How effective is running for weight loss?

This article will try to uncover the benefits of running and how effective running is for weight loss.

Let’s get straight to the point: Losing weight demands you to burn more calories than you consume. Exercise can help you do so.

But how effective is running for weight loss? Running is a great option, as it burns more calories than most types of exercise and can be extremely beneficial to your health. Running requires a wide range of muscles to work hard together. However, if your goal is only to lose weight, combining exercise with a healthy diet would be more appropriate.

In the UK, 30% of men and 33% of women are considered to be obese. Obesity can cause serious health problems such as type two diabetes, which is a long-term complication caused by high blood glucose levels over a long period of time. It’s therefore essential that people try to stay healthy and fit.

Being overweight can lead to several serious health complications, including heart disease, high blood pressure, and breathing problems.

You may consider running as the way out of your weight loss situation. How effective is running for weight loss? Let’s find it out together!

Regardless of whether weight loss is a goal for you, running can be beneficial for various reasons. Running offers a huge number of medical advantages.  These are boosting the state of mind, stress-relieving to cardiovascular improvement, and muscle strengthening.

How effective is running for weight loss ?

Running is a great option, as it burns more calories than most types of exercise and can be extremely beneficial to your health. Running requires a wide range of muscles to work hard together. However, if your goal is only to lose weight, combining exercise with a healthy diet would be more appropriate.

Running may burn calories, but you also need to cut back on the amount of calories you consume to lose weight.

Running burns more calories than most other exercises, which is why it’s such a popular method used by people attempting to lose weight. However, running alone is not enough for weight loss. For example, you’ll burn 500 calories running 5 miles at 10 minutes per mile and 440 calories running 5 miles at 6 minutes per mile. To lose 1lb of fat, you need to burn 3500 calories, so by running one extra mile in the same amount of time, you’ll burn another 70 calories. So, running alone is not enough to lose weight as you’ll need to be burning off 3500 calories more than you consume every week to shed 1lb of fat.

The aim of exercise should always be to improve your health and fitness rather than focus on weight loss. Recent studies have shown that people who run regularly live 7 years longer than those who don’t.

Running – Good way to lose weight?

One reason running gives off an impression of being exceptional for weight loss is that at first, it is. However, the outcomes decline as your body adjusts. The facts demonstrate that for most individuals, the first couple of weeks or even months of running, the weight may appear to drop. When you’re new to work out, your body reacts to lower pressure. You might not need to run extremely far or long to get results. However, sooner or later, it takes more time to get your body to react.

As your body figures out how to adjust to your new running routine, you begin consuming fewer calories than previously did. As you begin to get in shape, your body doesn’t require as much energy to work as it did initially, when you were heavier. So the reaction of your body to your basal metabolic rate (BMR) will begin to decrease.

Like any other exercise, you need to advance your running daily practice to keep on getting results. Intense running workouts that produce a high training stimulus are better at burning calories. All your muscles require a lot of energy post-workout for the recovery process. This way, your body experiences the “after-burn effect,” meaning your body continues to burn calories after your run.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) can help your body lose weight.  It can also help achieve or even exceed the physical benefits people get from spending much longer periods of time working out. HIIT can take your training and performance to the next level.

Running is beneficial

Regardless of whether weight loss is a goal for you, running can be beneficial for various reasons. Running offers a huge number of medical advantages. These are boosting the state of mind, stress-relieving to cardiovascular improvement, and muscle strengthening.  Runners are healthier, have a smaller risk of stroke and heart attack, and have better bone strength and more effective metabolisms.

A few individuals fear running for weight loss can be so strenuous on the body that it prompts eating issues. This is a myth; in reality, running helps control appetite by increasing serotonin levels (a hormone that promotes a feeling of wellbeing and suppresses the appetites). If anything, running indirectly can help you lose weight. Moreover, regular running practices rev up your metabolism at rest, leading to more calorie burning even when you are inactive.

Running has numerous health benefits. The popular sport helps in lowering the risk of heart disease and reducing overall mortality. It is best to do it regularly and at an adequate intensity for your fitness status and age.

Running for weight loss may be effective, but you need to bear in mind that this approach can take more time than other methods. Therefore, don’t lose heart if you don’t see instant results; instead, try to incorporate running into a long-term healthy lifestyle.

Running is just one of the many effective exercises for weight loss. You will still need to include other forms of exercise and a controlled diet plan if you want to see any results. The most important thing to remember is health’s priority!

Scientific Studies

Sure, here are some more details about the studies:

• According to a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, running was more effective than walking for weight loss over a 6.2-year period⁶. The study analyzed data from 33,060 runners and 15,045 walkers who reported their weight, height, diet and exercise habits. The results showed that both running and walking reduced BMI (body mass index), but running had a greater effect than walking. The researchers suggested that running may suppress appetite more than walking or increase resting metabolism more than walking.
• According to an article by Healthline, running can help you lose weight by burning more calories than other forms of exercise³. The article cited a study that compared the effects of running and cycling on energy expenditure and appetite in young men. The study found that running burned 30% more calories than cycling and reduced hunger more than cycling. The article also mentioned that running can boost your metabolism after you finish exercising by increasing your excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), which means you continue to burn calories even when you’re resting.
• According to an article by Live Science, running may not lead to weight loss if you don’t change your diet or if you have genetic factors that affect your metabolism⁴. The article quoted an expert who said that research has found that running may or may not result specifically in weight loss, depending on your dietary habits, exercise intensity and duration, and genetics. The article also cited a study that found that some people have a “thrifty” gene that makes them store fat more easily than others, which could limit the effects of running on weight loss.

I hope this helps you understand how effective running is for weight loss.

References

• Conversation with Bing, 2/28/2023(1) Greater weight loss from running than walking during a 6.2-yr …. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23190592/ Accessed 2/28/2023.
• (2) How Running Helps You Lose Weight – Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/running-for-weight-loss Accessed 2/28/2023.
• (3) Running to lose weight: how it really works | Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/running-to-lose-weight-how-it-really-works Accessed 2/28/2023.
• (4) How Running Helps You Lose Weight – Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/running-for-weight-loss Accessed 2/28/2023.
• (5) Running for Weight Loss: The Ultimate Guide for … – Strength Running. https://strengthrunning.com/running-for-weight-loss/ Accessed 2/28/2023.
• (6) Is running good for weight loss? | Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/is-running-good-for-weight-loss Accessed 2/28/2

Conclusion

Research demonstrates that moderate power cardio practice alone is a successful method to get more fit. However, it is not the most effective way to weight loss. Be that as it may, blending exercise (running) with a solid eating routine can be the answer. Experts suggest that a mixture of dietary changes with exercise has a bigger effect on weight loss than exercise alone. Combing eating regimen changes and running for weight loss can be a more efficient approach; however, you must do it with intensity.

Running is an excellent way to burn calories and avoid boredom associated with other exercises. It also helps ton the muscles, improves stamina, raises your overall health status, and boosts self-esteem. It is always advisable to consult your doctor before you begin a running program for weight loss.

Running can be beneficial for health, but it is not the most effective method of losing weight. A range of other exercises is also available that burn calories and fat faster than running will. You must include them in your exercise routine if you want to lose weight faster.

Alexios Papaioannou

As a veteran fitness technology innovator and the founder of GearUpToFit.com, Alex Papaioannou stands at the intersection of health science and artificial intelligence. With over a decade of specialized experience in digital wellness solutions, he’s transforming how people approach their fitness journey through data-driven methodologies.