![\"Women](\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/14104119\/Inexpensive-Self-Care-600-running.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nRunning gets your heart beating, your blood pumping, and your breath heavy \u2014 so, yes, it most certainly counts as cardio. But is running the best kind\u00a0of cardio? And can you really lose fat by running?<\/p>\n
The simple answers are yes and yes; running is cardio and you can lose fat by following a regular running routine, much like any other consistent exercise habit. But in order to optimize its benefits, you need to learn how to best go about it.<\/p>\n
Read on to learn what cardio exercise really means in the context of overall fitness and how to make sure your running routine is helping you lose weight.<\/p>\n
\u201cCardio workouts are all about providing an activity that challenges the heart muscle,\u201d says Ronnie Carda, Ph.D., with the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.<\/p>\n
Cycling, swimming, and rowing qualify, of course, but so does interval training (i.e., exercise that alternates periods of intense exercise and rest, such as sprint drills or hill workouts), and circuit training (series of strength-based exercises performed back-to-back without rest).<\/p>\n
And, of course, running is also high on the cardio list.<\/p>\n
In general, as long as the workout involves sustained physical activity that elevates your heart rate and keeps it high, it can be considered cardio. \u201cAnd running is one of the best ways to challenge your entire cardiovascular system,\u201d says Carda.<\/p>\n
Because it challenges both your cardiorespiratory and muscular systems, running can provide significant weight-loss benefits. That\u2019s especially true if you\u2019re new to the activity, as your body will have to work overtime to keep up with the demand for energy from your muscles.<\/p>\n
The average 150-pound person can burn about 100 calories per mile during a run. If you weigh more, you\u2019ll burn more, and vice versa if you weigh less.<\/p>\n
That calorie burn can translate into a daily \u201ccalorie deficit,\u201d which will result in lost pounds as long as you don\u2019t erase it through overeating. In short, combining running with smart eating habits is a far more powerful strategy for weight loss than focusing on running alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s also important to keep in mind that if all you do is \u2018steady-state\u2019 running, you\u2019ll eventually \u2014 perhaps even quickly \u2014 notice your weight loss begin to taper and plateau as your body adapts to your unchanging cardio \u2018routine,’\u201d says Trevor Thieme, C.S.C.S. \u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s important to regularly switch up your running workouts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Weight loss is just one of the many health benefits of running. Here are some other reasons why you should pound the pavement.<\/p>\n
Whether you\u2019re on the treadmill or in the great outdoors, you can run anywhere at any time. All you need is a good pair of running shoes, and you can get a great workout that improves heart health, lung function, and leg and core strength.<\/p>\n
As good as running is for your body, it can work wonders for your emotional and mental health, too. You\u2019ve likely heard of the runner\u2019s high, or the running-related euphoric feelings you may experience during a run. That\u2019s because running can boost the brain\u2019s levels of serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t have to run a marathon to get a good cardio workout. Even running at a moderate intensity for 10 to 20 minutes can still impart benefits. The plus side? You can be more consistent with your fitness routine because your body won\u2019t be too banged up.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Not all running workouts are created equal, and different routines provide different benefits.<\/p>\n
\u201cResearch has shown that it may be best to exercise at a variety of intensities \u2014 from steady-state to high-intensity interval training,\u201d says Carda. That\u2019s especially true if your goal is weight loss.<\/p>\n
High-intensity interval training\u00a0(HIIT) alternates periods of all-out effort with brief periods of rest.<\/p>\n
A 2:1 ratio of work to rest is the standard.\u00a0In practice, that might translate into repeats of 40-second sprints paired with 20-second jogs, or a similarly timed workout with, say, burpees, mountain climbers, squat jumps, and push-ups.<\/p>\n
Not only can HIIT help optimize weight loss, but it can also boost aerobic capacity and enhance long-distance running performance. Indeed, a study in the Journal of Strength and\u00a0Conditioning found that sprint-interval training improved overall endurance.<\/p>\n
The opposite of HIIT,\u00a0low-intensity steady-state training (LISS) involves sustained activity lasting longer than 30 minutes that doesn\u2019t elevate your heart rate above about 60 percent of its maximum. A LISS running workout essentially entails jogging at a steady pace for an extend amount of time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Running gets your heart beating, your blood pumping, and your breath heavy \u2014 so, yes, it most certainly counts as cardio. But is running the best kind\u00a0of cardio? And can you really lose fat by running? The simple answers are yes and yes; running is cardio and you can lose fat by following a regular […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3772,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3771"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3771\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}