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Running and weight loss are synonymous with one another. Running has been associated with losing weight ever since the negative consequences of excess weight were first documented, and when paired with proper dieting, few remedies, medical or otherwise, are as effective in initiating weight loss and crafting a fit and healthy body as running.
Admittedly, as with most weight loss remedies, some voices would conflict with the idea of running as a quick and effective solution to losing weight.
What Works Best for Weight Loss?
For the most part, running is one of the best ways to get your weight loss goal on the road to success. The reason why running, actively helps you to achieve your goals is that it gets your heart rate going along with getting all of your muscles moving to burn fat.
You can also get creative with running, so it doesn’t become a chore, such as creating a set amount you plan to run or fun fast-slow intervals to stick to.
Another highly important factor in losing weight is your diet. If you can pair running and a healthy diet together, you will be burning off fat in no time. Since food is your fuel, you will need healthy whole foods to provide your body with the highest energy possible.
If someone were to question whether running could indeed bring about a loss of excess weight, the answer would be a definite Yes’. Running can indeed initiate weight loss but only in the right circumstances and when executed under the right conditions.
While it might work the body vigorously, running is simply one of several lifestyle changes one should be encouraged to make to achieve weight loss. It hence should be coupled with a proper understanding of how the exercise can best accomplish its purpose as well as appropriate eating habits.
Running, especially for beginners, will not only prove ineffective when not appropriately executed, but it can even result in negative consequences to the body.
Proper planning and preparation are essential, lest one end up gaining weight instead of losing it.
Running and Weight Loss: Crucial strategies
Running might be one of the most vigorous exercises out there, but it is not a guaranteed solution to losing weight; indeed, many an individual can attest to gaining weight even while indulging in running exercises on a daily basis.
Some tips to better improve the efficacy of running as a means of losing weight will include the following:
Diet
The key to losing weight is simple; you have to burn more calories than you consume. This is the reason one is always encouraged to change their dieting habits to complement their running exercises
.If you consume more calories each day than you burn running, then you will end up gaining weight rather than losing eat. Many people tend to reward the hardships they suffer while running with food.
The fact that you are executing vigorous exercises on a daily basis, however, doesn’t permit you to indulge in unhealthy foods.
Journals have been known to prove useful in this matter; recording your eating habits will allow you to determine better how many calories you are consuming and how that number compares to the calories you burn while running.
Schedule
You will need to make a daily routine out of your running exercises. Knowing exactly what you need to do or accomplish each and every day provides the necessary motivation to encourage one to execute their running routines regularly.
With your daily goals and plans set, you are less likely to find reasons to skip or postpone running sessions. Schedules are also an effective method of avoiding injuries, especially for beginners who should be able to adapt their schedules to their specific capabilities, increasing the level of difficulty steadily as they grow stronger.
Consistency
To achieve the proper results out of your running, you will need to maintain a level of consistency. You need to get some running done as regularly as possible, if not daily, then at least three to four times a week.
Making a routine out of this exercise will program your mind to maintain your schedule appropriately.
Challenge
Beginners running to lose weight run the risk of injury if they overexert their bodies unnecessarily; it is for this reason that schedules are so important, allowing beginners to plan for their running sessions based upon their present capabilities and possibly even tracking their progress.
Where many beginners will fail is in their inability to adapt as they grow stronger. The key to losing weight is exerting enough pressure upon the body to burn the right amount of fat.
As such, runners are encouraged to make sure that their running experiences are challenging. In other words, when things get too comfortable, you are encouraged to increase the difficulty of your exercises, be it increasing the distance or speed.
Calories
You will need to eat properly, not to lose weight per se, but to aid in the performance of your running as well as any results achieved. Running requires energy, and runners are discouraged from skipping meals.
You will need to consume the appropriate number of calories not only before running but after to recover appropriately.
There are various variations of running; be it jogging or even walking, there can be no substitute for this activity, whose benefits will exceed the issue of weight loss.
After all, few other activities will inhibit the effects of aging, prevent muscle and bone loss, keep the mind active and alert, maintain appropriate blood sugar levels in order to either prevent or combat diabetes, control cholesterol, improve blood clotting; basically augment the immune system.
Benefits of Running
When it comes to running, weight loss isn’t the only benefit you will get, it’s much more than that. Running can get you feeling elevated and create a positive feeling that you’re doing right by your body.
Running allows you to focus on your goals without burdening your wallet. With running, you can make it a social event by gathering a group of friends or family to enjoy a pleasant jog.
It also allows you to get out of the house for a little bit and appreciate the beautiful environment outdoors. You may also benefit from runners high, which you receive when you run a lot.
Weight Loss Mistakes
Even when your dedicated to your goals and trying hard to accomplish them, other things get in the way such as overthinking. When you are continuously trying to lose weight but dreading the workouts or the healthy eating, you might be overthinking it.
The best thing to do is accept where you are right now and allow the weight loss journey to gradually takes its toll. Stay true to your workout habits as well as your eating habits, but don’t be harsh to yourself when you mess up.
Always get back up and continue on your path, if you do this you have a higher chance at accomplishing your goals and not quitting. Be careful of the dieting.
Dieting can be very beneficial if you do it right, but if you diet too hard you have a chance at giving up and not accomplishing what you want. The best thing to do is start small then once you have the dieting down, make it a lifestyle.
How Do I Make my Weight Loss Goal a Lifestyle?
If you want to incorporate a healthy living lifestyle, you must first start one thing at a time. Rushing into all your goals at once will lead to a crashing and burning effect that you don’t want. Start with adding a vegetable at least once daily.
Once that has become easy for you, start adding less of the bad food and more of the good food. The more whole foods you eat, the better you will be. Always be sure to look at labels on your foods and see if the ingredients meet up to your standards, if they don’t, don’t eat it.
Don’t cut out the bad foods though, because that can make you crash and burn again. Like I said before, go slow. Once you are confident in eating healthy and are incorporating healthy foods, you can start cutting your calorie intake for weight loss results.
This goes the same for working out. Try to incorporate some form of exercise every day and go slow. Once you’re confident in both eating healthy and working out, you have officially started your healthy living lifestyle.
What if I Don’t Like Running?
Many people don’t like to run, and that’s ok! There are many forms of different exercises you can do that will still help you achieve your goals. If you don’t like running, but want to like it, there can be an easy fix for that.
Running, exercise and healthy eating are all apart of your mindset. If you think negatively about any of those, then you won’t want to do it and never achieve your goals.
If you can think positively about it, then you will have a much better chance of achieving your goals and getting the figure you want. If you do want to like running, start with a very slow jog.
You can pop in your favorite tunes and go somewhere beautiful to inspire your thoughts, goals, and health. Another great way to enjoy running is by finding someone who matches the same speed and goals. If you can do this, then both of you or any of you can help each other to strive for your goals.
How Do I Get Inspired?
Sometimes your weight loss goal or health isn’t enough to get you inspired, and that happens to many of us, you’re not alone. Since social media is such a massive thing in our society, it’s never a bad idea to turn to that.
Sure, social media can be extremely negative, but if you can look to the positive sides of it, then it can influence you to be the person you want to be.
To do this, you can start by looking up fun running exercises to do or quick effective workouts. Social media is also excellent at finding specific things you may want to work on, such as toning your legs or working on your abs.
Social media can also give you great recipes to start you on your goal as well as making your weight loss journey fun. Another brilliant way to inspire yourself is by reading other success stories or reading positive inspirational quotes.
The ultimate best way to inspire yourself is through yourself. You are the judgment of your life, so once you put your mind to something, it will happen. I know you can do it, but you have to believe that for yourself.
What If I Don’t Know Where to Start?
Starting is truly the hardest part of achieving your goals and getting to where you want to be. Once you get inspired, all you need is that little push to do it. Start by saying, today I am gonna achieve a healthy lifestyle and take better care of my body.
From there, start with one goal that you have to do that day. It can be a specific meal you plan to eat or a workout, but make sure that you do it. Afterward, slowly build on that goal, start creating something you look forward to every day and make a habit out of it. If you can do that, then you have officially started your goal.
Do I have to Run Daily?
If you want to run daily that’s great, and it will do your body and your health wonders. With the proper workout routine and recovery, you will be okay to run daily.
If you don’t want to run every day, that’s okay as well. There are many other forms of exercise you can do to still achieve your weight loss goals. Some form of exercise every day will benefit you and your health. Here are some other options you can do to achieve your goals.
- Yoga- Yoga is great for positivity, flexibility and your overall health
- Walking- Walking will keep your heart rate up and keep you on track
- Swimming-Swimming will help you to lose weight while having fun
- HIIT Workouts- Better known as high-intense interval training allows fast weight loss results
- Dancing- Dancing is a great way to lose weight and enjoy it
Since your body and health are so important, it’s great to want to start on the right track of being healthy. Sticking to your goals will be the most prominent hurdle you’ll have to face, but once you accomplish one goal, you can accomplish many more.
Trust in yourself and allow change to happen. If you can accept this, then you will have so many more accomplishments headed your way. Always remember that you can do it, and you will.
The effects of running upon the body are numerous, largely positive, and worth all the hardships and effort required to whip the body and mind into shape.