Best Running Tips to Boost Weight Loss

 Are you looking forward to lose weight? Luckily, there are so many methods and tricks to go about it and running being one of them.

But the important question is: What exactly is the best way to go about reaching an optimal weight loss? So we did some soul searching over the internet and met a few running experts to gain accurate knowledge over the subject.

To keep things simple and informational we have put together a list of all the running tips and tricks to boost your weight loss process. And here we go!

1) Run regularly

It is advised that you should start out running sessions at least three times a week and then gradually increase the practice to four or five times a week.

Generally, the more you are able to work out, the better will be the results, but it is really important to make sure that you care and listen to your body. If the body signals that you need a break, then you should just take it. If you don’t listen to your body, this will lead to serious injuries.

2) Bring strength training into main focus 

It’s unfortunate that it is really hard to reach your weight loss goals with running sessions alone. Studies tell that higher the amount of muscles in your body, higher your basal metabolic rate will be.

Hence, in addition to your running training you should also try to include at least one or two strength training workouts per week either with your own body weight or you can also use free weights. There are also wide apps available that will help you to maximize strength training practice with running.

3) Mix up your training sessions

At first, any beginner can achieve good results with short and easy runs. However, with time your body will quickly adapt to this training stimulus and build up reserves. This presents a big problem for more experienced runners; over the time period the fat burning gains will grow more and more small.

In order to avoid this situation, you need to incorporate as much variety as you can in your workout sessions. “Don’t give your body the chance to get used to your flow of workouts,” said Sascha, a well known running coach in America. By switching your training, you force your body to adaptation. This, in turn, will help you to improve your performance and boosts your metabolism.

Make variety a part of your routine and in addition to the long-distances runs, work in some intervals, sprints, technique drilling and strength training. A good rule of thumb often advised is never to do the same workout twice back to back.

4) Gradually increase your intensity

“An engine that is running at full speed burns a lot of fuel!” This is a very good way to picture the fat burning mechanism of your body during the intense running session. A strenuous interval workout session requires a lot of energy.

While at the same time it is true that the amount of fat burned in the metabolic process is quite high during the slow runs, but the total daily energy expenditure, and hence the number of calories burned, is comparatively low due to the low intensity of the session.

On the other hand, in case of high intensity workouts, like intervals, the amount of fat burned in the metabolic process is significantly lower, but at the same time the total daily energy expenditure and the calories burned are many folds higher. Furthermore, the “after burn” effect is much higher during the recovery period from a higher intensity workout than a lower one. For all these reasons, you shouldn’t do more than one in a week.

5) Don’t forget to give yourself timely breaks

Your body needs some time in order to adapt to all the different training stimuli. Thus, give yourself at least one or two day rest per week. Also, make sure that you get sufficient sleep. This influences all kinds of metabolic processes in your body. Also, take walks in between your running because it not only helps your muscles to cool down but also increases your endurance and stamina in the long run.

“Walking helps in reducing the impact force on the muscles, tendons and joints and also reduces the breathing rate and heart rate,” says running coach John Hadfield, co author of Marathoning for mortals and the founder at coach-john.com. Taking walk breaks also helps in lowering the impact on the body, which may prevent cramping and soaring of the muscles. During your weekend running session, so a brisk walk for 30 to 60 seconds after every 2 kilometre, no matter the total distance, says John.

6) Don’t just cut too many calories

When it comes down to weight loss, runners should think of calories in terms of energy. If you don’t take in sufficient amount of calories, you won’t get the required amount of energy to fuel your workout properly. This means that you will probably end up burning fewer calories.

“If you are eating right amount for your sport, you will be able to lose the excess weight in a healthy way without experiencing fatigue and poor workouts”. It is not at all about the deprivation. If you are really eating for energy, the weight will surely come out.

7) Time your meals

It’s very important for athletes to properly schedule their diet in order to best fuel the muscles. If your workouts are in the morning time, your dinner surely shouldn’t be your biggest food meal.

Make sure that you are getting sufficient amount of carbohydrates before your workout and a have good enough recovery snacks that contains carbohydrates and a little bit of protein, like fat-free chocolate powdered milk or, in case if you are a vegan, then you can use soya milk or may be almond milk, a banana and a small scoop of plant based protein with some ice inside the blender.

8) Plan ahead

When you are planning out your meals for the week, you are more likely to stay on the track of healthy eating routine. Planning and then sticking to a routine is really helpful in removing most of the chatter involved in making food decisions.

It also eliminates the risk of eating impulsive foods out of craving that almost in all circumstances affect blood sugar levels and makes us the only victim of food craving and grazing.

9) Hit the hills

If you are used to doing running on the flat ground, then hitting the hills will definitely help you burn more calories. For each and every degree of incline, you get about a 10-20 percent increase in total calories burnt, so a mild hill running session will likely burn about 60 percent more fat. Run up the hill at a high speed for 10-30 seconds, then jog back down and take a 40-60 second rest.

Repeat this training 4-10 times or as your body allows. If you are in the gym, then set the treadmill to a 10-12 percent incline for the run. Not only is this going to be really helpful in burning more calories. Running on the hills is also likely to shape and tone your body.

10) Step it up

So now you have hit the hills, but now you are eyeing for some new challenge? Perhaps it is time to take it to the stairs. Stair running has been known as one of the best and most effectively proven method for fast calories burning and the overall conditioning exercise you can do.

It’s indeed pretty simple as well: run up the stairs and then do a mild-jog/ trot back down to recover. Obviously you need to be very careful while doing this exercise. If you were thinking that hill run was tough, then this exercise will kick your butt.

11) Nutrition, recovery and after burn effect

If you are really interested in burning fat during running sessions, you need to make sure that your body should burn more calories per day than it intakes. Running experts often explain that “it highly depends on a good ratio of exercise and a healthy diet.”

If you only focus on only one of the factors, it is definitely going to be quite hard to achieve or sustain your balanced weight.

Sportsperson often consume a lot of carbohydrates to build up glycogen stores in their muscles. “Generally speaking, this is vital for your body’s ability to perform physical exercise.” But, the consumption of carbohydrates can also interfere with the metabolism mechanism of fats.

Consequently, if you want to decrease your fat stores, you shouldn’t drink or eat anything that contains sugar post your workout. Your body must learn to recover after your workout.

This is known as the”after burn” effect. This effect is especially seen highest after interval training or intensive strength training.

Bottom line from experts: “The best way and most tested way to lose weight is a combination of running, intense strength training and balanced nutrition.” So get out there and test the running expert’s tips to enhance your weight loss!