Running, as a widely popular exercise, is suitable for most people to exercise. The benefits of long-term running are numerous, such as enhancing cardiovascular function, shaping a perfect body, and improving mental state, and so on.
For effective weight loss through running, two key words should be kept in mind: running for an adequate duration and controlling speed.
Key word 1, running for an adequate duration.
During each running session, how long do you run? To achieve effective weight loss through running, controlling the duration is crucial.
Some individuals stop after running for 20 or 30 minutes, which may not fully utilize the burning of body fat. At the beginning of exercise, the body primarily consumes glycogen, with little fat involved. After about 30 minutes of running, glycogen gradually depletes, and the fat burning process increases. At this point, both glycogen and fat consumption are around 50%.
To enhance fat-burning efficiency, it is essential to ensure an adequate running time of no less than 30 minutes to increase fat consumption and enhance weight loss efficiency.
However, for friends with a high initial body weight, engaging in prolonged long-distance running from the start may exert significant pressure on the knees, potentially leading to joint injuries. In this case, it is advisable to control the duration of running or try activities such as swimming, cycling, which exert less pressure on the knee joints.
Key word 2, controlling speed.
What is your running speed? Fast running is an unsustainable anaerobic exercise that is not effective in burning fat, while slow running is a sustainable aerobic exercise that can enhance metabolic activity and promote a decrease in body fat percentage.
Generally, moderate-intensity running speed is considered an ideal choice, which typically means a running cadence between 150 to 180 steps per minute, corresponding to a speed of approximately 6 to 9 kilometers per hour.
For a person weighing 70 kilograms, running continuously at a speed of 7 kilometers per hour for 30 minutes can burn around 300 calories.
Furthermore, research has shown that maintaining a heart rate at around 60%-80% of the maximum heart rate is the optimal fat-burning heart rate, leading to the best fat-burning efficiency.
How to calculate the maximum heart rate? Maximum heart rate = (220 – age). For example, if you are 25 years old, the maximum heart rate is 195, and the fat-burning heart rate is approximately between 117 and 156. So, what is your heart rate when running?
