Jogging Women Reduce Body Fat

Get Your Jog On

Being able to get outside and enjoy the fresh air and sites around you is relaxing. It's your "me time" when you can be alone to reflect on things. You can worry about the laundry, the grocery and the kids when you get back. Those responsibilities will still be there, right? Believe me the laundry isn't going to get up and wash itself (as much as we'd like to see that happen!).

If you jog with a partner or friends it's a wonderful opportunity to catch up without distractions. Of course, if you carry a cell phone (and I recommend you do) turn it off so you can focus your efforts. Besides it's no fun for the person calling you to listen to you huffing and puffing loudly in their ear!

Since cardiovascular disease and stroke are the leading cause of death in the United States, jogging women and men can reduce their risks by making the effort to get out three or four times each week for a 30 minute jog.

What's In It For You?

Jogging women and men experience improved circulation, stronger muscles, less fatigue and increased cardiorespiratory endurance. Jogging increases oxygen to the blood, muscles and heart which naturally improves your physical fitness. I found it was really important for me to get back into jogging after my daughter was born. I didn't feel good about carrying around all the extra weight.

All That Flab

When my daughter was three-months-old I took her out for a walk in her stroller. I had only planned to walk and just a couple of miles. Unfortunately my daughter had other ideas. She cried quite loudly and persistently after we were about a mile from the car. Of course, I knew the only way I could settle her down was to get back to the car and feed her! At that moment, I realized I had to collect all of my strength to get that out-of-shape-flabby-body-of-mine in gear or the baby was really going to have a fit. I rushed myself back to the car exhausted and ready to collapse, but after my daughter was fed, she was happy again.

I told my husband afterward that anyone who saw me jogging that day with my daughter, likely saw all kinds of floppy, flabby movement. I was completely embarrassed by it and I was practically bedridden the following day from being so sore and achy.

I definitely demanded too much of body on that fateful day. And I suffered for it, but it only strengthened my resolve to lose the pregnancy weight.

Understanding the Basics

• It's helpful to understand that one pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. Jogging women who eat and drink 3,000 calories a day will find it takes much longer to burn the fat. In fact, they won't receive much benefit at all from physical exercise since reducing calories along with regular exercise burns calories and reduces weight.

  Of course, don't think about reducing your daily caloric intake to 1,200 to lose fat faster because your body will only go into starvation mode and jealously hold onto every bit of fat that it can!
  
  Historically our bodies stored fat for fuel or food since early in our evolution we hunted game and gathered fruits and nuts to survive. A very cold winter or exceptionally hot summer could have meant the difference between feast or famine. Nowadays, we can get food whenever we like and in whatever portions we desire. But the body's design is to store the food as fat.

• So, for example, if you're jogging a 12-minute-mile (which is a great pace to work up to so that you can participate in 5k events and finish on time!) a jogging woman weighing approximately 140 pounds will burn approximately 170 calories per hour. A jogging man exercising at the same pace and weighing 175 pounds will likely burn approximately 300 calories per hour.

  Keep in mind the calories you burn per hour can be influenced by environmental conditions as well as many other factors. Not all workouts are terrific. Sometimes you may just have an off day or not feel well and that can affect your performance.

• It therefore takes a lot of energy to burn those calories, but jogging women who jog regularly will burn the fat. Persistence is an important quality in life: it helps you stay focused on your goals. Without persistence you won't realize the weight loss benefits the same way that someone would who commits to regular physical fitness. If you are persistent, exercise regularly and eat well, you will get the results you desire.

  
  
  

• If you're more than 30 pounds overweight than jogging, like many aerobic activities, is something to build up to so that you avoid injury. It took time for me to rebuild my jogging endurance and to do it safely without injuring myself. Build up to jogging by walking and jogging together and resting when you need to.
  
  

• Keep an eye on your sodium intake. Sodium is often found in the form of salt but it's hiding in all kinds of packaged foods. Just check the labels on your snacks and beverages, such as diet sodas, and you'll be quite surprised. Salt causes us to retain water making us heavier. Less salt will also help reduce your blood pressure.

• When you do begin jogging consider developing the correct running form which affects your body alignment, foot landing, posture, etc. so that your jogging workouts are effective and injury free. Also useful are the jogging tips I've learned that will give you ideas to consider before you start this type of exercise.

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