Will running help you lose belly fat?
Fat deposits in the abdominal area appear very quickly and are difficult to remove. In addition to diet, for this problem it is recommended to pump up the abs, but such exercises are not very diverse. Therefore, everyone who is losing weight is wondering, does running help you lose weight in your stomach?
The main advantages of running are known to everyone, but how do they affect losing belly fat? During this workout, the muscles of the thighs, legs and buttocks are mainly used. But it cannot be said that only these muscles work.
With the correct running technique, almost all muscles of the body should work.
Scientists have calculated that on average, a person spends from 500 to 700 kcal per hour of running. And almost all of these calories come from the body's fat reserves. And if you do the calculations, you can see that from 50 to 80 grams of fat are lost. Moreover, this fat is lost evenly from the entire body.
There are plenty of reasons to run
It seems that these are very small values, but with regular exercise, belly fat will constantly disappear, and weight loss will not be quick, but correct. And keep in mind that due to the difference in sex hormones and fat deposition, men will get rid of deposits in the abdominal area faster than women.
In an hour of running, the body burns 600 calories!
Add to all of the above the fact that while jogging, almost all muscle groups are involved. This sport is especially useful for the pulmonary and cardiovascular systems.
Important! WHO statistics say that a person who regularly runs reduces the risk of stroke by 40%!
Finally, running is precisely the sport that is genetically inherent in a person. This is a natural, safe, and absolutely affordable way to lose weight, which is suitable for both children and adults.
Features of running that everyone should know about
Is it possible to lose weight in your thighs from running?
Most often, the question of whether running helps you lose weight in your thighs does not arise. Since even a beginner understands that the muscles of the legs are mainly used, therefore it is in the legs that weight loss primarily occurs. But in reality this is not entirely true.
After a running workout, fat disappears evenly from the entire body. And the fact that the main load was on the legs does not greatly affect the process of fat loss.
But still, visually, the legs lose weight first of all. This happens because the muscles in the thighs, legs and buttocks tighten and become more prominent. This makes your entire legs look more toned and slimmer overall.
Running is very helpful for those who have cellulite on their thighs. Moreover, it does not matter how well the “orange peel” is expressed - the skin condition will improve at any stage. In order to remove cellulite, a special program has been developed, designed for a month of classes, which should be combined with wraps, massage and other procedures that reduce cellulite. Reviews after completing such a program are only positive, notes hudeem-bez-problem.ru.
For running to bring only benefits, it is important to follow the technique
When is it better to run - morning or evening?
Scientists have proven that running exercises at different times of the day have different effects on the body. If your main goal is to lose weight or overcome cellulite, then it is better to run in the morning. Moreover, this must be done before breakfast so that the body uses fat reserves to obtain energy.
Before your morning jog, be sure to warm up, as your muscles have lost their tone overnight and are not ready for the upcoming loads. Stretch not only the leg muscles, but also all the large muscles of the body.
Read more about warming up before running >>
If you don’t have the opportunity to jog in the morning, then it’s not a big deal. Jogging in the evening is no less beneficial for the body.
In addition to losing weight, such a workout will help relieve stress, take your mind off thoughts about work and relax.
Before your run, you can have a light snack of salad or soup. And the optimal time for classes is from 7 to 9 pm. Evening jogging should be less intense than morning jogging, and not exceed half an hour, recommends hudeem-bez-problem.ru. Warming up is necessary, but it is not necessary to do it the same as in the morning, since the muscles warm up on their own during the day.
Contraindications
It is worth understanding that running to lose weight will not benefit everyone. For some, such activities can cause irreparable harm to their health. Anyone who:
- suffers from a severe chronic disease;
- has problems with the cardiovascular system;
- recently suffered from a bronchial disease or the disease is currently in remission;
- suffers from peptic ulcers or gastritis;
- has leg injuries of varying severity or spinal pathology;
- suffers from varicose veins;
- has flat feet.
Do you need a diet?
Proper nutrition is the basis of any weight loss. If you do not reconsider your diet and continue to consume harmful foods in large quantities, you will not notice the desired effect. After all, you will simply eat back all the fats that you lost during exercise.
At the same time, your diet should be balanced, because if you do not receive the required amount of vitamins and microelements, then even a short distance will cause you to feel tired. Plus, you will notice a feeling of apathy, you will not get enough sleep and over time you will simply abandon your activities as ineffective.
It is necessary to abandon all harmful foods or significantly reduce their quantity.
Add fruits, vegetables, complex carbohydrates, fish and lean meats to your diet. Protein foods are very important during this period, but the amount of fat should be reduced. Be sure to drink at least two liters of water, because during exercise you will sweat and therefore lose fluid.
Healthy fruits for weight loss
It is equally important to pay attention to nutrition before and after training, emphasizes hudeem-bez-problem.ru. If jogging is planned for the morning, then it is advisable to do it on an empty stomach. However, if you have anemia, a problem with blood vessels or low blood pressure, then you should have a light breakfast before jogging.
If your running workout is planned for the evening, then you should have dinner a couple of hours before going outside. During this time, most foods will have time to be digested, and, therefore, fat reserves will be spent during running. The next meal after an evening run should also be at least 2 hours later. But given that at this time it is usually time to go to bed, if possible, avoid this meal.
Does running in place help you lose weight?
Those who don't have enough time to go for a run in the park can exercise at home. And the same training is an excellent alternative when the weather is bad outside. There are several home exercise options.
Running in place
It is important to maintain proper running technique if you decide to do it on the spot. Relax your shoulders, bend your elbows, and pull your stomach in. While running, the back should remain straight, legs raised high from the floor, inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth.
You can choose the intensity of such training yourself depending on your functional state. Running in place will help you lose weight in any case, only at different intensities the excess weight will come off at different speeds.
Treadmill
Few people have such a machine at home, but in winter, when the weather outside is not very good, many prefer treadmills in the gym to exercise in the fresh air. The good thing about the track is that on the screen you can see your speed, distance covered and other parameters. Some tracks will even show your current heart rate.
If you plan to only jog on the track in the gym, then you need to exercise for about an hour. But if you also plan to perform other exercises, then half an hour will be enough to start the fat burning process.
Climbing stairs
This run can also be considered running in place, because you are not moving much in space. This activity is considered more fat-burning if you maintain normal intensity. Therefore, half an hour is enough to burn about 800 kcal.
Please note that the main load will be on the muscles of the thighs and buttocks. The next day you may feel slight pain in these areas.
Running in the morning or evening is also a great anti-stress
Correct start and end of training
If you care about your health, you should definitely prepare your body for a run and know how to properly finish the workout. To avoid getting a sprain or dislocation, your muscles need to be warmed up before running. To do this, devote 5 minutes to stretching, and another 5 minutes to strength training: dumbbells or jumping rope.
You also need to finish your workout correctly. Firstly, you need to stop slowly, moving from running to walking and for another 3-5 minutes, walking without stopping. And secondly, after a run you need to perform several relaxing exercises, for example, hanging on a horizontal bar. This will avoid possible pinching and protrusion.
The main reasons why you don’t lose weight from running
Those who exercise on their own, and not under the supervision of a trainer, periodically face a situation where training takes place regularly, but the weight remains in place. Why is this happening? There are several most common reasons.
- The first reason is the body’s gradual adaptation to increased loads. This happens at a different rate for everyone, but it happens for everyone. Therefore, it is necessary to either gradually increase the time of training or their intensity, or make the training more varied. For example, practice interval running.
- The second reason is the incorrectly selected intensity of training. Ask a beginner what he will choose: a short but intense workout or a long session at a slow pace? Most will choose the second option, as it is easier for those who are just starting to play sports. However, in this case, excess calories are burned much more slowly. But keep in mind that excessive acceleration will also not lead to the desired result - without preliminary preparation, you will only worsen the condition of your body. Therefore, trainers advise starting at a slow pace, and when there are no noticeable results in getting rid of excess weight, gradually and gradually increase the intensity.
- The third reason is an obsession with the result. This is especially true for those who exercise in the gym on a treadmill. But those who run with a tracker are also susceptible to this. These people pay more attention to the numbers shown on the monitor. From these numbers they estimate distance and calories burned. But they don’t take into account that most often these figures are averaged, especially on the track, because it takes into account your weight, height and other parameters.
- An increase in appetite due to increased physical activity is the fourth reason. Many people gain weight because they cannot give up junk and high-calorie foods. After exercise in the fresh air, the appetite increases and some find it difficult to refuse to snack on some tasty food and reward themselves for a run.
- Severely reducing your calorie intake can also result in weight failure. Severe malnutrition stresses the body, causing it to start stockpiling. Therefore, any food that enters the body can be partially stored as reserves, and these reserves will be very reluctant to be used up.
In order for jogging to help you lose weight and have a positive effect on your health, you need to follow the technique and choose the right intensity, sums up hudeem-bez-problem.ru.
People who are extremely overweight are not recommended to start running right away, as this can negatively affect the performance of their knee joints. First, you need to lose some weight through diet and physical therapy, and only then start jogging. Other runners should also pay special attention to the condition of their joints, since they primarily suffer from improper running technique.
Author - Yulia Mosalova, checked by practicing family doctor Elizaveta Anatolyevna Krizhanovskaya. For more information about the experts, see the site authors
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