Running for Weight Loss

Nearly every personal trainer will tell you that running is one of the best ways to lose weight, and they’re right, to some extent.  What they don’t tell you, probably because they don’t know, is that while you do lose considerable weight from running, there is a severe cost in terms of muscle wastage. 

The other problem with running is that it makes you really, really hungry, which of course means you eat more making weight loss increasingly difficult.

So you see, running per se is not all it’s made out to be!

Fight or flight response

Running for pleasure actually confuses the body by sending the wrong message.  Millions of years of evolution have taught our bodies to adapt to environmental stressors, and running sends the message that there is danger.  When that happens, cortisol and adrenaline are released into the body, allowing it to perform at a much higher rate to react to perceived danger – the fight or flight response.

What happens then is that blood rushes to the muscles and all non-essential functions cease as the body builds energy ready for action.  The problem with that is the cortisol, which remains in the body for days even during rest, breaks down muscle tissue to use as an additional fuel source.

Continuous running also sends a message to the body to get rid of unnecessary cargo, and targets the lean muscle tissue because bulky muscles slow the body down.

The body keeps fat as a fuel source

Eventually we become leaner, more efficient hunters capable of escaping danger by running for extended periods but the problem is the body hangs on to fat.  It wants to keep fat as a fuel source for later, so instead of stripping body fat and being left with a toned physique, you simply shrink.

You become a skinny fat person.  Errrr!

Basic movement is best

That’s why we often see overweight people training their brains out and never getting anywhere.  They lose a few kilos of fat (and muscle) at the start then they plateau.  If they were to focus on the critical role of food in weight loss and just do basic movement to stay healthy, they’d almost certainly reach their weight loss goals.

So, if you are thinking of running for weight loss, think again.  We recommend you focus on food intake and walking for weight loss and you can’t go wrong.

Happy walking!