How many pounds you lose jogging depends on the distance and duration of your workout as well your weight, speed and effort. Running is the best weight-loss exercise, according to a study of 175 exercises by the state of Wisconsin. However, jogging ranks lower than running. Some exercise experts equate jogging and running, while others write that there is a distinction between the two activities.
Definition
Running fast isn't jogging, according to "An Invitation to Health." There is no precise speed that separates joggers and runners, partly because some people can run a mile in six minutes without straining themselves, while other people approach their maximum heart rate during 10-minute miles. The textbook reports that joggers should "be able to carry on a conversation with someone" and faster runners shouldn't. Wisconsin's Department of Health and Family Services also differentiates between jogging and running because it reports that runners burn more calories.
Significance
You lose 1 lb. when you burn 3,500 calories. Wisconsin's "Calories Burned Per Hour" chart calculates the weight loss for only one "jogging" exercise. "General jogging" burns 604 calories in an hour if you weigh 190 lbs., 493 calories if you're 155 lbs. and 413 calories if you're 130 lbs. In contrast, the same three people burn 690, 563 and 472 calories during one hour of "general" running. Running 5 mph burns the same number of calories as general jogging.
Speed
Running faster burns more calories than jogging. Many people can jog faster than 5 mph and some exercise experts, including well-known author Dr. Kenneth Cooper, use the terms "running" and "jogging" interchangeably. Running 7 mph burns 992 calories per hour if you're 190 lbs., 809 calories if you're 155 lbs. and 679 calories if you're 130 lbs., according to the "Calories Burned Per Hour" chart. Running 9 mph increases the hourly calorie burn for the same three people to 1,294, 1,056 and 885.
Expert Advice
"An Invitation to Health" author Dianne Hales has several tips for jogging. The most important is that you warm up so you reduce your risk of injury and, thus, improve your chances of long-term weight loss. She writes that you should run in place or do jumping jacks for three to five minutes and then do stretching exercises for about 25 percent of the time that you plan on jogging. She also recommends learning to "belly breathe" -- breathing so your stomach expands when you breathe in and flattens when you breathe out.
Warning
Jogging can be dangerous, particularly for "men who were unaccustomed to physical activity," according to "Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease." Ornish reported that the sudden heart attack death rate during jogging is approximately seven times higher than the death rate during sedentary activity. Jogging "protects against and provokes" heart attacks, he wrote. Cooper urged anyone over 40 years old to get a thorough medical exam before starting a vigorous exercise program in "Controlling Cholesterol The Natural Way."
References
- Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services: Calories Burned Per Hour
- "An Invitation to Health"; Dianne Hales; 2003
- "Dr. Dean Ornish's Program For Reversing Heart Disease"; Dr. Dean Ornish; 1996
- "Controlling Cholesterol The Natural Way"; Dr. Kenneth Cooper and William Proctor; 1999
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