photo credit: Ed Yourdon

Running is the world’s most popular way to lose weight. Every morning millions of people around the world get up early and go for a jog before work. Some people do it in the park, others prefer the treadmill. In this post I am going to show you a few ways to intensify your running sessions so that you lose more weight.

Why is intense better?

Intense running is always better than slow jogging. Assuming you are fit and healthy and injury free it is a good idea to step up your intensity as it will help you achieve your weight loss and fitness goals a lot faster. Here are some reasons why:

• Burns more calories
  Faster paced exercise burns more calories. Your body has to work a lot harder to get the work done and this requires more energy.
• Keeps your metabolism up
  High intensity running also keeps your metabolism revving long after the running session has finished. This means you will be burning calories even when you have finished running.
• It is anaerobic
  Have you ever seen a fat sprinter? Nope. The reason for this is that the sprinting creates an anaerobic environment in their body which makes them fat burning machines. Intensifying your running will do this too.

Once you make the decision to intensify your running you need to have certain ways to do it. If your running sessions are more structured you will be more likely to carry them out and progress. Here are some ways you can step up the intensity of your running and lose more weight.

1. Wind sprints
Wind sprints are my favorite way to run. There is no special technique other than to jog for a distance and then sprint for a distance then start jogging again. Repeat this for your whole session. I like to pick a physical target in the distance like a tree or a postbox. Sprint until you reach it and then start jogging again until you find your next target.

This type of running is one of the best ways there is to burn fat. You are pushing your body over and over again and the mixture of medium paced exercise and fast paced exercise really does burn a lot of calories. Try it out for yourself.

2. Hills
If you are a crazy woman who loves pain you can head on over to your local hill and start running up it. But be warned. Running hills is a full body workout. The next day you will have a sore back, legs and butt. Your arms will be sore from pumping and your abs will be sore from holding you upright. It is a killer.

photo credit: Aaron Jacobs

Running hills is a wonderful way to shape and tone your lower body. It burns a lot of calories by getting your heart rate up really high but it also acts as a weight training session. It is like doing hundreds of weighted step ups over and over again. You will see the weight strip off fast when you start running hills.

3. Music
One thing I have noticed lately is how powerful a tool music can be for intensifying your running. If you want to step it up to the next level why not try putting together a compilation of the most upbeat songs you can find and playing it while you run? It really does the trick.

I have found that songs with a good base line, orchestral backing or rock melody work the best. Try to get something that you can turn up loud and run in time with. This will really get your heart racing. Remember, never run at night with a iPod in as it can be extremely dangerous.

Conclusion

Running really is a wonderful form of exercise. However, you need to keep pushing yourself so that your body does not adapt to the level of exertion. Intensifying your sessions by doing wind sprints, running hills or playing music is a great way to do just that. If anyone has any other ideas please stop by the forum and let us know.

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