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Is your body fat percentage increasing? If so, you have a higher chance that you have too much belly fat. Now, if you are trying to lose belly fat and lose weight at the same time, one thing that may come into your mind is doing exercise. One of the most popular and easy-to-do exercises is running. ...READ THE FULL STORY FROM SOURCE ...READ THE FULL STORY FROM SOURCE
Of course, there are other exercises that you can do for weight loss as well as for fat loss. However, is running alone enough for losing weight and reducing belly fat? Is it sufficient to have a healthy and fit body? This article will give you answers to such questions and give you more tips to maximize your body’s fat-burning capability.
Does Running Burn Belly Fat?
According to research observations, running is one of the most effective ways of burning calories. Indeed, based on the article from American Council on Exercise, a person weighing 180 pounds may burn 170 calories upon running for ten minutes at a steady pace. Doing it in thirty minutes at the same pace, that same person will burn more calories – probably from 500-510 calories in total.
Running is a great exercise for burning calories and improving cardiovascular health. However, when it comes to toning the abdominal area and reducing belly fat, she says that other exercises such as crunches, planks, and Pilates are more effective.
Best Time to Run to Lose Weight
Most health articles and journals suggest that morning is the best way to burn calories through running. However, you can also do it in the middle of the day. The type of running may also vary depending on the focused goal and the time of the day. For example, if you start your day with running training, you are also giving your body a good dose of oxygen. During this time, running burns more calories as this improves your metabolism.
Meanwhile, midday is the best time for a moderate to high-intensity running session. However, this can be strenuous as well. While you are trying to reduce belly fat during this time through the said exercise, you may experience stomach cramps during or after this high-intensity interval training. Lastly, an evening run may also help in burning belly fat, but it is more focused on the relaxation effect.
How to Maximize Your Weight Loss Potential?
Losing belly fat is as hard as losing weight. While running can burn fat, it may not be highly effective without other tricks. Likewise, running may burn subcutaneous fat, but there will still be stubborn belly fat left behind. The thing is subcutaneous fat is not harmful all the time, but visceral fat is.
If you are not familiar with visceral fat, it is a fat that is hidden inside the body, found in organs and your belly. On the other hand, subcutaneous fat is a fat that can be found under your skin, capable of protecting you from diseases. So, it is true that you should exercise regularly, but here are some more tips to maximize its benefits for your body weight.
Taking Supplements
Running is a great exercise for burning calories and improving cardiovascular health. However, when it comes to toning the abdominal area and reducing belly fat, she says that other exercises such as crunches, planks, and Pilates are more effective. However, doing the things mentioned above will not be enough if you do not have self-control when it comes to your diet. Remember that having a healthy and balanced diet is still the key to having a healthy and fit body.
Blanca Garcia, RDN believes fat-burning supplements can help as well. She recommends fat-burners that can help to lessen your appetite, increase your metabolism, and reduce the absorption of fat.
Varying Exercise
Running is one of the most popular cardio exercises. If you are starting to lose weight, it is good if you also have some strength training such as weightlifting. You also do not have to run all the time. A moderate pace of walking is also a good fat-burning exercise. Indeed, walking on a treadmill burns belly fat, especially if you do it for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, resistance training helps in building up your leg muscles. If muscle cells are strengthened, it will give you more capability to push out body fats and improve your body composition. To further release belly fat, you can also have some abdominal exercises like abdominal crunches.
Calorie Deficit
One factor why you have too much fat in your body is because of the extra calories you gain. Therefore, you must achieve a calorie deficit. It is a phenomenon wherein calories burned is much larger than calories consumed.
To achieve such a state of calorie burn, you are encouraged to adopt a healthy eating habit. A larger number of vegetables and avoid processed and sugary foods. Through this, you can start eating fewer calories than before. This also offers other health benefits like healthy blood sugar levels, regulated cholesterol, and stable blood pressure.
There are also sports drinks available. However, take caution first before purchasing one as some companies are just good at marketing but their products still contain unhealthy substances.
Sleep and Relaxation
It emphasizes the importance of adequate sleep and good-quality rest. They say that it can help in the fight against visceral fat. When you are well-rested, your body can better manage its insulin. As a result, your cravings are controlled, and you can better metabolize fats.
Meanwhile, relaxation techniques like yoga can also help in managing stress. When you are stressed, your body tends to produce more cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that can increase your appetite and cravings. If you have more cravings, you are likely to eat more. If you eat more, you gain more weight. So, it is a cycle that you should break by relaxing your mind and body.
Conclusion
Does running burn fat? The direct answer is yes. But if you can combine it with a healthier lifestyle, you will achieve a healthier and fit body.
We hope this article has given you some insights on how to effectively use running as a tool for burning fat. As always, see a doctor first before starting any fitness program. This is to ensure your safety and to get professional guidance.
