Can I Lose My Belly Fat By Running?

Running is a great form of exercise. It gets your heart and blood pumping, increases stamina, and helps keep you fit and healthy. 

It’s also great for losing weight.

You lose weight by creating a substantial calorie deficit, and most experts recommend a weekly calorie deficit of 3500 to 7000 calories to lose 1-2 pounds per week.

You do this by cutting calories from your diet - in the form of fatty and sugary foods - or by burning off calories. Ideally, you’ll combine diet and exercise to reach your desired weight. 

Running is great for targeting belly fat as well as other areas of your body, and it’s a pretty effective way to burn calories in a relatively short period of time. 

How many calories you burn while running will depend on several factors: your body size, the time you run for, and the pace you run at. 

The average runner will burn about 100 calories per mile, but if you’re completely new to running, don’t expect to see results straight away. 

According to statistics from the National Weight Control Registry, those who lose weight and keep it off will be burning around 2,800 calories a week through planned exercise.

So that’s around 28 miles a week if you burn off 100 calories per mile, which is a lot for a beginner.

You can start off running shorter durations and build it up over time, as well as combine your running workouts with strength training or other forms of aerobic exercise like running or swimming. 

Does running burn visceral fat?

While it’s healthy to have some fat on your body, too much visceral fat poses a risk to your health. 

Visceral fat is a type of body fat that’s stored within the abdominal cavity, located near several vital organs, including the liver, stomach, and intestines. It can also build up in the arteries.

It’s sometimes referred to as “active fat” as it’s known to actively increase the risk of serious health problems.

One way to shed visceral fat is through aerobic exercise, also known as cardio. 

Running is a great way to burn calories and get rid of visceral fat. Studies have even shown that aerobic exercise such as running can help you lose visceral fat even without dieting. 

Research has assessed how well different types of exercise reduced visceral fat without dieting. In 852 people, researchers found that moderate and high-intensity aerobic exercises were the most effective at reducing visceral fat without dieting.

That said, combining this with a healthy diet will allow you to shed visceral fat more effectively and more quickly. 

To target visceral fat through aerobic exercise, try brisk walking, jogging, or running 2-3 times a week. 

Does running eliminate love handles?

Running increases your cardiovascular endurance and it also reduces excess body fat. Love handles - the nickname for the excess fat around the hips - can be eliminated through regular aerobic exercise such as running, swimming, or cycling. 

High-intensity aerobic workouts are great for burning fat efficiently and will get your blood pumping in no time, which is why running is great. 

If you’re looking to ease yourself into aerobic workouts, low-impact activities are a great place to start, such as swimming, working out on the elliptical machine, or a simple, brisk walk. 

Can running slim your waist?

Running is great for targeting fat all over your body, including your waist. 

It’ll take persistence though, as it’s virtually impossible to target one area of fat on your body.

It’s possible to slim your waist through running, but you can expect the most effective results by reducing your calorie intake, eating a healthy diet, and taking on other forms of exercise to tone muscles as well as burn fat, alongside running. 

How long should you run for to lose belly fat?

While running is a great way to burn fat, if you’re new to running, you may need to build up the duration you run for in order to see results. 

You’ll need to be disciplined and consistent with your running routine. Belly fat is notoriously stubborn, and so you should aim for 30 to 60 minutes of moderate-intensity activity four to five times a week.

That’s not to say that this has to be strictly running. Some people opt for three 30 minute runs a week combined with an exercise class, gym sessions, or swimming. 

Cross-training is also an ideal way to effectively burn belly fat. This involves combining a primary exercise such as running with secondary activities such as swimming and cycling, which are also great for targeting belly fat and will help you build stamina for running. 

When cross-training, your secondary exercises should be low impact, to reduce the risk of injury, and the duration should be kept short - no more than 30 to 60 minutes per session. 

Can you lose belly fat by running on a treadmill?

Treadmills are a great alternative to outdoor running - especially if you live in an area with a cold, wet climate. Treadmills are also easier on our joints, and they’re especially suitable for people who are overweight. 

One of the great things about the treadmill is the versatility: you can increase your intensity and the incline rate to imitate hilly terrain and provide a tougher workout. 

Running on a treadmill will not only burn belly fat, but it can help keep visceral fat off for good. 

This is reflected in research from the University of Alabama. Scientists placed participants on drastically reduced diets of 800 calories per day, and some dieters exercised, while others did not. 

After the dieting phase, exercisers were instructed to maintain their workouts for the following year.

The results indicated that those who followed these instructions did not regain any visceral fat, even though they gained weight from increasing their calorie intake.

On the other hand, those who never exercised, as well as those who failed to keep up their routines, had an average of 33% more visceral fat.