Running To Lose Weight Can Help You Lose Menopausal Body Fat

Running for weight loss is a brilliant part of your strategy to lose menopausal belly fat.

To lose 1lb (0.5 kg) weight over a week, you need to use 3500 more calories through exercise than you take in from food. Running uses a lot of energy, and can help you achieve this target.

The number of calories burned running depends on your build, the distance you cover and your speed. You can check your own calorie expenditure with our calorie counter, but most women will easily burn 500 calories in an hour of running, which adds up to 3500 in a week if you take a run every day.

Running To Lose Weight: Guidelines

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You can build up your running gradually, starting with as little as 10 minutes a day. Every little bit of action helps, but if you want to tackle menopausal weight gain with a serious running program, you'd eventually need to run 4-5 times a week, covering a total distance of 25-30 miles. Remember that running has numerous health benefits and you'll be doing good for both body and mind.

Set realistic weight-loss goals. Slow, steady weight loss is the way to go.

If you're new to running, check our tips on running for beginners and build up your stamina gradually.

You can help yourself lose weight by running if you add some bursts of fast running into your sessions. Running at high speed not only burns up the calories, it helps build your muscles - and muscles use energy even when you're body is resting, so you'll use up more calories day to day.

Regular running raises your basic metabolic rate, which means you burn calories more efficiently even when you're not exercising.

You can also try strength training exercises on days when you don't run, to help you build stronger muscles. Squats are particularly good for building the muscles you use when running.

While losing fat and gaining muscle by running will do wonders in giving you a sleeker silhouette and helping your burn more energy, because muscle tissue is heavier than fat, you could still tip the scales at much the same weight , though your body will look more toned and streamlined.

Running To Lose Weight: Your Diet

• Don't be tempted to miss meals. Several small meals each day can be kinder to your system than three large ones.
• Have something light to eat and a drink about 90 minutes before you run - a banana, a slice of wholemeal toast with peanut butter or a bowl of porridge (oatmeal) or muesli.
• Eat and drink within 30 minutes of finishing a run. A banana, wholegrain cereal or toast, or an energy bar can replenish your energy.
• Prepare your healthy post-run snack before you go out of the door, so it's ready and waiting when you return. Don't 'reward' your efforts with junk foods like potato crisps and chocolate, otherwise you'll undo all the good of your exercise session.

• You should pay special attention to having a healthy menopause diet when you're running regularly to lose weight.
• Around half to 60% of what you eat should be carbohydrates - choose wholegrain breads and pasta, rice or potatoes.
• Sufficient protein - around 15-20% of your total intake - is essential to help feed and build those muscles. Go for lean proteins like chicken and fish, or choose low fat cheese and yogurt, eggs or pulses and beans.
• A quarter of your diet should be fats. Look for foods containing healthy unsaturated fats such as oily fish, nuts and oils.
• It's very important to get enough calcium in your diet when you're running to lose weight to protect your skeleton from osteoporosis. Aim for at least 1000mg a day, and find it in leafy green vegetables, low fat dairy products and bony canned fish like sardines.

• Iron keeps your blood well-supplied with oxygen - essential when you're exercising vigorously. You need around 18mg a day, which you can get from lean meats, leafy green vegetables, dried fruits, nuts, and some seafoods like shrimps and scallops.
• Make sure you stay hydrated when you're exercising. Drink 6-8 fl oz (175-230 ml) of water for every 20 minutes of exercise. If you run for over 90 minutes, have a sports drink to replenish lost minerals.

Running to lose weight is an excellent way to get more exercise into your life while you get a grip on the tendency to gain in midlife and through the menopause.

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