Running is one of the most popular cardio workouts and forms of physical exercise in the entire world. People run for fun, to improve their fitness, to lose weight, for all sorts of reasons. You may be doing it to get rid of some stomach fat and to flatten your abs. But is running the best way to lose belly fat?
In this short article, I’ll answer this important question. Make sure to read it and apply the tips and advice I provide in order to burn belly fat as quickly as possible. Otherwise, you may end up doing the wrong workouts and wasting a lot of time in the process.
There’s no doubt that running can help you burn lots of calories and get you to shed some pounds. If done regularly, consistently, and correctly, this is one of the best cardio workouts to lose weight with. However, this doesn’t mean that it’s the best way to burn stomach fat. In fact, I believe that thinking that it is may make it harder for you to actually get those perfect abs that you so desperately crave.
Fat Burning Basics
It’s time go over some basic facts about weight loss and fat burning. Follow these and you should see better and faster results than you would have done otherwise:
1. Weight loss is about burning more calories than those you consume.
2. You can cut down on your food and you can increase your calorie burn rate.
That’s it. Now, where does that fit with running?
Running does burn calories and it does burn fat. It’s an intensive cardio workout that certainly increases your activity level and, in so doing, forces your body to burn more calories. However, this doesn’t mean that it’s the best way to reduce belly fat. People who think so are forgetting about one ultra-important thing: your metabolism.
Your metabolism is the single most important force you can utilize to burn more fat and calories faster than before even when you’re resting. It’s the internal process within you that takes the calories that you consume and/or store and uses them to keep you going. The higher your metabolism is, the faster you burn off calories and the easier it is for you to lose weight.
Running, at least as most people do it, doesn’t do a lot to boost your metabolism and to keep it up. The reason is that most people run at moderate intensity for a long time, thinking that they need a minimum amount of time to burn off fat for real. Naturally, running for just minute is not much of a workout, but there’s no reason to run for 45-60 minutes at moderate speed. In fact, it is less effective than doing a shorter but more intensive interval training running session. You can get an awesome running workout in 20-25 minutes if you do it with intervals. This type of workout is better for your metabolism.
The other problem with running is that many people turn it (and other cardio) into their sole exercise, thinking that this is the best way to lose fat. I’m not saying that cardio is useless because it is very important for your health and for weight loss, but too much cardio with too little strength training can lead to a reduction in muscle mass as well as fat.
The problem with that, apart from making you look less toned, is that muscle tissue is naturally good for your metabolism. Muscle tissue burns more calories even when you’re resting, so the more muscles you have, the easier it is to lose weight and stay lean. You don’t need to be a bodybuilder for this to happen. Even a small increase in muscle tissue can do wonders for you.
Best Way To Lose Belly Fat With Running
First of all, don’t just run. Make sure you also do regular strength training workouts to build lean muscle tissue, burn even more calories and boost your metabolism.
Second, run regularly but make sure to do intervals. If you enjoy running for long distances, who am I to stop you, but if the goal is to lose belly fat, than intervals will serve you better.
The best way to lose belly fat involves a combination of cardio, strength training, and a healthy diet plan. I recommend using an abs program such as the Truth About Six Pack Abs which has helped thousands of people lose fat. You can read a review of it here: Truth About Abs Reviews.
You can also burn a lot more calories with running by following a fat burning running plan. I recommend using The Weight Loss Cardio program. It teaches how to lose more weight with 5 different cardio workouts. Some of the techniques there are very interesting and fun to do.
In Conclusion
Running does reduce belly fat but, as most people do it, is not the best way to do it. The best way to lose belly fat is a combination of intensive cardio, full body strength training, and a healthy and fat burning diet. Don’t put all your energy into cardio. The results will not be optimal.
