Running to Lose Weight

If you are thinking of taking up running to lose weight, you are on to a great idea.

Runners are usually very lean with very low proportions of body fat and their stomachs are flat.

Running regularly can be hard on the knees, and hard on the heart if you are out of shape, so here are some tips to get you off to a good start and keep you strong and healthy.

Warming Up:

Pushing muscles into hard exercise before you warm them up is one of the primary causes of injury in inexperienced athletes. Make sure you do a few warm up exercises, and follow your run with some cool down exercises. It will give your muscles greater flexibility and allow the blood to carry more oxygen where it is needed – to the muscles that are working the hardest.

Losing weight is hard, running is a great decision. The last thing you need is the provocation of an injury to slow you down and kill your motivation.

Push both hands against a wall with arms straight and feet firmly planted. Cycle your heels up and down to warm up your calves. Reach back and grab one ankle and pull your foot up to your buttocks to stretch your quadriceps. Repeat on the other side.

Turn around and lean your back against the wall with feet firmly planted. Squat down until you feel the stretch in your quadriceps. Stand up straight.

Cross one leg over the other in a standing position. Lean down and bend forward and reach towards your toes until you feel a stretch in your hamstring. Switch legs and stretch the other side. Sit down with your knees facing out and feet together in a bow. Press down on your knees until you feel a stretch in the groin.

Now you are ready to run

Start Out Slow

You don’t have to hurl yourself into a fast jog right away. First plan how far you want to go and then start off at a brisk walking pace. If you are new to running, you can lose weight at a steady pace by combining running and walking in turns. Once you reach a calorie burning pace, you can slow down to a walk, walk until you catch your breath and then jog periodically as you feel up to it.

Build Gradually

Don’t set your sights too high. A lot of runners do very well by running about three miles once they build up their resistance. Others run much further. If you are running for weight loss it is not necessary to run for miles every day. Run, or run and walk in combination, for about one mile the first few times, then build gradually until you can run for about three miles. If you can’t run that far, walking at a brisk pace will also produce results, maybe just not as dramatic.

Go Easy on the Food

One mistake a lot of people make when they start to exercise is they think they can eat a lot more food. Dedicated runners can in fact eat more than people who don’t exercise, but if you are running to lose weight, not maintain the same weight, bear in mind that you can’t overdo it. If you get hungry eat small amounts of high quality, lean protein, such as salmon or skinless chicken, and whole grain carbohydrates, such as brown rice or whole wheat bread.

Philip Kustner
Running to lose weight is a great way to go.

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The information found in and throughout The 7 Habits of Weight loss (www.7habitsofweightloss.com) is not intended as a substitute for the advice or treatment that may have been prescribed by your physician.

Information found here should NOT be construed as definitive or binding medical advice and is NOT intended to diagnose, prescribe, nor endorse any brand of products or services. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new weight loss or exercise regimen or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.