Is running is good for me?

[smarty]

i'm trying to lose wieght. i just started running atleast 30min 6 times a week.well actually i dont run i more jog. you see i dont know what to do because the only reason i started running is to lose wieght. I am loseing wieght but i am also gaining alot of muscle on my legs as well as lossing fat of my stomach. what can i do to lose most of the muscle on my legs. i just want my legs smaller but i cant seem to accomplish that with joing. i dont know maybe i should jog slower. please give me advice on how to go about it. i still want to lose fat of my waiste.

[champ]

Running is good for you. Very good for you. One initial response of your body is to strengthen your legs and move things from bad places to good places. If you want to also lose a lot of the muscle in your legs, that's a tough prospect, but you will lose some just by reducing your intake of calories. It really matters very little how fast you go. I must say that your question is quite unusual, to say the least! Also, if you increase mileage without increasing caloric intake, you will reduce bulk in your body.

[gary]

Honestly, losing muscle is a really unhealthy thing to do. Why do you want to? Despite what you see on TV, overall weightloss is not a good thing. Body fat% reduction /muscle gain is. Most Body builders weigh in at close to 300 pounds, but have about 5-9% body fat. Not that that's your goal, but just to put it into perspective.

[APOLLOS]

Originally Posted by smarty

i'm trying to lose wieght. i just started running atleast 30min 6 times a week.well actually i dont run i more jog. you see i dont know what to do because the only reason i started running is to lose wieght. I am loseing wieght but i am also gaining alot of muscle on my legs as well as lossing fat of my stomach. what can i do to lose most of the muscle on my legs. i just want my legs smaller but i cant seem to accomplish that with joing. i dont know maybe i should jog slower. please give me advice on how to go about it. i still want to lose fat of my waiste.

Let's answer your initial question. Is running good for you? Unless you've been specifially told by a doctor not to run, then I'd venture to say it is good for you. By the way, if I had a doctor tell me I shouldn't run, I'd seek a second, third, and maybe even fourth opinion.


There is probably no more efficient exercise for losing weight than running. If you just started, you may want to back off slightly on your training schedule to avoid burnout. Pick a day or two and instead of running do some other form of exercise.


I must ask though, why would you want to lose muscle in your legs. Toned, well defined legs are sexy on a man or woman. Having muscle on your legs is a lot different than having plain ole fat legs. Trust me, no one likes stick legs. Well, maybe a few weirdos, but most would choose to admire some muscle over twigs.


Congratulation on your weight loss acomplishments. If you stick with your current level of activity, mixing in some variety here and there, you should have no problem trimming that waistline. Just remember, muscle tone is sexy. Don't fear it.




Run 4 Life



APOLLOS

[SlowTurtle]

Originally Posted by smarty

i'm trying to lose wieght. i just started running atleast 30min 6 times a week.well actually i dont run i more jog. you see i dont know what to do because the only reason i started running is to lose wieght. I am loseing wieght but i am also gaining alot of muscle on my legs as well as lossing fat of my stomach. what can i do to lose most of the muscle on my legs. i just want my legs smaller but i cant seem to accomplish that with joing. i dont know maybe i should jog slower. please give me advice on how to go about it. i still want to lose fat of my waiste.

In a way running is good for you as an option to loose weight, which as you stated is your goal. But your concern regarding the muscle gains in your legs which you may not like, is the norm with running. If you run a lot of hills it definately builds your calves. So I suggest you run on flat roads. If you would consider another exercise, I believe swimming is ideally a very good workout with minimal stress on the knees and ankles. Another thing, you can exercise a lot but if the diet includes fried foods and buffets throughout the week that won't help much either.

You also asked if you jog slower you would loose waist line, I think that won't work as good as you put some "spikes" in your workout.. jog then sprint a minute then jog some more and sprint again etc.. Sort of fartleks.

Good luck and post a reply with your improvements.

[Blaine Moore]

As people have mentioned, losing weight isn't necessarily healthy. I wouldn't try to lose muscle mass in your legs. Once you have lowered your body fat percentage enough, your body will reach an equilibrium with the right amount of muscle.

One way to burn more fat is to mix in interval training once or twice a week. Just be sure that you have a good base level of fitness before trying that though so that you don't hurt yourself, and make sure that you eat something after you finish your workout so that you can continue to burn fat for hours after the run. (See my 3 components of an effective workout report in my sig for more details about that.)