How Long Should My Run Be to Lose Weight?
If You're Running to Lose Weight, Here's How Long (and How Hard) Your Runs Should Be
When you're running to lose weight, trying to make every run as effective as possible, exactly how long should your runs be? Long, slower-pace runs and shorter, faster runs both have their place in your training schedule, no matter what your goals are; varying the types and speeds of your runs helps you avoid injury and become a more balanced, resilient athlete. But should there be a minimum threshold you hit if you're trying to lose weight? And how do you know what it is?
Run and Make Dietary Changes to Lose Weight
Before we get to run length, there's one important thing to remember about weight loss: you can't leave your diet out of the equation. We can estimate that running burns about 100 calories per mile, according to Elizabeth Lowden, MD, medical director of medical weight management at the Metabolic Health and Surgical Weight Loss Center at Delnor Hospital. That's a huge generalization, she noted, but you can use it to see that you'll have to run a pretty long distance to really burn calories. For that reason, Dr. Lowden said, "Running as the only change in your lifestyle is less likely to make as significant an impact as running and working on dietary habits." Working on both of them, in tandem, will be much more effective.
How do you do that? Weight loss isn't all about calories in and calories out, but you should still try to eat at a slight calorie deficit, consuming fewer calories than you're burning. (It's best to visit a registered dietitian to see exactly how to do this, but you can also use this equation to get a good estimate.)
You should also look at what you're eating, specifically aiming to eat more whole foods and vegetables and fewer sugary products and processed, packaged foods. Drink plenty of water (especially if you're running), and up your intake of protein and fiber as well. Here's more on losing weight and fat through diet.
So, keeping in mind that diet plays a major role in shedding pounds, let's talk about how you can optimize your runs to lose weight.
How Long Should My Runs Be to Lose Weight?
"Ideally, one needs to be exercising at at least 65 percent of their maximum heart rate for 30-90 minutes to burn calories from fat sources," said Chris McGreer, MS, NSCA, personal trainer and exercise physiologist at Northwestern Medicine Delnor Health and Fitness Center. (Here's how to find your max heart rate.) However, that comes with a ton of caveats. The first and most important factor to look at is your current fitness level. "Running is an incredibly strenuous activity that the body needs to be built up to handle," McGreer told POPSUGAR.
Running is high-impact, full-body, and tough on your cardiovascular system and joints; pushing yourself too hard when you start can quickly lead to injury or, at the very least, extremely uncomfortable runs. Neither of those outcomes is going to help you lose weight; you either won't be able to run or you just won't want to.
If you're just starting, it's imperative that you take things slowly. Start off walking and adding in slow jogging intervals; as you get more comfortable, you can increase the amount of time you spend jogging and work your way up to running the whole time. Once you've established a stable pace, you can start to think about the length of your sessions.
Interval Runs Are Better For Weight Loss
