if your shoes right for your knees and feet. Once you have proper running shoes, you will be good to go.

Unlike other calorie-burners like swimming, running can be done in an instant. And if you consider choosing a treadmill for your home, you’ll even have more chances to get those calories down!

4. Running Can Be Fun!

Running can be fun, which means weight loss can be fun too. Science has already backed up claims that the alleged “runner’s high” really does exist!

tough mudderIf you’re the type of person who enjoys the outdoors, then, by all means, go to the nearest park and run. However, if you’re someone who likes to be with others, then tagging your friend will make things a lot more interesting too.

One of the best parts about running is that you have hundreds of opportunities to participate in “fun runs”.  These typically are races with certain themes, sometimes including obstacles, that are meant to either raise charity funds or promote an advocacy. Some fun runs include:

You can join these fun runs with your friends, and that will be a big boost in your weight loss plan. You’ll be having fun interacting with lots of people, and at the same time, you’re burning all that fat!

There’s probably not a much more fun way to lose calories than to run, so find creative ways and opportunities to do so!

In a Nutshell

Almost anybody who has gone from being overweight or obese would tell you that running is the best option to burn calories. From high intensity sprints, to steady state fat burning, to low intensity active recovery, there is a running solution for everyone.

If you watch certain shows that focus on weight loss, you’ll see that a combination of intense conditioning and a proper diet is the most effective way to burn calories. Typically these strategies include resistance training as well, but conditioning, often specifically sprinting, makes up a huge portion of the initial workout design.

The convenience, efficiency, and effectiveness of running should make it the number one workout routine to do for weight loss. Just remember, running is just part of the battle. In truth, it’s one of the easier stages. With that said, have fun running!

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