Well, kind of is the correct answer…
Running will help you to lose weight if that is your goal, but it will also take some extra work and diet commitments to burn away fat from those more stubborn areas. This is my personal experience at least.
As you may already know, when your body loses weight, it does not just lose it in one place.
When I lose weight, I usually lose it first on my face, shoulders, and legs. Unfortunately, my belly remains, and I find that the only way to lose it is with a good diet. Even still, it comes and goes, and I have far from any kind of six-pack. Each week I run a minimum of Thirty kilometres. Each morning, I include some sit-ups, press-ups, and gentle weightlifting, but still the slight belly can remain.
I am sorry if you clicked here looking for a magic formula, but I do not have one. Not yet at least. I do love a good plan however and I am going to share with you the research I have carried out to set things right. Just for transparency, that is not me in the picture. In fact, my belly is slightly stubborn but its more psychological of feeling full and bloated. A slight belly yes, but nothing drastic. It just looked slightly out of place when the rest of me had a runner’s slim build. Nevertheless, I want it gone.
Here is the plan that I have already started- you might try it also!
- Diet – Firstly – I had to evaluate where I was going wrong. Like I said, I run Thirty kilometres a week on a monthly average, and my VO2 max levels just went to an excellent forty-nine, so I am confident with my fitness levels. It must be my diet. Too many calories or just the wrong type of food. I have committed to a healthy breakfast that contains the following:
- 50g of dried oats
- 60g of Greek yogurt
- one spoon of chia seeds
- one spoon of coconut flakes
- Two spoons of protein powder
- One cup of plant protein milk (oat milk is also fine)
This is a good solid breakfast, and it will contain about seven hundred calories. You might wish to adjust your measurements depending on your body type or weight goals. I recommend downloading a calorie tracker to help you with this. My fitness pal is the one I currently use, but there are others out there.
Lunchtime
I recommend getting some more protein in here mixed with healthy fats and carbs. Here is one idea:
- Three eggs (scrambled is my preferred choice)
- half an avocado and some tomatoes
- 1 Slice of seeded bread
Dinner
- 100g of brown rice
- Half a head of broccoli and why not throw in some green beans for good measure.
- I would mix up the protein part depending on what you had during the day, and try not to eat the same everyday. I would go for lean meat like 100g of Turkey breast or chicken. Salmon is good and you could even go for some vegetarian options like tofu or haloumi cheese. I usually put some soy sauce on the rice just to give it some flavour, but you could choose to add some spice to the rice also.
I will add more recipes throughout my blogging journey, but variations of the above have served me well. Mixed with my running program and morning exercise it has helped to eat away at that stubborn belly. Alcohol consumption I am afraid to say was a big cause of the problem. To shake away that belly, you will need to cut that down to a minimum. I still like a glass of wine or a beer on a Saturday night mind you – I just need to be careful not to overdo it.
For the snackers out there, try not to overdo it. Stick to a rice cake after lunch, and a couple of squares of dark chocolate in the evening. Put some fruit on the breakfast in the morning, and try to get some fruit after your dinner also.
I also incorporate a little cheat night where we choose a meal of our choice mixed with some after dinner goodness. Saturday is my preferred choice in front of a nice movie. The key is not to go completely food crazy, and keep a good healthy diet for the rest of the day and week.
2. Strength Training – Now that we have the diet sorted, the next item is the strength training. I must be transparent here, this for me is the most difficult. I have time to run, work, play, and even blog, but I find it hard to commit to regular strength training. I have also found it hard to find something that really works for me. Usually, the plans I came across promise a lot, but I wanted instant results and I was not bothered spending extra money going to the gym and getting a personal trainer. There are many youtubers with lofty ideas and training plans. They start by saying its super easy and you can do it at home, but then proceed to walk into their personal gym with a selection of different weights and machines.
I want something that strengthens the important leg muscles for running but also incorporates some arm and shoulder exercises, (so I can keep the upper body nicely toned). As with everything a good balance is key. The runna app has some nice exercise recommendations, but it is more suited to leg training only and does not incorporate enough upper body exercises.
Core body workouts for me work best. When focusing on upper body, do not just do weights. Mix it with Planks, press-ups, sit-ups, and weights. Try to be consistent and do not expect instant results. Also, remember it will only work if you keep your cardio levels up with plenty of running, and your diet in check.
Here is my plan that I started (you will need a set of dumbbells- but these do not take up too much space and are reasonably cheap to buy):
Morning 5 days a week:
Ten dumbbell curls from a standing position. One in each arm and remember to keep your back straight. There are many YouTube videos that will show you how to do it properly, I advise you to watch them first before trying it yourself.
Once you have done your ten, without stopping, go straight into overhead lifts. It is simple, do one curve, then lift the weight over your head. You will feel the strain up through your upper arm and shoulder. Do not do it too fast and be careful.
After 10 more curls, you can do a seated bicep curl. Do one arm at a time and do it slowly. The idea is to feel the strain on the bicep. It is hard to describe how to do it, but there are hundreds of YouTube videos that will show you.
Next, I like to do a forty second plank. Then go straight into sit-up position and do fifteen sit-ups. Once you do the fifteen sit-ups go straight into backwards sit-ups. It is the same, except the opposite way around. Instead of lifting your back to your knees, you keep your shoulders on the mat and lift your knees to your stomach and then straighten your legs again.
Then do some mountain climbs, I usually do forty-four as (I have a thing for even numbers). I recommend you YouTube what they are!
The key with this is to do it safely but one after the other. It should take 10-15 minutes and try to do it five days a week at a minimum. It is not going to be enough to have you toned to the max like some youtubers and influencers, but it will be a start and with consistency, mixed with diet and running you should start to tone up in time.
If you want to take it to the next level (like I intend to) – get yourself a push up board. You can buy them everywhere and I will do a full set on each board position. It is like two handles that you can move around in various positions. Do a rep of five on each one and this should cater for your back, shoulders, arms, and biceps. I will do these three/four times a week just to get a little bit more out of my workout.
For the legs, I try to incorporate at least two or three days of a leg focused workout. Try to fit it in when you have a spare ten minutes and I usually do the following:
- One minute of squats with no weight.
- One minute of squats holding the dumbbells you used for the arm workout. If you have time, try to do it in one session.
- Then do one minute of lunges alternating between both legs.
You might be wondering what has this got to do with belly fat. Well, its all connected, and I find a balanced workout will help to keep everything in its even state.
- 3. Consistency
This is the most important, but consistency of all three over an extended period will be the key. For me, running is easy to stay consistent with, but the diet and strength training, is not so easy. I will write regular posts on this to provide an update, and any tips or equipment I pick up along the way. For now, I encourage you to just start somewhere. Do something every day at the same time if possible. Whether that is simple sit-ups or push ups. Then try to add a little bit extra. Do not jump into joining a gym if you are not disciplined enough to go all the time. Do not do crash diets that are unsustainable, and you might be able to do it for a month and then go back to your old ways again. Find something that fits into your lifestyle and becomes a part of your lifestyle.
To conclude this article and for those who are unconvinced running will reduce belly fat. I will say this, yes it will, but it depends on what stage of belly fat you have to lose. If you are over weight and need to lose weight, yes it will burn that belly fat. If you are already reasonably slim but wish to tone that belly, then it will take slightly more work like I mentioned above. I fall into this category. I’m six foot two, slim build but have an awkward bit of belly fat (at times) that is noticeable when I take my top off. Quiet frankly, I would like it to bugger off, and it can be quiet frustrating when you do an 18km run regularly and still have to put in extra efforts just to keep toned and looking good. Balance is the key however, and I intend to continue my running whilst incorporating the strength training with improved diet.
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