What You Should Know About Running For Weight Loss

Runners may be familiar with the term ‘train gain,’ or weight gain that seems to magically appear even though you are in the midst of training for a race. The good news is, this doesn’t mean you can’t lose weight from running. That statement would be a myth, and the biggest one about running for weight loss that Dr. Jason Karp, PhD, founder of Run-Fit and author of Run Your Fat Off, has heard.

“Research shows how much weight is on a person’s body is proportional to how much he/she runs,” he explains. “The problem comes when people underestimate how many calories they consume and overestimate how many calories they burn.”

This is why you shouldn’t rely on the number of ‘calories burned’ after a workout—it’s not the best approach. Running burns the most calories, yes, but it is important to focus on fueling your body with the proper nutrients versus simply replenishing calories.

Dr. Karp notes that just as when you’d start any exercise program, it is important to obtain approval from a qualified medical professional. Seeing a dietician can be helpful or you can find resources—such as the eating plan in his book—to learn what types of foods are going to give your body the energy it needs.

If you are a beginner, just going out and running—even without a specific training plan—is perfectly okay. Karp says starting with 30 seconds of running followed by walking with intention for 5 minute is a great place to begin. He explains that over time your body will adapt and you will develop the stamina needed to run (or run/walk) for longer periods of time. Then, the weight loss will come.

The weight loss happens when your body starts creating a metabolic demand and those calories you are consuming are being used for other needs. In this case, that energy would be used to power your running, meaning it isn’t being stored as fat.

“Running creates the metabolic demands, giving you the director’s clapperboard so that you decide where the calories go,” Dr. Karp notes. “And that is exactly one of the goals of the Run Your Fat Off program—to make you the director of the calorie movie, dictating where your calories go and how they are used.”

You don’t have to be worried about losing too much weight, however, as he goes on to explain that based on your genes, your body and brain have a sense of what you should weigh.

“This is called your set point, which is really a set weight range of about 10 to 15 pounds,” he adds. “So, yes, your body will reach a healthy plateau, [and] you have to work to get it and keep it there.”

Dr. Karp deeply believes that running is for everyone, no matter your goal, whether it’s weight loss or anything else.

“Running connects you to your body and is perhaps the best expression of your physicality,” he concludes. “Through running, you fulfill your destiny as a physical being, and on the foundation of a fitter physical being, you can build a better life.”


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The Benefits of Swimming: 10 Reasons Every Woman Should Get in the Water

Swimming is one of my favourite forms of exercise - be that pool swimming or sea swimming (- yes, I'm lucky enough to live on the coast!).  Swimming has major health benefits and takes years off your age and adds years to your lifetime! It's a well used form of rehabiliation and has multiple benefits....  read on for more of these - get your cozzie ready and dive in!

Benefits of Swimming: It Counts as Both Cardio and Strength Training

In swimming, if you aren't moving constantly, you're sinking. (Forced cardio!) Plus, water is about 800 times denser than air, says swimming and triathlon coach Earl Walton, owner of Tailwind Endurance in New York City, so your muscles are under constant resistance. Finally, no more trying to decide if today is going to be a strength or cardio day. (We suggest this pool workout for every skill level.)

Benefits of Swimming: It's Easy on the Impact

Yes, the low impact means swimming is a great workout for injured athletes, who need to take it easy on their joints. But it may also mean more results: "You can swim at higher intensities on a regular basis without feeling wear and tear on your body," Walton says. You could have a super-hard workout one day and still be in the pool the next, he says. Bonus: Research in the International Journal of Sports Medicine shows swimming is better than straight-up rest for exercise recovery, for when you want to take it easy.

Benefits of Swimming: It's Great for Your Lungs

When your face is under water, oxygen is at a premium. In turn, your body adapts to use oxygen more efficiently, Walton says. Plus, it learns to take in more fresh air with every breath, and expel more carbon dioxide with every exhalation. A study in the Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology even found that swimmers had better tidal volume (the amount of air that moves in and out of the lungs during relaxed breathing) compared to runners. This results in lower resting heart rates, lower blood pressure, and, as you'll see next, better running performance.

Benefits of Swimming: It Makes You a Better Runner

By increasing your ability to take in and effectively use oxygen, swimming increases your endurance capacity like crazy, Walton says. That's great news if you're hoping to complete your first half-marathon this year. It also means you can run faster mile after mile without getting winded. In a 2013 Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports study, swimmers who followed a controlled breathing technique (taking two breaths per pool length) improved their running economy by 6 percent after just 12 swim sessions. Air-fueled benefits aside, swimming trains your glutes and hamstrings, your core, and your shoulders—all of which are needed for improved running form and performances, Walton says.

Benefits of Swimming: Anyone Can Do It

Whether you're recovering from an injury, pregnant (Walton has trained women in the pool on their due dates), a new mom, or an Ironman competitor, swimming can give you a great workout (um, as long as you—you know—know how to swim). You control the pace, intensity, and what you get out of every session, he says.

Benefits of Swimming: It Slashes Major Stress

While exercise-induced endorphins will do wonders for your stress levels, getting in the water for your workout may have its own special brand of mood-boosting benefits, Walton says. Being submerged in water dulls the amount of sensory information that bombards your body, helping to bring on feelings of calm, according to a study published in Pain Research & Management. Researchers found that regular flotation tank sessions were effective at relieving symptoms in patients suffering from conditions related to chronic stress. No wonder you love soaking in the bathtub.

Benefits of Swimming: It Turns Back the Clock

Regular swimmers are biologically 20 years younger than their driver's licenses say they are, according to research from Indiana University. Scientists say that, even up until your 70th birthday, swimming affects blood pressure, cholesterol levels, cardiovascular performance, central nervous system health, cognitive functioning, muscle mass, and blood chemistry to be much more similar to that of your younger self. Who needs night cream?

Benefits of Swimming: It Hits Otherwise Underworked Muscles

"You don't sit at your desk with your arms over your head," Walton says. But when you're in the pool, your arms are all over the place, meaning you need to work your often-neglected lats, deltoids, and traps, he says. And we know you aren't targeting those when you're on a bike or pounding the pavement. Plus, since so much of swimming is about staying balanced and level in the water (while both your arms and legs are moving, mind you), swimming helps you develop the deep stabilizing muscles in your core and lower back that women often miss.

Benefits of Swimming: It Makes You Smarter

Blood flow to the brain increased by up to 14 percent when men submerged themselves in water up to their hearts, according to a Journal of Physiology study. Researchers believe water's pressure on the chest cavity may have something to do with it, and they are now studying whether water-based workouts improve blood flow to the brain better than do land-based ones. Stay tuned.

Benefits of Swimming: It Opens You Up to Awesome Experiences

Want to hop off the back of a boat? Swim across the San Francisco Bay? Go snorkeling in the Bahamas? Win every game of Marco Polo? Mastering swimming will help you do all that, Walton says. "Swimming's a life skill. It opens the doors to a lot of fun stuff."

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