The fatter you are, the harder it is to lose weight by running. Is this really true?

According to a previous report on the British Guardian website, research shows that it seems more difficult for obese people to lose weight through exercise. Many netizens said: "No wonder I can't lose weight."

Running is one of the best ways to lose weight, and it can give you the slim body you always dream of. But for overweight runners, there are many things to note even if you want to start exercising.

It seems that it is difficult for overweight runners to run fast, but in reality, many lean and capable predecessors were beaten to a pulp by "fat people" later. How can overweight runners run scientifically? This article will explain it to you!

What is heavy weight?

Everyone has a different understanding of fat. Some people may feel fat because of their poor figure, but their weight is within a healthy and normal range. It's just that they pursue beauty more highly. The simplest way to calculate is to use the body mass index (BMI):

Body mass index (BMI) = weight (kg) ÷ height (㎡)

Then you can use the calculated data to figure out whether your weight is too thin or normal. Underweight: below 18.5; Normal: 18.5-23.9; Overweight: 24-27; Obese: 28-32; Too obese means above 32.

People with a BMI above 30 are usually considered overweight.

What problems are heavy runners prone to?

01 Knee, ankle and foot injuries

The knees, ankles, and feet are the parts of the body where injuries are most common during running. As a person with a large body weight, or obese, whether you are muscular or fat, you are relatively weak due to your weight, and the burden on your exercise support organs is heavier, making you more susceptible to injury.

02 More prone to hypoglycemia

Overweight runners have weaker physical and physiological functions than normal people. Because the oxidation of sugar for energy supply is efficient and requires less oxygen, they rely more on the oxidation of glycogen for energy during exercise. However, weak physical functions lead to less glycogen reserves, weak gluconeogenesis, and inability to carry out effective fat aerobic energy supply. Blood sugar levels drop rapidly, resulting in hypoglycemia.

When hypoglycemia occurs, the first thing that occurs is a significant decrease in athletic ability and coordination, and slow reactions; continuing to exercise will cause obvious hunger, fatigue, palpitations, cold sweats and other symptoms. At this time, you must stop exercising and replenish sugar in time. If blood sugar continues to drop, severe brain dysfunction will lead to hypoglycemia coma.

03 More susceptible to dehydration and heat stroke

During exercise, the metabolic level is greatly increased, the heat generated by the human body increases, the body will increase the blood flow to the skin, dilate the skin blood vessels, and promote sweat glands to sweat profusely to increase heat dissipation.

Overweight runners have much weaker abilities to adapt to the surrounding temperature and regulate their own body temperature, so they are more likely to suffer from dehydration and heat stroke.

You must do this before exercising to lose weight!

After measuring, we all know whether we are overweight. If we are overweight, we need to do a physical examination in advance.

The reason is simple, because too much body fat can easily cause pressure on other organs. Over time, the body is prone to various problems, such as high blood pressure, diabetes...

In other words, obesity is already an unhealthy condition. If you try to lose weight while having other diseases, other problems are likely to arise.

So before you lose weight, you need to have a detailed understanding of your physical condition. Before losing weight, it is recommended to measure blood lipids, blood pressure, blood sugar and other indicators and follow the guidance of professionals.

If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, coronary heart disease or other diseases, you must first seek treatment, because if these diseases occur, they can endanger your life at any moment. It is best to take care of your body first, and then consider exercise to lose weight.

Regardless of whether you are overweight or not, you should do a thorough physical examination before starting to exercise to lose weight and keep fit, especially for your heart and lungs. If you have a disease that is not suitable for running, you can avoid further harm. If not, you can also compare the examination results with those after exercise.

People with heavy weight should be careful when running!

01 Control exercise intensity and increase exercise time

Weight loss emphasizes the total amount of exercise, not the intensity. Although high-intensity exercise consumes a lot of energy, it cannot be sustained. The total energy consumed at the end of exercise is far less than that of low-intensity, long-term aerobic exercise. Therefore, heavy runners must first control the intensity of exercise. The initial stage is usually 60%-80% of the maximum heart rate, and the exercise time is kept at 30-60 minutes according to the intensity of exercise.

02 Take it step by step and plan your exercise load reasonably

In the initial stage of exercise, you can combine walking and running. To reduce the burden on the knees, ankles, and feet, you can also intersperse swimming, cycling, etc. At the same time, avoid suddenly increasing the training load. As your athletic ability improves, you can first increase the number of training sessions and then increase the training time.

03 Focus on core and knee and ankle strength exercises

Increasing core and lower limb strength exercises can help correct running posture and prevent injuries. Maintain core exercises twice a week, interspersed with running. It is recommended that heavy runners choose running shoes with stronger cushioning performance!

04 Keep a regular schedule and don’t over-control your diet

Regular work and rest and sleep are good ways to eliminate fatigue and restore physical strength. During sleep, the excitement process of the cerebral cortex is reduced, the body's catabolism is at the lowest level and the anabolism process is relatively high, which is conducive to the accumulation of energy in the body.

In the early stages of exercise, when the body's functions are weak, excessive diet control and exercise load can easily lead to overtraining, causing immune disorders and affecting physical health.

In short, running is easy, but running well is not easy. For heavyweight beginners who have no sports experience, they should study hard, communicate more with experienced runners, identify running information, and avoid entering restricted areas. Only by avoiding risks can you enjoy the scenery. In addition, we remind everyone that under the normalization of epidemic prevention, whether in life or sports, everyone must do a good job of personal protection.