Is Running Really the Best Thing for Weight Loss?

When many people close their eyes and picture exercising to lose weight, a runner sweating it out over a long distance – running towards the goal! – often comes to mind. However, it may surprise you to learn that it has been found that running may not be your best weight loss bet.

Don’t get us wrong – running is healthy! As long as you’re wearing supportive shoes, maintaining proper form, and not pushing yourself too hard, you’re likely doing your heart, metabolism, muscles and more a lot of good. As we recently reported, running regularly has been linked by research to living about three years longer. However, the researchers who arrived at these results also found that running less than one hour a week, and more than three hours per week, had the same benefit.

When it comes to running and weight loss, the problem that many runners face is that they lose several pounds, and then stop losing weight. This is because the body adjusts to your newly-enhanced metabolism over time, and stops burning fat the same way. Once you hit this point, it’s hard to lose more weight doing the same thing.

So what’s the solution? One great one is high intensity interval training (HIIT). HIIT basically consists of short – yet intense – bursts of exercise. These “bursts” are followed either by slower exercises or rest periods, to help break them up. Breaking up intense activity in this way does not give the body time to “adjust” so to speak – therefore keeping fat-burning metabolic activity high.

As we’ve previously explored, research has found that HIIT workout sessions were more successful for participants over time in terms of fat loss than longer sessions of less intense exercise. While HIIT is something you can do at home, to get started with a safe and effective routine it may help to consult a trainer, as well as consult your doctor, first.

For healthy weight loss, you’ll obviously need to eat healthy as well as exercise. To complement a balanced diet of whole, preferably organic, homemade foods from the Earth, there are certain foods and herbs that can rev up your metabolism and amplify your weight loss efforts. Try these  eight yummy Mexican ingredients, for starters!

-The Alternative Daily

Sources:
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-17309/your-runs-are-sabotaging-your-weight-loss-heres-what-to-do-instead.html
https://www.thealternativedaily.com/single-best-fat-busting-exercise
https://www.thealternativedaily.com/8-mexican-foods-literally-melt-fat