Running is a great way to keep fit and active but does running to burn fat? It may sound strange to ask this question of the legendary runner, but running is not necessarily the fuel for rapid weight loss. Burning fat is actually a way that your body uses every day to produce energy and aid you to do the many tasks that your body requires to stay alive such as digesting food and breathing properly. The big question then is, does running burn more fat than it does sitting around?
If your thinking, "OMG, running is burning fat. That's why I'm losing weight," you are wrong. In order for the energy needed by the body to perform daily functions to be produced efficiently, the stored body fat has to be broken down. This is why, when you run, you are actually expending muscle glycogen which stores glucose and other energy fuels needed to perform exercise and boost your performance.
The problem with losing weight is that you have to watch what you eat and exercise. Many people feel that the answer to burning calories is by using weight loss supplements, changing their diets and doing "whatever it takes." The problem with these methods is that the body uses food for energy all day long whether you are eating or not. What you do in between meals is just as important as what you eat. In fact, the entire purpose of dieting is to burn calories so you can lose weight. Therefore, if you are not burning enough calories through your normal activities, you must add some weight loss supplements and change your diet to include more healthy foods.
However, most weight loss supplements and changes to your diet are not effective if your body composition has changed. The typical person losing weight will probably be carrying more body fat than muscle mass. Therefore, if you add a supplement or a diet pill to correct this issue, you most likely will not see results. Instead of using supplements or changing your diet, the only effective way to burn fat is through exercise.
As your body uses fat as its main source of energy, it will begin to burn the fat for energy. This is how running burns fat. Your fat cells will become glycogen and your muscles will turn into glycogen again when you engage in prolonged running.
Although most runners will use their fitness center for an aerobic workout, this does not give your muscles enough time to replenish. So, while you are running you should increase your heart rate in order to fuel your muscles for an extended period of time. Your goal during your run is to reach a state of maximum aerobic capacity (also called an EPOC) and then continue to gradually reduce your rate. Many runners will perform this process several times during the course of their training.
As you become familiar with EPOC and your maximum heart rate while exercising, you can begin to tweak your diet in order to burn off extra fat. You will need to eat less carbohydrates and more protein in order to reach your goals of losing weight. Since muscle is what burns fat, you will also need to eat more protein. If you add carbohydrates to your diet, you will need to eat more of them. If you remove carbohydrates from your diet, you will need to eat fewer of them. Therefore, if you want to lose weight and keep it off, make sure that you are eating a high-protein, low-carb diet.
The first thing you should do before beginning an endurance running program is to make sure that you are getting plenty of rest. All exercises require at least 8 hours of sleep. But, if you are starting an endurance running program, you should be sleeping six hours per night. Your resting time is as important to your success as any other aspect of your weight loss plan.
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