Since many gyms remain closed due to the new coronavirus pandemic, more and more people are looking for simple workouts at home to help them lose weight. Starting to run is a material-free exercise that anyone with a pair of sneakers can access.
Although hitting the pavement can help you shed some pesky pounds initially, your progress may fade after a few weeks or months. If you run regularly and your weight is barely moving, or worse, you are unintentionally gaining weight, chances are you have stumbled upon some common mistakes.
4 mistakes you make when running to lose weight
You run every day
Running may be your passion, but if you hit the road every day, it can have serious consequences for your body and ultimately your weight loss goals. The risks of injury or illness are significantly increased if someone runs every day without adequate rest and recovery between sessions.
In other words, when you push too hard and run 7 days a week, your body doesn't have enough time to repair it. And once this happens, you are more likely to get hurt and sidelined, which can sabotage your efforts to shed a few pounds. Think about it, it's hard to exercise and lose weight if you're stuck on the couch for days or weeks with an injury.
To keep your body in top shape, you need quality sleep, a nutrient-dense diet with plenty of protein and products, and a balance of light and heavy physical activity.
Try the following combination of physical activity:
- 1-3 difficult runs per week.
- 1-2 moderate or easy running sessions.
- Resistance training and other regenerative activities such as yoga, stretching, foam roller and massage.
You stick to the same routine
We are all creatures of habit. But following the same running routine (speed, distance, and route) won't do you any favors when it comes to losing weight.
Once the body adjusts to a set of variables (frequency, intensity, time, and / or type of activity), it will simply continue and your weight loss will likely stop.
What's worse, your body could break down from the repetitive nature of the same rhythm, speed, and movement patterns, using the same muscle fibers over and over again, while others become more or less inactive. Again, this is a recipe for injury.
To avoid this and keep your goals on track, train smart and turn things around. No two races are the same. There must be a very noticeable degree of difference between races if you want to become a fitter, faster and stronger racer.
For example, one day you could focus on distance and endurance, while another you shoot for speed incorporating speed ranges. In fact, running intervals increase calorie burning and increase muscle mass, which is good news for weight loss.
You overestimate the calories burned
Are you starving after a long career? Physical activity that depletes carbohydrate stores (such as running at a distance) is often followed by cravings.
And while it's tempting to eat a big carbohydrate-rich meal after the run, you may be misjudging the amount of calories you've burned during your workout, leading to unintentional overeating. Many runners tend to consume carbohydrates in excess , either because they feel physiologically that they need fuel or replacement, or because they feel psychologically that they have 'earned' some kind of indulgence.
This overcompensation is perhaps what makes running such an unpredictable and unreliable weight loss tool.
Some runners even adopt an unhealthy mindset, using their training to justify overeating or staying longer. If this sounds familiar to you, you can pause and examine your relationship with food and exercise.
This combination of mostly sedentary behavior and excess is not the ideal equation for weight loss. For healthy weight loss and an overall healthier lifestyle, you should supplement your running routine with a diet of moderately low carbohydrates and plenty of protein and lots of low intensity, unstructured daily activity.
You don't do strength training
Many runners mistakenly think that lifting weights could increase their volume and decrease their speed. To become a stronger and more durable athlete, you must focus on maintaining lean muscle while losing fat. And the way to achieve this is through resistance training.
Building lean muscle not only increases your strength and power, and allows you to run faster, it is also particularly important for weight loss. Remember, the more muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn at rest.
Additionally, cross training can help reduce the risk of overuse injuries and improve your overall fitness.
