You may have had a similar conversation with someone from the office, we'll call him Sam. He’s getting ready for his summer and wants to lose some weight. What does he tell you, he’s been running/jogging 3 times a week 5k and posts all his times on Strava for you to check out and track his runs.
Fuck off Sam.
So my question is. Why is it immediately when people think of losing weight the exercise they all flock to is going for a run? This is what we will dissect and I’ll explain why it may not be the best solution.
Now running can be deemed as a fairly easy and cost effective way of burning calories, as in reality all you need is a pair of running shoes and you’re away. I get it and can understand why it’s enjoyable, each time you can try to run faster or longer, logging improvements and tracking your progress aiming to be the next Bolt. Running is effective in increasing heart rate and therefore burning calories (which can help create a calorie deficit to lose fat), it releases endorphins which has been shown to improve our mental health something which should not be overlooked.
However, for me the large majority of people run not because they enjoy it but rather do it because they think it's the best way to lose fat. I admit there are people who do, but come on who actively looks forward to their run. Running is basically consecutive jumping, with every stride its estimated that you experience a force 3x your own bodyweight. This over time can cause a lot of damage to our joints specifically our knees. So we want to protect ourselves in the long run not just go run to get ready for our summer holiday. We have so much information available to us that we should use it and get the most from it.
Whats the alternative, well walking is an option yes you may have to spend a bit longer out but its so much more beneficial. There’s a movement at the moment called #NeatUp247 (NEAT is calories burned doing non exercise something I’ll go into more depth in another blog post). Increasing your NEAT (taking the stairs, walking more etc. basically moving more) can be an easier way of burning more calories than spending time at the gym or going for a run. Because of the slower pace the impact on your joints is decreased whilst still helping you burn those calories.
Take it to the other end of the scale we have sprinting, this is not recommended if you're overweight rather you should walk until a sufficient amount of weight is lost. Anway, by sprinting you get all the benefits of a high intensity exercise but keep the duration short. Whilst there might be a higher impact on your joints you’re keeping it short unlike running/jogging. The problem with running isn’t the type of exercise its the duration it’s done for. Therefore sprinting down your road and then walking back for rest is more beneficial. May not look as impressive to Strava Sam though who did a 5km run in 10 minutes, so he says.
Running is a form of cardio so if you’re looking for cardio you can also look to things like skipping, kettlebells, cycling, swimming, elliptical bikes etc. These may not be easy to do at home or require a bit of investment but in the long run I think your joints will thank you. Some of these will look to build muscle as well not just burn extra calories. Some of those exercises accompanied with resistance training is the real recipe to weight lost, keep that in mind.
The point of this isn’t to scaremonger you into never running again. End of the day I’m not going to tell you what to do, if you enjoy running keep running. The whole point of the blog isn't for me to tell you what to do but hopefully better educate everyone with regards fitness and health because people are making decisions when they don’t have all the information.
Running might be the only thing that gets you out and moving, which in a world where majority are stuck inside at the moment it needs to be commended as well. However if you’re running because you think it's the best solution or because maybe you don’t know what else to do then there are better alternatives you should at least try. The most important thing is consistency, remember that. If you want to keep running I recommend looking at technique and investment into correct footwear to help minimise the damage. There's plenty of other information sources out there to help you with this.
That’s all for today, if you enjoyed it please subscribe really means a lot that the content is beneficial to people. And if you want any further information I’ve linked some videos that could help.
Cameron
Sources & Additional Information
James Smith PT (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPQCCXsDF_o)
Athlean X (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=entUXhcgt3c)