5 Reasons You Might Be Stuck
Running To Lose Weight
Running to lose weight may not be as simple as you thought.
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5 Questions to Ask If You're Struggling with Running to Lose Weight
1) Do you have a consistent weekly running schedule that you stick to?
When you first start running, you may find that you lose a chunk of weight right away but after that the weight loss stops. This is because your body has become accustomed to a regular running schedule.
In order to start losing weight again, try mixing things up. Add fartleks, intervals, cross training, hills, anything to mix it up and you'll probably start losing weight again.
2) Do you eat right after your run?
If you wait too long to eat after your run, your body might think it's starving so your metabolism will slow down. It's important to eat within the first 30 minutes of your run, not only because this is good for your metabolism, but it helps you recover better too. Check out these tips on what to eat after you run.
3) Do you lift weights?
Running is a great cardio workout, but if you are running to lose weight, you might want to add some weight training too. Don't worry, you don't have to become a body builder or anything, but a little weight lifting two or three days a week will not only make you a stronger runner, it will also help you build muscle which will burn the fat right off.
Here are some weight training tips just for runners.
4) Are you eating junk carbs?
Carb loading with pasta and other carbs is probably one of the most popular things about running. But carbs are also a good way to add on the pounds.
A good way to carb load is with healthy, fiber-filled, whole carbs. Whole wheat pasta, for example, is better than white pasta because it has more nutrients, fills you up faster without tacking on empty, fattening calories and it has more fiber in it which is very good for weight loss.
Here are some ideas for healthy carbs.
5) Did you know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day?
It's so easy to skip breakfast. Often we're not hungry when we wake up or we find ourselves running out the door and forget to eat breakfast and we figure, "Hey all the better. Less calories, more weight loss."
But actually if you don't eat breakfast in the morning, your metabolism slows down the rest of the day. It's those night-time calories that are doing the damage. So next time you want to grab that midnight snack, put it off until breakfast.
My favorite breakfast is a piece of toast with smoked salmon cream cheese or peanut butter and banana.
If you insist on a midnight snack make it something light and healthy like almonds. Save that snicker bar for ealier in the day so you have plenty of time to digest it before bed.
More Tips To Help With Running To Lose Weight
For more tips on running to lose weight, check out these 10 tips on how to lose weight by running.
Wondering how many calories you burned during your last run? Check out this cool runners calculator at Runner's World.
And remember, running is no fun if you're only doing it to lose weight. So have fun with it and the weight loss will come much easier. Focus on how you feel and the good lucks will come.
