The main reason I run is to lose weight.
What I like about running is that you can burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time and you can really feel the workout. When I used to go to the gym, I found myself often looking at the calories burnt on the machines and it taking ages to get to even 100. I never really felt the burn like I do when I run.
I’ve been looking into how to make my workouts more efficient, here are some tips on how to lose weight running.
Vary your workouts.
If you run the same 5 miles every time you run and if you run at the same pace, your body will get used to it and won’t burn as many calories.
Switch things up by adjusting your pace, the length of the run, the incline and also add some weights.
Run harder, not longer.
You’ll see more weight loss if you were to run at shorter periods of time at a faster pace. So push yourself a little harder for 3 miles rather than keeping at your comfortable pace for 5 miles. This is something I need to get better at!
You can also try interval training if you’re struggling to keep a faster pace for a long time. I often use lamp posts or cars as markers and will run hard until I reach them, then maintain my comfortable pace again.
Eat healthy.
There’s no point in running to lose weight if you’re not watching what you eat. It’s fine to treat yourself and eat what you enjoy from time to time, but if you’re packing in the calories – you won’t see results. You need to burn 3500 calories to lose a pound, so running a few miles per week is probably not going to be enough – you must restrict your food intake too.
Run regularly.
You won’t lose weight by running once a week. Find a schedule that allows you to run 3 – 4 times a week. Be an earlybird, or go for a quick, intense run after work.
Track your workouts.
I use the free app Map My Run which tracks my workouts. It uses GPS to calculate how far I’ve ran, my splits per miles and how many calories I’ve burnt. It also tracks and records any personal bests for me. I find this a motivation when out running and I’m always excited to check my time at the end of a run and see if I’ve managed any fast miles.