Are You Losing Weight Running? If No, Here’s Why

Some people love running. They think that it tops every other form of exercise when it comes to feeling good about your body and yourself. And some people looking to lose weight would rather run than do anything. But sometimes those runs are barely affecting the scale. And if your diet is looking pretty good, you may be baffled. So here is our digestion of this Greatist article on what your issue may be.

You’re Hitting the Same Blocks the Same Way
If you had some initial success but have hit a dead end, it could very well because you haven’t changed your routine and your body is simply used to your run. So it’s probably time to change it up.

You’re Thinking Too Much About Calories
Exercise is a great way to burn calories, but it can truly help if we burn more calories when we aren’t exercising. NEAT, or non-exercise thermogenesis, is where we burn a major part of our calories every day. This means that if you are putting in the miles but then taking the elevator, driving up to your mailbox and avoiding any other exercise all day then you are losing chances to burn more calories.

You’re Focused on Distance, Not Speed
If you are proud of your five miles yesterday, and you plan on adding another mile next week, make sure that you are keeping track of your speed. Yes, running long distances can’t hurt, but putting your efforts into shorter distances with more speed has been shown to have a greater effect on weight loss.

Running is Not a Cure-All
The last two points are really just one: You need to add in some resistance training and/or some high intensity to shake up your body. Running can be great for you, but it doesn’t work for everyone as a weight loss program.