The key to successful weight loss is calories. If you can burn more calories than you consume each day, you should expect to lose weight. One way to do this is through exercise. Regular physical activity causes you to expend more energy, which has a direct impact on calories and promotes weight loss. However, running only 15 minutes a day probably won't provide you with the results you're looking for.
Caloric Deficit
For you to lose any amount of weight, you need to generate what's known as a caloric deficit. It takes a deficit of roughly 3,500 calories to lose 1 lb. of weight, according to the National Institutes of Health. Running can help you to achieve this deficit, but the amount of calories you burn in just 15 minutes of this physical activity varies from person to person. Not only is this number dependent on the intensity in which you run, but it's also based on your current weight.
Running
According to Harvard Medical School, someone weighing 125 lbs. can burn 120 calories running for 15 minutes at 5 mph, while someone weighing 155 lbs. can burn almost 150 calories running for the same amount of time and at the same rate. Doing this each day translates into 1 lb. of weight loss every 29 days and 23 days, respectively. Increasing the intensity of your run expends more energy and thereby burns more calories. For someone at 125 lbs., running 6 mph for 15 minutes burns 150 calories, whereas running 7.5 mph for the same amount of time burns almost 190 calories. In these situations, you can expect to lose 1 lb. in 23 days or 1 lb. in 18 days.
Physical Activity
To help you reach your weight-loss goals, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases suggests getting at least 150 minutes of moderately intense aerobic activity each week. Running falls within this category of exercise. But 15 minutes each day falls short of the recommended amount. You may need to increase the amount of this particular physical activity to provide better results.
Recommendation
Exercise isn't always enough to promote a more rapid weight loss. Dr. Donald Hensrud, a preventive medicine specialist at the Mayo Clinic, explains that consuming fewer calories through dietary changes is more effective than exercise at generating weight loss. This doesn't mean you shouldn't run every day. Actually, a combination of diet and exercise is one of the best methods of losing weight and managing weight once you've lost it. But consult your doctor before starting a new exercise program, particularly one that you plan to do daily.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Exercise for Weight Loss -- Calories Burned in 1 hour
- MayoClinic.com: Weight Loss -- Better to Cut Calories or Exercise More?
- Harvard Medical School: Calories Burned in 30 Minutes for People of Three Different Weights
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: Physical Activity and Weight Control
- National Institutes of Health: Tips for Losing Weight
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