Can Running Burn the Last Bit of Belly Fat?

Extra pounds tend to park themselves on your midsection, and it seems that stubborn belly fat is always the last thing to disappear. You cannot selectively shed fat from your belly, but running burns tons of calories, which can help you shed that last bit of excess. Make running a part of your routine most days of the week and you’ll be flaunting a toned abdomen in no time.

Frequency

• To shed that last bit of unwanted belly fat, you are going to need to put in some miles. Your stomach has two kinds of fat: visceral and subcutaneous. The visceral fat surrounds your abdominal organs, while the subcutaneous fat lies under your skin and abdominal wall. To shed the more dangerous visceral fat, you need run at least 20 miles per week, according to a study published in “Diabetes Care” in 2009.

Intensity

• Instead of heading out for the same run every day, switch things up to prevent boredom and to keep your body guessing. Both high-intensity intervals and long, slower runs have a place in your weight-loss routine. High-intensity intervals burn loads of calories thanks to your skyrocketing heart rate. Even at a lower intensity, a long slow run can also add up to hundreds, even thousands, of calories burned. Come up with a ratio between the two so you accumulate the most miles per week without getting overly fatigued or injured.
• Watch Your Diet

• Running burns off calories, but remember to pay attention to your diet. Your body loses weight when it uses more calories than you consume. To lose a pound of fat, you need to burn 3,500 more calories than you take in. The Mayo Clinic recommends losing one to two pounds per week, which equals a deficit of 500 to 1,000 calories per day. Paying attention to portion sizes and emphasizing complex carbohydrates, such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains, and lean proteins, including white chicken, black beans and nut betters, goes a long way in helping you shed those last few pounds.

Tips and Considerations

• Getting injured can quickly lead to weight gain. To keep your body going mile after mile, make sure you treat it right. Begin each workout with a five-minute active warm-up. By doing some brisk walking or light jogging, you can prevent injuries and improve performance. At the end of your workout, do a five-minute active cool-down. After your workout, add in a few stretches to help you maintain flexibility and range of motion. A few runner-specific stretches include kneeling hip flexor stretches, standing quad stretches and standing calf stretches. Hold each stretch for 30 seconds to two minutes.