Weight Loss & Running

All my social media appears to have been taken over by adverts for 5k, 10k and half-marathon runs. In part a trend but also an addiction to a degree, running has largely become the go-to exercise for most of us. Data from Sport England shows that, in England, 6.2m people run at least twice a week (Sport England, Nov 20 – Nov 21).

That said, these numbers have dropped from pre-pandemic alongside other activities against rising figures of obese and overweight adults (Obesity Statistics Jan 23). Last England Health survey in 2021 reports that 25.9% of adults were obese and an additional 37.8% were overweight.

Can running improve these figures and facilitate weight loss?

Which exercise to commit to and rely on when on a weight loss journey?

The 7 golden rules to chose your weight loss workout routine

1. Set your SMART Health Goals

Whether this will be how much weight you want to lose or how you would like to feel or look, setting goals allows you to focus on that vision and, together, we can breakdown which steps and habits that will get you there.

Why we set SMART (stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals will not only keep you in the right track but also positively reinforce and increase consistency with your new habits.

2. Free Time vs workout plan

Finding “free” time to begin or increase your weekly exercising plan can not only be challenging but also discouraging or overwhelming. Understanding your needs and realistic goals is key to successfully set a workout schedule that will allow you to achieve your goals without setbacks that will bring you to the starting point.

With tools such as the Wheel of Life as part of a 121 coaching consultation allows you to see this through clearer and adopt a step-by-step approach that will not clash with your busy schedule or decrease your energy levels to deal with each area of Life.

Realist Goals adjusted to YOU = Motivation + Consistency + Results

3. Limitations and Preferences

What sports or exercises you enjoy? Are there sports you have been wanting to try but you haven’t yet? Or, do you just don’t like/enjoy ANY exercise?

Understanding your needs vs wants is one of the most important steps listed here to avoid setting yourself up for failure.

Enjoying what you do is a requirement would this mean sticking with your favourite sport, listening to music or a podcast or even making it as part of a social activity where you get to exercise with people you enjoy spending time with.

In addition to this, choosing which type of exercise and frequency: running? HIIT? weight classes? Pilates? swimming? Zumba? If we look at 3 main types of exercise – aerobic, anaerobic and flexibility – they not only differ in how it impacts the body but also imply different nutritional needs and demand/type of energy used.

Limitations such as not being able to keep up with a full HIIT training or developing injuries due to a sudden running routine are to be avoided. It will not only contribute to fall off the progressive plan but also decrease your belief in exercise and that those efforts pay off!

Women in particular must find resistance trainings that suits them and it is of particular importance as we age. From bone health, to menopausal symptoms and joints health, it is a message not delivered enough that we later try to “fix” with medication rather than preventing it at an earlier stage.

4. Stretching: never skip it

Successful workout plans are expected to include stretching exercises that will not only contribute for your flexibility and mobility but also to minimise soreness and prevent injuries.

Perhaps you will need some initial guidance from a Personal Trainer or Physiotherapist to work in specific areas and, most importantly, perform these movements correctly or simply attend some (also relaxing) Pilates and yoga classes that will equip you with body tools to work with for a better physical health and, for some, even spiritual and mental as it can be easily link to a meditative state.

As a runner, static and dynamic stretching exercises are extremely important to prevent injuries, improve posture and prevent unnecessary soreness that may lead to muscle “stiffness” that may negatively impact your body for the daily body activities or future workouts.

5. Meal Planning & Fasting

Is exercising while fasting better than after a meal? When and what you should eat before a workout? What should you eat after exercising? And when?

By pairing your choice of exercises that will be part of your week alongside the meals and times you can realistically have them, your will be giving yourself optimum nutrition that will have a synergetic effect on your body weight and most importantly your health.

Meal planning will not only ensure you are less tempted to “snack” but will also contribute to gain muscle mass and promote the use of body fat as a source of energy. Several factors such as hormonal balance (think insulin for example), to preferred source of energy (anaerobic vs aerobic body needs) or even state of mind (mental determination to complete a workout) can all be influenced by food!

Fasting is by far one of the most discussed subjects when it comes to exercising for weight loss. The type of exercise, eating habits (i.e. when was your last meal and when is the next) and current body lean mass will influence this choice if you want to take the best of it.

When we look at running: interval training runs, sprints and long-distance will benefit differently from fasting as well as require different sources of energy to maximise the results. As an example, if running for longer distances (lets say 12km) at a significant fitness level (paces below 7min/km), you benefit from a snack/drink that will prevent you from wasting muscle mass and promote a positive recovery (amongst many other benefits).

6. Flexibility: adapt, re-schedule and love yourself!

If there is a skill you will want to master is flexibility to avoid a spiral of guilt or demotivation just because you had to skip one, two days or a week of exercise. Due to unpredictability or simply as a result of waking up feeling drained, tired, it is in your interest to re-schedule a training day and be kind to yourself.

How to stay on track and maintain results? You commit to eat as healthily as possible as go for easy walks instead. Recharge and relax. Having this approach and flexibility will prove you that you do not need unsustainable extreme diets or last-minute weight loss plans – you got this! and you KNOW what to do when things don’t go as initially planned.

Get back to the routine as soon as you can and do not try to compensate by fasting or working out double as it can have the opposite effect over the following days such as food cravings, change in sleep or injury due to overexercise.

7. Results: review and progress

Once you successfully introduced your new habits and move closer towards your goals, reviewing your results and assess your progress is the natural way to progress. Keeping a realistic approach and an open mind is vital. Factors such as changes in work-Life balance or simple disengagement due to the feel of routine will come along and adapting to your needs will power-up your level of consistency and commitment to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Record your achievements and write your throwbacks daily, as a journal. Reward yourself with a salts bath, a massage or a takeaway with a movie. Once a week you can perform body measurements (besides body weight) which will continuously show you how far you have gone and what other goals you may want to set up. Record these too alongside how you feel.

At any given time, your coach can support you with changing goals or resolving obstacles/setbacks. Trust me – you will not be alone and clueless. On the contrary! You will be empowered to do these changes yourself.

Which workout? How Often? Should I run?

Case Example – Miss M.

To ease the thinking process here, I am introducing you to a client’s successful case – Miss M. – who I got to coach for 12 weeks.

1 – SMART Health Goals: Miss M. wanted to lose weight, BMI of 29.7 and abdominal fat above ideal values. We kept it simple and prioritised changes that would contribute significantly to meet her goals.

• Lose body weight with minimum of 5kg over the next 3 months and increase muscle mass;
• Exercise 5 times a week with a minimum of 30min each session;

Note: these goals were set based on her needs and positive eating habits. Please do not generalise or assume these goals can be applied to anyone without an initial assessment and consultation.

2 – Free Time vs workout plan: has a retail worker, Miss M. worked most weeks Mon-Fri 8-4pm and her day would be varied and physically active from putting stock out to cleaning and serving costumers. She was often tired after work and demotivated to go for a run or the gym. Never kept up with running for more than one day as her legs would feel really tired the next day or felt pain on her heels from standing long hours at work and going up/down stairs and kick stools.

• Days of (Sat or Sun)f: 1x running 5km aiming for under 40min
• Work days(Tue + Thur): 1x legs resistance workout, 1x arms/abs weights workout (with plan)
• Work days (Wed): bike ride, swimming or rowing
• Work days (Mon or Fri): pilates or youtube video for at-home gentle stretching
• MUST rest 2 days a week. Meditation, easy walks advised.

Running on top of the demanding physical work Miss M. has, will increase stress on her body. Additionally, she was not having food between lunch (around 12pm) until her run at 5pm after which her appetite was leading her to overeat and cause poor digestion alongside feelings of guilt and disbelief in her willpower and capacity to lose weight. Increasing her muscle mass with resistance training has also greatly helped increasing her resting metabolism which means the body would naturally use up more of the stored energy – such as fat tissue – while fasting for example.

3 – Limitations and preferences: very clear from the start, Miss M. knew what worked for her in the past and which exercises made her feel present and enjoying her workouts. We limited running and exercises that would add on to her physical tiredness without compromising her success in losing weight. Although she used to have running as her go-to workout, in fact her stress levels were worsening without her being aware of it. Tiredness and general fatigue from a combination of overexercise of the lower body muscles and poor nutrition.

• Scheduling workouts that are enjoyable and not of high intensity on working days;
• Include relaxing classes (including at home) for days that Miss M. required quieter time and to recover from work demands allowing her to focus on herself, her breathing and bring awareness to her body
• Vary exercises to prevent routine and prioritize outdoors as much as possible

4 – Stretching: although Miss M. had static stretching exercises as part of her running days, we discussed additional exercises to include before running/cycling and how to have some of them as part of a daily practice that will also aid in keeping her legs pain-free in days she worked harder (like when she had to replenish all shelves and unload pallets).

5 – Meal Planning & Fasting: since her knowledge was above average in regards to nutrition (self-study and having had consultations with a nutritionist before), we agreed that time-restricted eating was a good option for her and would also help her being more aware and on track with her food habits. After 4 weeks, on our second follow-up, her digestion, sleep and even energy improved which greatly helped with her motivation to change habits.

6 – Flexibility: by exercising with Miss M. scenarios work-related or in weeks she worked 6 days (making use of the daily journaling), she learned to change and adapt her workouts herself without trying to compensate the following week or having a binge-eating episode as she prioritised nutrition over exercise. Brilliant!

7 – Results: Miss M. lost 5.3kg over 13 weeks and her abdominal circumference decreased from 95cm to 89cm. She had weeks that she ran twice and weeks that could only exercise twice but she still got her results trough consistency and understanding of which tools, triggers and journeys she had until then and move forward with a positive, progressive and flexible approach.

CONCLUSION: is running the best way to lose weight?

If you are seeking a clear answer: No. It isn’t.

Would this be due to hormonal imbalance, impracticality or incompatibility with your daily routine/job or contributing to aggravate your triggers, always practice the 7 golden rules. One thing for sure – good nutrition will be always the base for a successful and sustainable exercise plan (read my previous post on this).

Running or not, you can do it – your body, your way. Be healthy, today!