How Long Does it Take to Lose Belly Fat by Running?
September 8, 2022
How long does it take to lose belly fat by running? If you want to burn belly fat, you need to run. But how long does running take to get rid of belly fat? According to Jessica Mazzucco, a New York-based personal trainer, if you run four to five times a week for 30 to 60 minutes, you can get rid of your fat belly. When done at intervals and different speeds, this running increases the flow of oxygen to the muscles, which aids calorie loss and fat burning. Besides using the best cardio machines, running is another excellent technique to eliminate belly fat.
But you might have already known that by now. You may not see the running you need to have the best results. In my over eight months of running experience, I learned that this type of running is the most effective. When done correctly, you are saying goodbye forever to belly fat (just like I kissed mine goodbye).
Are you eager to learn about it? Yeah, me too!
How Many Calories Do You Burn Per Hour While Running?
According to a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, people who ran for 20 minutes burned between 200 and 250 calories. Men burned around 230 calories on average, while women burned around 210.
However, if you want to lose belly fat, you need to run for longer. A study published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism showed that people who ran for 30 minutes burned around 350 calories.
The Best Type of Running to Lose Belly Fat
Why do experts believe there is no best ‘run type to lose weight as it depends on one’s preferences, goals, and the distance covered? I found morning runs to be the best for me.
Running early in the morning when you haven’t eaten helps increase your metabolism rate, which allows you to lose weight, and in my case, belly fat. This, however, is usually the hardest, as one feels reluctant to immediately after waking up from sleep.
It took a lot of adjusting (more than I care to admit), but once you settle in, you won’t wish to stop. I’ve been going on strong since February, and my stomach lacks any belly. But that doesn’t mean there are no other types you can try.
Evening runs are also great, but I gathered they are not as effective as morning runs, even though you feel the most energetic. Unlike morning runs that help kickstart your daily metabolism, they also burn more calories.
You can try both and see which works for you.
Other Types of Running Great for Losing Belly Fat
When it comes to losing a fat belly, you need a combination of dieting and exercise. You need to cut down on unhealthy foods and start eating healthier. Then, you need to ensure that you get enough sleep and exercise.
There isn’t just one solution, but these runs will help.
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Interval Running
Running is a terrific workout for losing weight, but add some sprints or intervals to keep the metabolism up. Our bodies typically lower their metabolism and become more efficient when faced with lengthy, unpredictable distances to cover.
Calories Burned
A 20-minute session burns from 100–400 calories. If you increase the intensity over the next 24-48 hours, you can burn even more.
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Trail Running
Moving off the roads and into the trails is an easy change you can make to your jogging to help you lose belly fat. Trail running offers complete body exercise to help you tighten up and work your calves, quadriceps, glutes, and belly far harder than you would by jogging.
Calories Burned
Depending on the terrain, you can lose between 400-500 calories per hour.
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Cross Training
Picking a significant activity, such as running, and complementing it with secondary activities, like on the treadmill, are all efficient at burning belly fat.
These exercises should, however, be low impact, especially if you have a history of bad knees or are prone to injury, and should last 30 to 60 minutes only.
Calories Burned
Thirty minutes of cross-training shed 170 – 320 calories, depending on your weight and intensity.
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High-intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
HIIT activities like running are done at high intensity for a brief period, followed by a break, and then repeated.
Running at a high rate of speed causes the body to rely more on carbohydrates since they provide energy more quickly. They provide your body the quick energy boost it needs to start an activity like a sprint.
Calories Burned
You can burn as much as 450 calories per 30 minutes of HIIT running.
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Low-intensity Runs
During these longer, low-intensity runs, your body progressively switches from burning carbohydrates to burning fat. While fats might not provide energy as quickly, they are more long-lasting and less prone to risk.
Calories Burned
The average person loses between 400-700 calories per hour of low intense joggings.
Other Tips to Lose Belly Fat
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Eat More Healthy Fats
To get rid of lower belly fat, cut specific foods out of your diet, especially your intake of fats. Excess intake of saturated fat and trans fats are of low benefits to the body, accumulate as belly fat, and increase the chance of heart diseases and stroke.
Instead, eat more avocado, eggs, fatty fish, salmon, almonds, olive oil, nuts, and whole milk, which all contain healthy fats.
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Increase Your Protein Intake
Eating enough protein is one way to eradicate lower belly fat as protein increases satiety, reducing food intake. In other words, you don’t feel hungry for an extended period, so you don’t have to consume a large quantity of food that increases the body’s calories.
You can take healthy proteins, including legumes, eggs, dairy products, nuts, and lean seafood.
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Add Fiber to Your Diet
Both soluble and insoluble fiber is good for the body, especially the digestive tract. Fibre food also helps you feel fuller for a long time, minimizing calorie intake. Interestingly, fiber intake reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes associated with visceral fat.
Fiber-rich foods include nuts, seeds, whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, and flours made from the lowest calorie grains.
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Practice Intermittent Fasting
Fasting through spiritual exercise has potential health benefits, including reducing belly fat. You can practice intermittent fasting for no more than 24 hours to help get rid of lower belly fat.
How Frequently Should You Run to Reduce Belly fat?
To see the best results, run between 30-60 minutes daily, 5-6 days a week. This might seem a lot, especially if your schedule is crazy, but with the proper planning and motivation, you can do it. I went from being a lazy runner to running every day despite blizzards!
You can also plan other activities like swimming, workouts, sit-ups, or simply walking to see better results.
Which is Better for Belly Fat; Running or Walking?
Running and walking are two of the best fat-burning exercises. When combined with the best diets, these two will work wonders.
Running or walking: As you exercise, calories are burned, and your body fat percentage decreases. So, exercising not only helps you to reduce belly fat, but it also sheds fat from other areas. Running and walking are two of the best fat-burning exercises. Plus, the only equipment you need is a good pair of shoes.
Although running is effective, it is a high-impact activity and might lead to leg or knee injuries, especially if you have a history. This is not great for people with bad knees or other health conditions like breathing difficulties, heart diseases, or obesity.
Walking, on the hand, though not as effective, is safe and less prone to risk. You can partake in this easy activity while going about other activities of your day, all without breaking a sweat.
While I prefer running to walking, it depends on preferences, risks, goals, and health conditions. If you have any injury or pending medical need and believe you may experience pain while running, contact your doctor first, or choose a less harmful way of losing fat belly.
Why You Need to Lose Belly Fat
Beyond your skin, abdominal fat can also be found deep within your body, around essential organs. It poses a greater risk of majors like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and breathing difficulties.
The good news is that research suggests that moderate- to high-intensity aerobic activity, such as running and jogging, can aid in visceral fat reduction even if your diet remains unchanged.
Though running seems to be more beneficial than diet when it comes to targeting belly fat, the most effective combination is an aerobic exercise like running combined with a healthy, low-calorie diet.
Conclusion
How long does it take to lose belly fat by running? Four to five times a week for 30 to 60 minutes. While there are also many running options you can choose from; for me, morning runs when the body is still less active are the most effective.
Ultimately, running depends on many factors, including; age, health conditions, preferences, availability, and more. The most important thing is to contact you if you believe you have any pending medical condition that might hinder your running duties.
Lose that fat belly!
