Is Running the Best Way to Lose Weight?
There are a lot of speculation about, whether running is the best way to lose weight, or whether good weight-loss results can be achieved without this hard and exhausting exercise. In my opinion it is one of the best (if not the best), because it offers strong and long-term fat-loss results, keeps the whole body physically fit (the next stage, after losing weight), and may play an important role for our overall health condition. Here are in short some of the benefits, which may motivate you to start running, or try harder, if you are already practicing it.
Benefits of Running to Start Losing Weight and for General Health
As a general exercise, it is a natural way to burn the excess body fat, and respectively it’s a long-term and healthy process.
Running engages all the major muscle groups in the body and keeps us physically strong and fit – from head to toe. It works highly efficiently to shape and strengthen the legs, harden abdominal muscles and fights with the stubborn belly-fat layers.
It can deliver faster results. As running (like swimming) engages the whole body, it takes much efforts to perform, respectively greater number of calories are expended. This makes running hard, but strong method for melting body fat.
Regular cardio exercise will train the respiratory and the cardiovascular systems (especially the heart), which inevitably leads to better health and lower risk of developing certain diseases regarding these systems.
Tips for Better Results
For beginners, if you intend to start running to lose weight, remember that the body likes and corresponds adequately to small, gradual changes, while any drastic changes may lead to undesired traumas, or injuries. If you are just starting and don’t feel stronger enough, you may start by walking or jogging. Gradually your body will become efficient to higher levels of physical activity, and you may start confidently with running at short distances, and advance with time.
Do fat burners accelerate the weight loss process? Having a fat burning food or beverage may accelerate the whole process indeed, but take note: if you drink a cup of coffee or green tee (popular beverages with fat-burning properties, due to the content of caffeine) – allow yourself at least 40 minutes, for them to be completely metabolized by the body before start running. Otherwise you risk running at full belly, which is not advisable.
The time for running. Different opinions here! According to some people best results are achieved through cardio exercises in the morning, before breakfast, others think that its best to perform in the late afternoon, but in case you are not a professional athlete, you may just consider one simple rule: do not run at full belly. You can do it whenever you have any free time, just make sure it is before your meal, or long after you had it.
Running more miles, means losing more weight! It seems logically, but it’s not the whole truth. The more miles you run the more monotonous your movement rate will be and the more efficient your body will become to what you are doing. This will result in a specific situation, where the body will begin to spend less calories. The key for lasting results is to always make changes. You can alter days of running at longer distances at slower rate, with running for shorter distance at increased intensity. Also doing it on grass, asphalt or sand can make the difference.
As you can see running at regular basis may help you to lose weight faster and in the long-term, but its effects are even more fruitful, if combined with healthy eating – improved eating habits and better food choices.
