Does Running Burn Fat?
As soon as you see some extra pounds hanging from your belly and arms, you immediately think of running to subside the expanding fat. If you are not a self motivated person, then you will flooded with advices to burn this fat by waking up early in the morning and running. Initially, when you start running regularly, then you will find drastic results as you are adding a physical activity to your routine and it helps your body in burning more calories.
But has it happened with you that after some days of regular running, your body has stopped showing results? If yes, then don’t worry. It is quite common issue with everyone as your body has adapted to the extra physical activity and therefore, running for the same distance or time won’t give any further results. However, the plus point is that your endurance level and metabolism rate will shoot up.
Before getting demotivated that running won’t give results after some time, you must first understand that this can happen with any other work out too. As soon as your body gets adapted, it doesn’t mean you will have to stop working out as it is showing no results. You need to find out ways to effectively draw results from that workout by understanding the basics of the workout. As far as running is concerned, there are numerous ways to perform it with effectiveness and there are also some mistakes that need to be corrected in order to find the answer for your question – does running burn fat?
HOW TO EFFECTIVELY BURN FAT WHILE RUNNING
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Run On The Incline
Since your body gets adapted quickly to any workout that has stability, you need to ensure that your body gets a difference everyday. If you are used to running on flat ground, then you need to run on the incline too as running on flat ground is much easier. But when you combine it with running on the incline, then there is a change in your level of intensity that impacts your body’s ability to burn calories. As you need to take more strain in running on the incline, you burn more fat. You need to ensure proper repetitions between running on flat ground and running on the incline to get optimum results.
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Increase The Intensity
The best way to burn fat by running is by increasing the intensity rather than the distance. If you focus in increasing the distance, then your body will take no time in adapting to running steadily. You need to mix up the intensity levels such as maintain low intensity running for 30 seconds, then increasing the intensity and maintaining it for next 60 seconds and again slowing down a bit. If you run for around 40 minutes everyday just by maintaining the distance but increasing and decreasing your intensity, then you will surely find better results.
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Take The Stairs
You can effectively run to burn your fat by running on the incline while increasing your intensity at the same time by challenging yourself to running on the stairs. You need to be extra cautious while doing this kind of running as you cannot afford to get succumbed to injuries. You can start with a light jog and then run upwards in the stairs and come back to continue with high intensity running. Ensure proper repetitions and keep in mind that safety comes first!
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Try Experimenting
Adding newness to the easily adaptive routine is the key to burn fat fast. If you keep on running for the same duration and intensity, then you will one day quit running, thinking that the pain endured is hardly getting paid. You need to keep experimenting with your running workout. For example, one day try running on high intensity for a short distance. The next day try running on low intensity for a longer distance. Then try combining it with running on the incline or running on the stairs. Try to follow an ad hoc running regimen and get ready to see wonderful results.
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Run On An Empty Stomach
As per medical studies, running before having the breakfast helps in losing more fat from the blood as the fat metabolism gets stimulated faster. The study also revealed that eating before running can make you feel full while running and it substantially reduces fat metabolism. But if you run for longer durations and distances, you need to ensure that you don’t keep your stomach empty till the end of the work out session. Try to grab some juices or fruits in between to keep your energy levels up while striving your best to keep yourself hydrated.
MISTAKES TO AVOID WHILE RUNNING
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Hogging Onto High Calorie Stuff After Running
It is necessary that you keep yourself perked up post workout, but this truly doesn’t mean that you can pounce upon burgers, pizzas and high calorie stuff after running. Choosing junk food to revive your lost energy is a completely bad idea as you are ruining all the effort you are taking for burning fat. You need to be wise while selecting what you must actually eat after running so that the effect of running in combination with a healthy diet gives you desired results. You need to reward yourself for working out properly with a plate full of protein rich food with bit of carbohydrates.
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Not Running Enough
If you are running but you are not getting desired results, then you must be not running enough. To get the effect of running for burning fat, you need to ensure that you run at least 4 days in a week and combine the rest days with low intensity running and exercising. If you want to burn around 500 calories each day, then running for 45 minutes for once or twice a week won’t help. You need to complement running with other forms of exercise while ensuring that you run enough.
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Gauging Results In The Form Of Weight Reduction
If you gauge the results of running regularly by checking your weight, then you are making a major mistake. Running is a great method to have a toned up body. While your fat tissue may diminish, you muscle tissue may build and since muscle tissues are denser than fat tissues, they take less space. This implies that though your body weight does not decrease, your overall measurements will change.
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Same Workout Everyday
This is one of the major mistakes why you get discouraged from running. Running keeps your body active and increases your metabolism rate. But if you find a good long running path near your home, then your excitement level will diminish soon after your body gets adjusted to the same kind of running everyday. You are your own source of motivation and if you really want to burn fat, then running is one of the best options. But rather than running the same way everyday, you must try long and short runs, stair running, playing with the level of intensity, etc. You should not let your body get adapted to a specific kind of running.
Read more: Why You Should Change Up Your Workout Routine Daily
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Not Training Your Psychology
It is very important to train your psychology when it comes to gaining benefit out of exercise. You must have a strong determination to burn fat by running. If you run for a specified distance and find yourself completely in sweat, you may easily get convinced that you have burnt enough calories. You must train your mind to gauge how well you run today and how effective you felt in comparison to other days. You should not equate calorie burning with the amount of sweat, your body releases. You must be able to judge well whether you did your best to burn more calories or not.
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Snehashree Bhat
A young writer who loves to pen words from creative perspective. Passionate internet surfer, a versatile homemaker and a person who finds pleasure in adopting healthier and positive changes in her persona. An enthusiastic feminist who wishes to make serious changes in the stereotypical thought process of the society via the voice of her words.