How to Run to Burn Fat

Excess body fat can add a slew of problems for a person during their lifetime. Fat can increase the chances of disease such as cancer and heart conditions as well as add extra unsightly weight that can lower self esteem. Running to burn fat is one of the best ways to rid yourself on any of these potential problems, if you approach it correctly.

Tips For You

1. Wear some good running shoes and comfortable clothing. What you wear during running can severely affect your ability to keep running. Comfortable running shoes that both support your foot type (goofy, flat or high arched) can make the difference in completing or quitting a run. Through wearing shorts or jogging pants and a comfortable shirt that allow a full range of motion will also allow you to optimize your fat burning potential.
2. Stretch before you stride. Before you take off out the gates to run, you need to stretch your leg muscles to help prevent injury. Taking about eight to 10 minutes to stretch before you run will help loosen your muscles and prepare them for your fat burning routine. Be sure that you focus on muscles like your calves, quadriceps, hamstrings and joints like your hips, ankles and knees with your warm-up stretching.
3. Build up to a steady pace. If you are just starting to run after a long break or if this is your first time truly jogging to burn fat, then don't expect to run a marathon right away. Your goal should be to build to jogging for 30 to 45 minutes 3 to 4 times a week. When you start out, try to jog every other day as long as you can if you can't make it to this point. Perseverance will be key if you truly want to run to burn fat, which means you may have to push yourself past your current comfort level.
4. Burst into action. During your running, you can maximize your fat burning potential in a few ways whether you run in or outdoors. When running outside, you can run a course that has some hills to add resistance to your run for more fat burning. You can take part in interval training when inside or outside by adding 20 to 30 second bursts of full effort sprinting for every 2 to 3 minutes of jogging at an even, maintainable pace. These are ways to stimulate your metabolism as well as speed up the fat burning potential in your body.
5. Combine your running effort with a healthy diet. Running will definitely help you to burn fat and get into better, healthier shape, but exercise isn't the biggest decider in fat loss. Boosting your fat burning efforts when you run with a healthy diet that is full of slow burning carbohydrates like oats, grain and wheat as well as an assorted variety of fruits and vegetables can help double your efforts. Combining these with healthy proteins found in beans, fish, nuts and chicken can also help to cut the time it takes to burn fat when running.