Running is one of the best training exercises that can help you shed the extra pounds and keep them off for good. Running burns an enormous amount of calories without burning much of your valuable time. In addition, running is very convenient. All you need is a couple of good sneakers and off you go. Therefore, here are 3 tips to help you lose maximum pounds with running, while steering clear of injury and burnout.
Healthy Eating is the First Step
Though running can help you burn colossal amount of calories, you won’t trim down much if you fail to properly address your eating habits. Remember that if you want to lose weight by running or any other type of exercise, you need to burn off more calories than you consume. This is what is known as creating a calorie deficit. That’s it. Therefore, it’s why you need to back up your weight loss running program with the proper diet.
One of the most common mistakes among beginner runners is that they try to overcompensate for calories burned on the track and reward themselves for that by indulging in unhealthy eating and junk food. There is no reward in excessive and unhealthy eating. It will only help you in piling on more pounds.
As a result, make sure to cover your basic nutritional needs without going overboard. The principles of healthy eating are universal and not a secret. Aim for smaller potions of high quality calories and eating more organic and whole vegetable and grains. Limit your fruit intake and stay away from those processed and junk foods.
Keep it Challenging
Staying with the same running pace and distance, week after week, is a sure way to encounter a plateau with both your performance and weight loss results. Therefore, make sure to incorporate speed work or interval running into your training program so you can speed up your weight loss results. Speed work sheds a great amount of calories in a short time span. In addition, this type of training will help you increase your muscle mass and enhance your resting metabolism, and thus you’ll be burning off more calories even when being sedentary.
If speed training is no option, aim instead to increase your weekly mileage. Start increasing your running mileage by no more than 10% each week. And always remember to take one or two days of complete rest to provide your body with the needed time to rejuvenate and recover from the training load. Otherwise, injuries and burnouts are just around the corner.
Be Consistent
Going for one run around the block and expecting to lose weight overnight is futile and a waste of time and energy. Instead, you need to be consistent, training and diet wise, if you want to lose the extra weight and keep it off for good. Therefore, making sure that you are consistent with your training program is the surest way to achieving your goals without suffering from setbacks and disappointments.
The best way to be consistent is to turn your training routine into a daily habit. According to Tony Schwartz, the author of “The Power of Full Engagement“, the way to cultivate a habit is by sticking to the activity for 4 nonstop, consecutive weeks. As a result, make sure to stick with your running for the first 4 weeks until it becomes a habit. After that, running will become a regular part of your daily tasks.
Nevertheless, don’t feel the need to make a radical change overnight. There is no rush here. Think big but act small. Otherwise you won’t make it far down the road. Hence, make sure to take action on what you’ve just learned and remember to stay within your fitness level.
