When you go for a run, you can count on burning some calories. If you are overweight, this can be welcome news. However, if you are already lean and you are running a higher number of miles on a daily basis, not accounting for the number of calories you burn may have a negative effect on your training, and also result in possible health consequences. A simple understanding of needed nutrition, and how many calories you actually burn when running can help in the long run.
Calories Burned - Guidelines
According to Jim Fixx's 1977 book, "The Complete Book of Running", the act of running burns approximately 800 to 1,000 calories per hour. The variables are your running pace as well as your overall weight. Fixx uses an example of a 150-lb. person. If he runs an 8-minute mile, he will burn 102 calories per mile, but if he slows down to a 12-minute-per-mile pace, the calories burned drop to 98 per mile. The greater your weight, the more calories you will burn per mile when running. Even at a slower pace, the heavier runner will still burn more calories than a lighter, smaller runner.
Metabolism Increase
One of the benefits of running regularly is that, because of the increased demands on your body, especially your muscles, your metabolism increases. This means that because your body is becoming used to the increased demands for energy and fuel, it more quickly and efficiently responds by supplying more fuel for your muscles to burn, and, consequently, burning more calories. In the 1992 book, "Running To Win," by George Sheehan, M.D., it notes that a person who runs daily for at least one hour actually burns 500 calories per day more than a sedentary person during their daily activities.
Caution: Burning Too Many Calories
With understanding of how many calories you burn according to your total weekly mileage, pace and weight, it is important to monitor your daily total calorie burn and your total calorie intake. Using Fixx's example of a 150-lb. runner who runs 60 miles per week, the formula would be as follows: burn approximately 100 calories per mile x 60 miles = 6,000 calories burned per week. Knowing that a person requires 15 calories consumed per day to maintain each pound, this 150 lb. runner needs to consume 2,250 calories per day just to maintain his weight. Also, referring again to the fact that a person who runs on a daily basis and has an increased metabolism burns an extra 500 calories a day more than a sedentary, non-running person, you can see that it would be easy for this runner to get in a calorie deficit. For a runner, this calorie deficit usually appears as lethargy, headaches and a weakened immune system.
Proper Nutrition
Whether you are trying to burn more calories through running to lose weight, or if you are trying to consume enough calories to maintain weight while running more, the correct foods and the amount you eat are of prime importance. Suzanne Girard Eberle's "Endurance Sports Nutrition" book notes that the best way to control calorie consumption is to snack on real food such as nuts, whole wheat breads, fresh fruit, and even sports energy bars enhanced with complex carbohydrates and protein, every three to five hours in addition to eating three primary meals daily. Eberle writes that carbohydrates are the foundation of a runner's. She calls some foods nutritional powerhouses, like bagels and pasta for complex carbs, and whole grains such as kashi, oatmeal, brown rice and couscous. You need to eat not only proper, healthy foods for fuel, but you need to adjust your calorie intake according to your goals of losing or maintaining your weight as a runner.
Find a Balance
As your running increases it is important to understand the calorie-burning effects. Understanding the balance of how much you burn, how many calories are needed to still give you enough energy to run well and stay healthy, and eating the right type of calories, are all equally important. Anyone who runs to burn calories learns quickly how effective running is as a weight loss tool, and for gaining a new level of health and fitness.
References
- "The Complete Book of Running"; Jim Fixx; 1977
- "Running To Win"; Dr. George Sheehan; 1992
- "Endurance Sports Nutrition"; Suzanne Girard Eberle; 2000
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