Most people operate under the assumption that the more they run, the more weight they'll lose. That's true, but only to a point. Running is an incredibly effective and efficient form of exercise for burning calories running. (You burn about 8.5 calories a minute when moving at a comfortable pace.)
Problem is, the more miles you log, the more efficient your body becomes at running and the fewer calories it burns, says Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., fitness research director at Quincy College in Massachusetts.
In other words, you'll initially drop some pounds, but your progress will flatline as soon as your body adjusts to your exercise regimen. Plus, running long distances on a regular basis takes a physical toll (in the form of injuries, like runner's knee) and can seriously dampen your enthusiasm. Ultimately, all that pain and boredom can cause many people to burn out and give up.
Thankfully, there is a better (and easier) way. By learning how to make your runs more efficient at burning calories running (by running with more intensity and by making your body stronger), you can get more benefits in less time, says Andrew Kastor, a running coach in Mammoth Lakes, California
You'll still need to run three to five days a week (depending on which of the two programs you decide to follow), but rarely for more than 20 minutes a pop. That's not so bad, right?
How Burning Calories Running?
If you work out, you've probably heard of intervals—short bursts of intense exercise with periods of recovery in between. Here's why they work: When you chug along at a comfortable pace (as most people do), your body gets energy easily from the oxygen you inhale. But once you switch into high gear, your muscles start working harder to process that O2, so they expend extra energy recruiting other chemicals in the body (adenosine-triphosphate and phosphocreatine, in case you're interested) to get the job done.
"Your body likes to be on cruise control, because that's where it's most gas efficient," explains Westcott. "But when you push on the gas pedal, as you do in intervals, your body becomes less efficient and has to burn more calories to do the activity."
And these quick-but-killer efforts may be the closest thing you'll find to a magic calorie-burning bullet. You not only log less sweat time (which is kinder to your body) but also continue to incinerate calories at an increased rate even during the walking or jogging recovery periods, says Westcott.
Exercising at a higher intensity burns more calories per minute, which is much more relevant than distance. In addition, if you weigh more, you burn more calories doing the same activity (this is just something to keep in mind. I'm not suggesting that you gain weight to increase the number of calories that you burn!).
Also, if you are more fit, you actually burn fewer calories doing the same activity, but the good news is that you burn more calories from fat when you are fit.
The bottom line is that more intense exercise, like running, is a more time efficient workout. However, many people, including myself, are not able to run because of injury or arthritis. In this case, exercise as intensely as you can, but realize that you will have to exercise for a longer period of time to burn the same number of calories.
This is why the physical activity recommendations for adults are either 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity (brisk walking) per week or 75 minutes of vigorous (running or jogging) physical activity per week in addition to strength training.
You can also try walking on an incline (or hills) to increase calorie burn or alternating running and walking (interval training), which is great for people just starting a more intense exercise program or looking to improve their overall fitness level