Do you keep running on the treadmill hoping it will lose the fat around your waistline? You’re not alone in this mission, many women are caught up in this cycle of running to lose belly fat. The question is, “does running burn belly fat?”
If you are searching for that one, single method to lose belly fat, then unfortunately you may be disappointed. It is going to take more than one step to help your body burn fat. If you are running on the treadmill or outdoors regularly each week, and have been for many months (or years!) and still don’t see the results you desire in your body, then you are going to have to switch up your exercise routine. Here’s the truth, it depends on how many times a week you are running, the duration, the type of running session, and the intensity.
On top of the running, you might need to consider other forms of exercise and your nutrition. These are all key factors in helping to burn belly fat.
If you want to seriously ramp up your belly fat burning, you need to do more (or rather switch it up) than just the long steady state cardio. If you enjoy long running sessions, but still want to see changes in your stomach, keep 1 to 2 long running sessions in a week. If you don’t enjoy the long running sessions but think you need to do them in order to lose belly fat, then stop. Forget about punishing yourself with exercise that you dread. It demotivates you and doesn’t give the results you want.
When it comes to exercise, if you want to lose belly fat, you need to increase the intensity of your workout. This is a bonus for you as that means less time for working out, and more results for your body. For those of you ladies who have less time to exercise, this is the perfect solution to fit into your weekly schedule. Aim to do 3 to 5 interval workout sessions each week at 20 to 30 minutes duration. Increase the intensity in those sessions and challenge yourself!
To make running work for your body, here are a few tips to get started:
1. Interval running
On the treadmill, running track, outdoors on a trail or in the woodland, focus on interval training. This can be as simple as a 5 minute warm up at a steady pace, then 5 rounds of 1 minute fast paced, 1 minute steady pace, and a 5 minute cool down slow pace run. If outdoors, you can make it fun by racing to different trees as a fast as possible, then jog for awhile before racing to the next tree. Have fun and get creative running intervals.
Check out these 5 HIIT Treadmill Workouts to Get Fit & Have Fun!
2. Bodyweight workouts
Add in bodyweight exercises into your running workouts or as separate workouts through the week. For example, when running outdoors mix up the running intervals with 10 push ups, 10 squats and 10 tricep dips using a bench. This type of workout incorporates resistance training which is great for building muscle and losing body fat.
Check out these 5 HIIT Workouts for Women to Get You Fit!
3. Hydrate
To make sure you run at your best keep hydrated pre and post workout. Focus ion drinking enough fluids every single day to make sure the body functions at its best for a short or long run. When your body functions optimally, it can perform better, which in the long term yields better results for the body.
4. Nutrition
What you eat plays a huge role in losing belly fat. Ensure you are fuelling your body properly pre and post workout so that you have lots of energy to run, and recover efficiently after your workout. Aside from workouts, focus on eating nutritious whole foods everyday as this is the biggest factor in helping your body to be healthy, which is ultimately going to help you be in the shape you want, feeling and looking your best.
Check out How to Reduce Body Fat with 7 Simple Steps
When it comes to running to burn belly fat, the key is to fuel your body properly, keep hydrated, run with intensity, and have fun with your workouts!
Rebecca is a personal trainer and health & wellness coach who is passionate about helping women to feel healthy, happy and LOVE life. As a coach with a huge passion for vegan nutrition, holistic health, enjoying exercise and self care, Rebecca is on a mission to help women thrive!
