6 secrets of running for weight loss you deserve to have

It's that time of year again when people with big white legs show off and it's a nightmare for those who are overweight. Many runners start running every day with the determination to lose weight or die trying.

However, you often hear some runners complain: running is useless, after running for more than half a month, they are exhausted, but they haven't lost any weight! Some even gain weight after running, feeling like they can't control their inner rage and want to roar loudly!

But before you complain, think about this: if you're not losing weight, are you running correctly?

Proper running training is excellent for weight loss, but incorrect running methods not only fail to help you lose weight but also waste a lot of time, energy, and money, and can even cause serious injuries to your body. This is not just a waste of effort but a loss instead!

So, how can you run more effectively to lose weight?

Q1: Before you complain, ask yourself, are you running enough?

To lose 1 pound of fat directly through exercise and running, you need to burn about 3800 kcal. In terms of running, you burn less than 100 kcal every 10 minutes. Clearly, the grand goal of losing weight through running cannot be achieved by just taking a short walk downstairs.

To reduce weight and body fat, you need to focus on two points: first, burn off the excess sugar intake to prevent it from turning into fat; second, achieve a state of energy metabolism that burns fat, reducing the amount of stored fat in the body.

To achieve these two points, sufficient running volume is crucial.

For people with a BMI close to or already overweight, in addition to daily intake and life energy consumption, at least 500 kcal needs to be burned through exercise to effectively lose weight. Using running time as a benchmark, we can more intuitively measure the energy consumption effect. Initially, muscle contraction mainly relies on carbohydrates for energy, but after 30 minutes of exercise, the body gradually shifts towards fat metabolism to maintain normal blood sugar balance. After about 1 hour, fat metabolism becomes dominant. Therefore, it is recommended that runners exercise for no less than 45 minutes each time. However, don't overdo it, as excessive running can affect your normal life and cause injuries due to overloading. The most reasonable exercise duration is 45 to 60 minutes.

Q2: Running fast ≠ Losing weight fast

Some runners sprint as soon as they put on their running shoes, sweating profusely and panting heavily, thinking that this will help them lose weight faster, but this is just an illusion. In fact, intense fast running only makes your body enter an anaerobic metabolism state faster, and the fat-burning effect does not increase with your speed.

It is well known that aerobic exercise is more suitable for weight loss compared to anaerobic exercise. This is because anaerobic exercise relies on the anaerobic breakdown of ATP and CP and the anaerobic glycolysis of sugar for energy, while aerobic exercise includes both carbohydrate and fat metabolism. If you run too fast, fat cannot undergo aerobic metabolism, making weight loss impossible. Excessive glycogen metabolism can also cause exercise-induced hypoglycemia and reduced exercise capacity. Additionally, intense running can quickly make you feel fatigued, hypoxic, and sore, preventing you from continuing your running plan.

Therefore, fast running does not help with weight loss. A moderate running speed is more conducive to fat burning. The appropriate running speed and intensity vary from person to person. The best way to determine if the speed is suitable is by assessing your heart rate and breathing. The ideal state is steady breathing slightly faster than at rest, with the ability to control your breathing and running rhythm. If you feel short of breath or have difficulty breathing, you should slow down. It is recommended that runners use a sports watch to monitor their heart rate. Generally, when the heart rate is between 60% and 70% of the maximum heart rate, the fat metabolism rate is highest, making it most suitable for weight loss.

Q3: It's said that running and stretching are a perfect match for weight loss

Stretching and strength training are often seen as unnecessary by many people, but this is not the case. For runners, especially those who need to burn a lot of calories to lose weight, stretching and strength exercises before running and stretching and recovery exercises after running are essential for effective weight loss.

After all, running alone can be very boring. Doing 10 to 15 minutes of stretching or low-intensity strength training before running can serve as a good warm-up, helping your body metabolism and heart rate quickly reach the optimal state. It also promotes the secretion of lipolytic hormones, which is beneficial for fat breakdown.

Moreover, as mentioned earlier, effective exercise time should be at least 45 minutes. However, asking a heavy runner to continuously run for 45 minutes can be very cruel. High-intensity running not only affects rest and body recovery but also easily leads to a dislike of running. Therefore, runners do not need to run for 45 minutes straight; the last 10 minutes can be spent on stretching exercises or a combination of aerobic exercise and muscle training. This approach not only extends the energy metabolism time but also effectively relieves muscle fatigue and increases body flexibility and comfort.

Q4: Working hard doesn't mean running a marathon every day

Most running injuries are due to overtraining. "Feeling uncomfortable if you don't run for a day" has almost become a common problem for all runners, but running long distances every day can easily cause irreversible damage to your body.

Imagine running continuously for half a month, covering tens of kilometers or more each day. Soon, you will notice severe pain in your knees, ligaments, or Achilles tendons, and eventually, you will have to stop running under the doctor's orders and spend more time recovering from injuries. Thus, half a month's effort goes down the drain. Clearly, running hard every day is not beneficial for weight loss; a reasonable running plan is the key to successful weight loss.

First, long-distance running training should be done every other day, not every day.

Second, apart from long-distance running, you should incorporate various aerobic exercises such as skipping rope, swimming, hiking, short-distance recovery runs, and some equipment training. The duration of these exercises should also reach 45 minutes.

Q5: Correct running posture is very important

Correct running posture not only helps prevent running injuries but also makes the force and movement trajectory of various parts of your body more reasonable, allowing runners to lose fat while better shaping their bodies.

Here is a brief introduction to the correct running posture: keep your body straight and slightly leaning forward; head upright, looking at the ground about 10 meters ahead; hands relaxed and clenched, shoulders relaxed, arms relaxed, elbows bent at less than 90 degrees, arms swinging back and forth; knees extending forward before the heels; landing on the forefoot.

Q6: Don't use running as an excuse to eat more

If you really need to lose weight and are indeed overweight, then your energy intake is definitely sufficient or even excessive. Therefore, you only need to maintain a normal diet. Things like supplementing glucose before running, eating appropriately after running, and drinking sports drinks are not necessary for you.

Remember, the main culprit for not losing weight but gaining weight while running is diet. Running increases energy consumption, but your body's ability to maintain a stable state will increase energy utilization efficiency. If you stop running or increase your food intake, it will only worsen obesity. Many runners feel extremely hungry after running, and this is when you need to control your appetite the most. If you run before a meal, make sure to control your food intake to be the same as when you don't exercise. If you run after a meal, you can replenish lost fluids appropriately but avoid eating, especially high-sugar and high-calorie foods.

Running for weight loss is not just about talking or working hard blindly. Only by scientifically and reasonably running can you effectively shed fat. So, have you got these running weight loss tips?