Is Running The Quickest Way To Lose Weight?

Running is an aerobic exercise that requires a relatively high amount of physical effort. It also burns through a lot of calories and can potentially help you lose weight more quickly than other forms of exercise. However, running also puts a high degree of strain on your body and can trigger a variety of significant injuries.

Calorie Elimination

When you run at an 8 mph pace, you can burn through anywhere from 986 to 1,472 calories in a single hour, according to the Mayo Clinic. Compared with other aerobic activities and other forms of exercise, this immediate calorie elimination is unsurpassed. Walking, for instance, triggers a loss of 183 to 327 calories per hour, while jogging burns 584 to 872 calories per hour. Weightlifting, a popular muscle-building activity, triggers an hourly loss of roughly 219 to 327 calories.

Weight Loss Potential

To lose a single pound of fat, you need to burn through about 3,500 calories. By extension, if exercise is your only means of eliminating calories, you need to run for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours to reduce your weight by 1 lb. Since other forms of physical activity eliminate fewer calories, you will take longer to lose weight if you perform the same amount of any other form of exercise. For this reason, all things being equal, running is your quickest exercise option for weight loss.

Running Risks

While running can contribute to quick weight loss, it also exposes you to a number of health risks you might not encounter with gentler forms of exercise. Injuries associated with running include stress fractures in the bones of your legs and feet, tendon damage in your knees and legs, muscle strains, irritation of the sciatic nerve in your back and an abnormal narrowing of your spinal canal called spinal stenosis. Running-related injuries are especially common in new exercisers, runners recovering from a previous injury and those trying to increase their running speed or distance.

Considerations and Recommendations

Instead of trying to lose weight quickly, the U.S. National Library of Medicine recommends that you try to lose about 1 to 2 lbs. each week. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which issues activity guidelines for Americans, recommends that beginning and infrequent exercisers participate in more moderate forms of aerobic activity, including brisk walking, biking at less than 10 mph and water aerobics. If you have more exercise experience, you can probably run or engage in other high-stress activities like jogging or race walking once you get approval from your doctor. You can also lose weight by combining moderate forms of exercise with reduction or limitation of your daily calorie intake.