Turns out running does burn belly fat…and a lot of it!!!
So, you’ve been hitting the gym and taking the right meals but that stubborn fat around your tummy just won’t budge!
But have you tried a morning jog? Racing in the woods or just taking walks in the park?
May be you are now thinking, “Well, I have been working my abs to death with sit-ups and crunches, is this not the right way to lose my spare tire?”
Of course, abdominal exercises are a great way to keep fit. But, to lessen that pooch, or whatever not so affectionate name you want to call it, you need to work on reducing your overall body fat.
Running minimizes your fat and improves your chances of slimming down. Even though the exercise doesn’t target just the stomach area, any fat loss will help you get a flatter tummy. You will lose plenty of back fat too.
Here are 2 proven tricks to help you reap maximum benefits out of your running or jogging workout.
Run at Intervals
Switching up your pace revs up the body’s metabolism and reduces your belly fat. This simply means that instead of running, jogging, or walking at the same pace all through, you should alternate between periods of high and low body intensity.
Push your body to the maximum by doing a 5-minute sprint and then reduce the tempo by doing a 5-minute jog all the way down to a 5-minute walk. Alternating high intensity with low intensity workouts reduces the chances of injury and burns calories.
A study conducted by the American Council of Exercise shows that higher intensity exercises burn more calories but lower intensity exercises break more fat to release energy. Performing these two in rotation breaks more fat and burns more calories, which helps you lose excess weight and eventually gives you a flatter tummy.
High Knees
The best way to lose fat faster is to increase the intensity of your workout. This means working your body more than it should.
One way to make your run more intense is to kick your knees up higher. Do this for 5 minutes then slow it down with a normal run and a slow jog.
Performing this routine daily will help reduce your overall body weight, which in return will slim down your tummy.
How About Weighted Vests?
Running melts the fat in your body based on the amount of energy utilized during the exercise. And as we mentioned earlier, any excessive fat loss in your body would definitely lead to a slimmer belly.
The trick here is to use as much energy as possible. So strapping on a weighted vest adds extra weight to the workout, which forces your muscles to work more than usual.
Your body is forced to release more energy to keep up with the extra weight. This means that more fat is broken than when the exercise is performed without a vest.
As you burn more calories, you will notice massive weight loss not only in the upper and lower body but in the tummy area as well. Think about this during your next morning jog and it will definitely motivate you to keep going!
Wrapping it up
So, YES, running is an effective tool for burning calories and slimming your belly. When done right, you will certainly get rid of that obstinate tire.
Zipping into a weighted vest will undoubtedly speed up the process. In fact, it will transform the entire exercise into a robust dual-purpose grinder.
Why?
With a vest, you will not only be melting fat but also building some muscle. You will also get stronger faster and improve your overall muscle resistance and endurance. But even though this could help you lose that belly fat faster, you need to combine the workout with a low calorie diet to achieve more success. Watch your potion sizes, avoid processed foods, and most importantly, add more fruits and veggies to your diet.