Does running reduce belly fat?

Running is a simple sport, suitable for all ages, helping to improve health and prevent many diseases. In addition, many studies show that running effectively reduces belly fat.

1. Does jogging work to reduce belly fat?

Abdominal fat accumulation over a long period of time can increase the risk of diseases such as heart attack, cardiovascular disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, Alzheimer's disease ... Not only that, belly fat also affects the appearance and confidence of each person. Therefore, there have been many methods to reduce belly fat, including jogging.
Many studies show that: Moderate-intensity jogging (including short or long distances), high-intensity running (variable running, uphill running, sprinting or HIIT combined with running) are remarkably effective. significantly in reducing belly fat, even without changing the diet. However, exercise at moderate to high intensity will give the highest efficiency in burning belly fat.

2. The most effective guide to running to reduce belly fat

To run to reduce belly fat effectively, you need to have a standard training method, running technique and combine it with a reasonable diet and rest. Specifically:

2.1 Replenish energy before jogging

Before jogging, you should choose to eat foods that help reduce fatigue but do not cause weight and sluggishness when exercising. About 30 - 60 minutes before running, you should have a snack with starch and a little protein. In addition, you can also drink 1 more cup of coffee because caffeine can help you run faster, more durable.

2.2 Warm up thoroughly before running

Before performing any exercise and even jogging, you need to warm up your body thoroughly to help your body adapt slowly to the intensity of the exercise. At the same time, a thorough warm-up also helps prevent the risk of sports injuries, helps the body to be firm, healthy, and reduces belly fat better.
When you warm up, you can perform movements such as walking, exercising for sedentary muscle areas when running (including abs, back and shoulders), turning toes, moving cross legs, ... After a careful warm-up, you can jog slowly and gradually increase your speed.

2.3 Run fast and run slow

When you have just started the exercise, you should run slowly because if you run too fast, your body will soon be exhausted. At the end of the road, you can speed up but not too fast to promote the body to burn excess fat.

2.4 Running with knee elevation

When running slowly at the beginning or end of your run, you should take some time to run with your knees raised. It is recommended to run knee-lift perpendicular to the abdomen for about 5-10 minutes to improve abs and leg muscles.

2.5 Run longer

To run to reduce belly fat, you should not only run for 5-10 minutes because the body has not had enough time to burn fat. Therefore, to increase the number of calories burned, you need to run longer, farther. If you are new to running, you can run 2-3 times a week to let your body adapt gradually. When you get used to it, you should gradually increase it to about 4 sessions/week, each running session lasts about 30 minutes.
You should also pay attention not to practice running too early or too late in the day. Running too early in the morning right after waking up can cause the body to go into shock because it is not ready for vigorous exercise. Running too late in the evening can cause insomnia, which is not good for health.

2.6 Changing running terrain

To run effectively to reduce belly fat, you should not only run forever on one terrain but should change many different running places such as flat land, running uphill, stairs,... This helps change atmosphere, mood when jogging, help burn fat better.
If running on a home treadmill with the function of climbing, you should only run with a slope of less than 6% to avoid the risk of heel injury.