Over the last few decades, it has become clear through scientific research that weight loss is not simply a matter of calories in/calories out. That said, research has also shown that those who regularly exercise are more likely to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight over time.
One 2023 study, for example, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, found that American adults who achieved clinically significant weight loss (more than 5 percent of their weight) within a 12-month period had greater levels of physical activity than those who didnât exercise. They also had better diet quality.
Running provides a pretty perfect way to stay consistently active, considering you can just lace up and head out the door. Here, experts explain how to make the most of running for weight loss, and other lifestyle factors to pay attention to, too.
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How Running Can Help You Lose Weight
Experts recommend running for weight loss for a few reasons. First, itâs accessible. Second, itâs a vigorous form of physical activity that burns calories, builds muscle, and boosts your mood.
âYou just need a pair of decent shoes, some creativity, and maybe a friend or two to develop a walking or running plan,â Daniel OâConnor, Ph.D., professor of health and human performance at the University of Houston tells Runnerâs World. âItâs less expensive than joining a gym or having a personal trainer.â
Thatâs a big deal considering time and opportunity are some of the biggest hurdles people face when trying to make fitness a priority. âEveryone is dealing with full schedules and competing priorities, so itâs often difficult to add something new to your routine without trading something else out,â OâConnor says.
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Youâll still need to shift some things around to make running a serious part of your life, but being able to run right out your front door, free of charge, eliminates some very real roadblocks.
Still, running for weight loss is a little more complicated than hitting the pavement and hoping the pounds melt away. Here are seven science-backed strategies to support your running for weight loss efforts.
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7 Ways to Support Your Running for Weight Loss Efforts
1. Focus on the Runnerâs High
The runnerâs high is real, and if you give running a chance, say for just a few weeks, youâll feel that jolt of feel-good hormones that make you want to keep going.
To prove the runnerâs high, a Journal of Experimental Biology study showed that running releases endocannabinoids, which are associated with pleasure and could keep you coming back for more.
Donât worry if the idea of a runnerâs high feels more distant than a marathon finish-line. You just need to move past the point in which running feels really hard and into the phase where itâs your new favorite activity. To do that, start slow and gradually build up your mileage and your speed.
âYour body is made to run, but you wonât have the conditioning if you never do it,â Angela Rubin, USAT level I triathlon coach tells Runnerâs World. âWork your way up by running regularly and it should start to feel more natural over a month.â
You also donât need to run for hours to see the positive effects of running, whether thatâs the mood boost or weight loss. Instead, consider starting with walk intervals, mixed with running, to incorporate high-intensity bursts of movement and work your way up to longer run intervals. This is an effective strategy both to become a runner and to lose weight.
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2. Understand the Runnerâs Diet
Think of it this way: Rather than dieting for weight loss, make sure you plan your diet around the healthy nutritional recommendations for athletes, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.
âMost people overestimate the calories they burn on a run,â says Rubin. As a very general estimation, you burn about 100 calories per mile (use this calculator to determine how many calories you burn based on your weight). So if you run two or three miles, youâll burn about 200 to 300 caloriesâa solid workout.
âWeight loss is about creating a caloric imbalance, where youâre using slightly more calories than youâre consuming, say 200 calories per day,â OâConnor says. If losing weight is your ultimate goal, keeping your portions in check can come in handy.
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However, itâs still important to know that you do need calories to perform on your runs and focusing on counting calories isnât the best way to lose weight. Instead, take that holistic approach to your nutrition, aiming to get a mix of macronutrients that fuel your runs, and looking to whole foods to fill your plate.
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3. Consider the Number of Days You Run
Yes, athletes are constantly optimizing their training plans and race-day strategies, but you donât need to go crazy if youâre just starting out. Many factors come into play when determining how many days a week you need to run for weight lossâor any goal for that matterâbut you donât want to go from zero days to seven days a week.
âWhen it comes to weight loss, moving and burning calories are what matters,â OâConnor says. âIf you like sprints, which have a higher rate of calories burned per minute, then have at it; but if you prefer walking or slower jogging, youâll just need to spend more time to burn those calories.â In other words, you could start with intervals just a couple days a week (even walk/run intervals) and then gradually build up to more days or more time on your feet.
That said, a Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise study found that runners lost more weight than walkers over a six-year period, possibly because of the afterburn effect. âRunning at a high intensity will create an afterburn, which is when your body continues to burn calories when youâre no longer moving,â Rubin says. She suggests starting with three 30-minute runs a week, adding in sprints of 30 seconds then recovering for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
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4. Push the Intensity When Running for Weight Loss
Most physical activity guidelines tend to emphasize duration of exercise when it comes to weight lossâi.e. the more miles you run, the more calories youâll burn. Turns out, though, that short workouts may be just as beneficial as long runs, at least when it comes to fat burn.
A 2019 review of the scientific literature found that interval training (four minutes of high-intensity work followed by three minutes of recovery was the most commonly used routine in the studies reviewed) provided 28.5 percent greater reductions in total absolute fat mass than moderate-intensity continuous training.
HIIT workouts are generally much shorter than steady state runs. In fact, you can get the same fitness and metabolic benefits from two minutes of really hard running (i.e. four 30-second max-effort sprints followed by four and a half minutes of recovery for a total of 20 minutes) as 30 minutes at a moderate pace, according to a 2018 study from the American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.
That doesnât mean you should only do high-intensity interval training; any good training plan will consist of a variety of running paces, all of which have their own benefits. But if weight loss is a priority for you, donât skip your sprints!
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5. Make Strength Training a Part of Your Routine
Cross-training is important for a few reasons: First off, it makes you a stronger runner and reduces your risk of injury. âRunning is only hard on your joints if you donât have the muscle to support them,â Rubin says.
Secondly, lifting can help you lose weight, because it helps you build muscle. âThe more lean muscle mass you have, the more calories youâll burn at rest,â she says. Thatâs right, more muscle means more burned calories when youâre just sitting around.
Get started with strength training by doing bodyweight exercises to get movements down, then work your way up to adding in weights.
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6. Schedule Morning Runs for Weight Loss
According to research, people who exercise in the morning are more successful at losing weight than those who worked out at night. In the study, researchers divided 48 women into two groupsâone that did aerobic exercise in the morning for six weeks, and another who worked out in the eveningâand asked them to record what they ate during the period. The results found that the early bird exercisers consumed less calories throughout the day and ultimately lost more weight than the night owls.
Other studies have found that exercising in a fasted stateâi.e., running before you eat breakfast in the morningâburns more fat than running after eating (though there are some real caveats). If you are heading out on an empty stomach, though, aim for a shorter and easier route, so youâll avoid bonking midway through. Itâs crucial not to go on a long or high-intensity run under-fueled.
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7. Donât Forget About Quality Sleep
While maintaining good habits during the dayâeating well, exercising regularlyâare crucial for weight loss, resting at night is just as important for keeping off the pounds. In a study published by Plos One journal, researchers found that people who skimped on sleep were more likely to have higher body mass indexes and larger waist circumferences than those who got adequate shut-eye.
The good news is, running may help you fall asleep easier and sleep more deeply. Numerous studies have found that daily aerobic exerciseâspecifically the moderate to intense type, like cardio and strength trainingâimproves our sleep quality, which helps us avoid the consequences of sleep deprivation such as increased risk of cardiovascular disease and metabolism issues.
If you run in the evening, make sure to leave enough time before bed to let your body temperature and heart rate lower, so you donât feel too revved up to fall asleep.
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