It’s been said by many experts that running is a wonderful cardio training. If you’re practicing to run a marathon, wanting to lose weight, or just simply love to clear your head, running is a great way to stay in shape all across the board. Is there a limit to how long we can actually run? For some, the longer the merrier, since all those calories get to be burned. Although some experts are saying otherwise. According to POPSUGAR, there are some risks at running for an hour or longer. What are those risks?
It all depends on how your body uses fuel. If you’re maintaining a healthy diet, your body will work with those calories as fuel to not burn any muscle. In other words, you must be eating sufficiently if you want to keep your muscle on.
So, you may be asking yourself: can I go on long runs? NASM-certified personal trainer Jared Hamilton suggests, “So instead of doing three long runs on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, I would do them Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, for example.”
If you’re going to run for a long period of time, like 45 minutes or longer, NASM-certified personal trainer Krissi Williford suggests eating half of a banana or anything that can digest quickly and will make you at least somewhat full for your run.
Finally, the most important question we want to answer is, how do we prevent muscle loss from running? NASM- and ACE-certified trainer Holly Roser suggests combining your runs with just the right amount of strength training. Not sure what to do at the gym? A great way to start is by looking at POPSUGAR‘s fitness routine here. The workout suggests working with 10 to 15 dumbbells to start and focuses on the lower and upper half of your body. In between strength training, it’s also important to input a day of recovery (yoga) and cardio i.e. running.