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Running is great for your heart, lungs and circulation, it burns a lot of calories, and I find it clears my head better than any other form of exercise. I love it.
So why on earth am I talking about doing less of it?
The thing is, running long distances isn’t great for fat loss. I want to stress that I’m not saying long slow runs are bad for you or that it won’t help you to lose weight – it probably will. But I’m afraid it is not usually the most efficient way of exercising if your aims are to shed fat and tone up.
Even if you have very little experience of formal exercise you’ll probably be able to think of a time when something which you found physically tough became easier with time. When you put extra demands on your body, say by starting a new type of exercise or working harder than you’re used to, at first it’s tough. Your system has to work hard to cope and you burn a lot of energy in the process.
Better, Harder, Faster, Stronger
But eventually the body adapts to be able to perform the tasks more easily. Put simply, it does this by growing more muscle mass, which increases strength and/or endurance depending on the type of exercise, and because we store energy in our muscles we have more fuel available too. Other changes include stronger bones to support us, a stronger heart to pump oxygen and nutrients to the muscles, and better lung function.
This is brilliant. We get lovely shapely muscles (which means we burn more calories even when we’re not exercising), we burn fat in the process (so long as we’re eating right), we feel fitter, and what was once hard becomes easy. Fitness professionals call this progression. When it happens it’s nice. You feel like you’ve cracked it.
Ah, but, there’s a but… Now the exercise is easy you won’t burn so much energy by doing it. So you need to work harder. With running this can either mean going faster or going longer (or changing terrain, but that’s not always practical). Personally, like a lot of recreational runners, I’ve tended to opt for going longer. There are a couple of problems with this.
What’s Wrong with Going Long?
Firstly, if you have less than perfect running form, which most people do, including (in fact, especially!) me (although I have been working on this and am improving) your body is in for quite a pounding. This, of course, can result in injury and illness, both of which I’ve experienced quite a bit of over the last year or so.
The second issue is time. A couple of years ago I was at a level of fitness where anything less than a 10-15 mile run didn’t feel like a proper workout. If you’re going at an average pace of around 10 minutes per mile that’s going to take around 1:45 to 2:30 and that’s not including warming up and stretching.
Another thing I’ve experienced since I started regular running about four years ago is that my upper body strength has deteriorated. This is probably due to a combination of doing less upper body training and the fact that the body can actually start using muscle for fuel once your energy stores get depleted on long runs.
Changing the Game
So, to sum all that up, I’m cutting down on the long runs to give my body a break, to challenge it with something new and get it burning more fat, because I don’t have much time to spare, and to work more on my upper body and core strength.
I will still do the odd longer jog, to keep my lust for running in check, but most of my runs will take the form of short interval sessions and, for the duration of this programme it will not be my main type of exercise.
I’ll go into my new exercise plan including more details on how and why it is better for fat burning than running in future posts, so stay tuned for that. If you’d like to know more now take a look at the post a few days ago outlining fat busting fitness programme and my report on my first workout last Sunday.
It’d be great to hear about your experiences of exercising for fat loss, or if you have any questions, or just want to say hello, I’d love it if you left a comment (click below). When someone drops me a note like that it really makes me feel like the time I’m putting into sharing this journey on this blog is worthwhile.
Also, I’ll soon be sending out weekly emails with weight loss and fitness tips based on my experiences and progress. I’m talking to some big fitness brands about getting discounts and offers exclusive to my blog readers, so I’ll include details of those in there too. If you’d like to hear from me just pop your email address in the form to the right of the page.
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Interesting post Julia,
I’m a runner myself and have been wondering why I still can’t get rid of those last few inches, even on 60 miles a week…
Good luck .. Ken
Hi Ken,
Yeah, you could have some of the issues I mentioned. Are you doing anything besides the running? Is your diet good?
Julia
I only really run long when I’m training for a distance event, but having been injured at the start of the year, most of my runs have been slow and steady to build back up. Now I want to find my speed again, so I guess intervals and short hard sessions will be my focus.
As I have a couple of triathlons coming up, I’ll be taking the same approach to my swim and bike cross training too.
When I was first training and losing weight, I found dynamic weight training with kettlebells was a great way to shock the calories out of my system. And training like that has a great ‘afterburn’ effect if you can stick to the healthy eating too.
Hi Michelle, Great to hear your fitness is coming back after the injury. And, yes, you beat me to it there – afterburn is something I’m definitely looking to harness in my training. More on that in an upcoming post. Best of luck with the tri training. Which events are you doing? Julia
Totally agree Julia. I have reduced the amount of running I do, but increased the intensity, and added some upper body work and seen the weight drop off.
That’s great Edward – well done you! x
What you say makes sense Julia. Muscle burns fat. Even when you’re sleeping. Result! So build up the strength training. Talking about potential injuries, this morning I have just done my 30 min treadmill run and my hips always seize up on me. I ignore it and try to run through it, but, it does make me wonder what harm I’m doi. Perhaps I should stick with the weights routine. Interesting. Keep up the good work.
Hi Lisa, I wouldn’t recommend running if it hurts. Why not try another type of cardio exercise for a while, like cycling? Sounds like your hips might need a rest! Ignoring potential injuries is not a good idea – I’ve learned that the hard way! Best of luck, Julia x
Hey Julia, I’m really enjoying reading your blog. Bodies will fluctuate naturally and it’s great for you to put yourself out there and share that gaining weight is normal and entirely reversible in most cases. Nobody can constantly maintain the mental and physical energy it takes to be in top shape, so we should all enjoy the ups (take lots of pictures) and accept the downs of fitness. A few months ago I was in the best shape of my life thanks to adding intense total-body interval training to my schedule once a week. Now I’m in a much-needed rest phase, and am able to tolerate my own weight gain a little better reading about your journey! x
Thanks Lauren – it’s lovely to get a second from a super-fit lady like you! Enjoy your rest phase, sounds like you’ve earned a break. x
Julia,
Couldn’t agree more. I always used to beat myself up about not running enough. Then I discovered Mark Sisson’s Primal Blueprint – he gives a great summary of why running long distances isn’t so good for us. A combination of lots of walking (or cycling or swimming) with once a week full-out sprinting is now my “cardio” of choice…and it works.
While exercise element is importnat, nutrition will always be the number one driver of the fat percentage though – with low carb high fat being the way to go…although it sounds contradictory, if you understand the body’s internal hormonal processes it makes complete sense. Also, if you cut down on the running, you will not feel like you need loads of carbs like you do when you are putting in lots of road miles.
Hi Gary, Thanks for the comment. I haven’t looked in detail at Primal Blueprint, but I’m personally not keen on high fat diets. Each to their own though, if it works for you that’s great. Good to hear the short distances are working out for you too. Keep it up!
Really interesting read Julia – I’m so please I’ve discovered this blog!
This most recent post has confirmed what I have known for a while now; that I need to up the anti and challenge myself with more interval training in shorter blasts. I’m keen to read more on any tips or advice you can give on how best to adapt this into my weekly fitness routine.
Aw thanks Fran, pleased to have you as a reader! I’ll keep the advice coming – that’s what the blog is all about really, I’m just using my “story” as a thread to tie it all together. Really glad to hear you and other people are finding it useful. Best of luck with it, let me know how you get on. Julia
As usual, sensible and excellent advice Julia, always a good read. Well done on the standard you are setting. x
Thanks PHillip x
I took up running about the same time as you – and during the first 18 months I lost nearly 3 stone, and went from a 36″ waist down to a 30″/32″ – fantastic! Since then I have only increased the amount I run, yet the pounds have crept back on. Those 32″ jeans sometimes feel tight, and I guess I’ve piled about a stone back on. The only trouble is – I love running – so that’s pretty much the only exercise I do now. But even doing multiple marathons per year isn’t enough to keep me in trim, and I know I need to change my fitness regime. Especially if I can’t give up the chocolate and other unhealthy “treats” that I allow myself on a regular basis!
Hi Ulen,
Nice to hear from you. Yep, I remember well the chats we had on Twitter back then and, of course, meeting you at the London Marathon expo when I was editor of Running Free magazine. Those were good times. So, are you going to take a break from long distances and try some interval training?
Hi Julia… Only just stumbled on this blog post, sorry I’m late to the party…
I am a long distance runner, and I truly love it personally, but as a PT I totally agree that it’s not the best thing for fat loss. Many of my clients have chronically low metabolisms before they start working with me, and long distance aerobic work will perpetuate this.
If someone wants to do long distance / duration running I will try to keep them in a much lower heart rate to ensure that they are not pushing it too much. Inevitably they find it more enjoyable too.
Have you tried monitoring your heart rate while running, Julia?