Most runners that I’ve worked with through e-coaching and running schools feel that they would run better and feel better if they reduced the amount of fat on their body. While researching for my books Running Until You’re 100 and A Woman’s Guide to Running, I discovered several key tips that have helped runners lose that “last 10 pounds.” 

Most runners that I’ve worked with through e-coaching and running schools feel that they would run better and feel better if they reduced the amount of fat on their body. While researching for my books Running Until You’re 100 and A Woman’s Guide to Running, I discovered several key tips that have helped runners lose that “last 10 pounds.”

Here’s what I found:

Get a step counter and shoot for 10,000 steps a day — regardless of how much you’re running. Insert your walking during the “lulls of your life,” such as when you’re waiting for a meeting to start, while watching the kids, during a television commercial, etc. Runners have told me that they have burned up to 20 pounds in a year by averaging more than 10,000 walking steps a day.

 

Keep a small notebook (your food journal) with you and record everything you eat. This will allow you to learn portion control. Because the journal makes you aware of what you’re eating, most people cut back on the “bad” foods when journaling.

 

Instead of eating 2-3 times a day, eat 8-10 times a day. Assuming you consume the same number of calories either way, you may burn up to 10 pounds in a year by making this lifestyle change. You’ll also feel better throughout the day.

 

Use one of the many “calorie counting” Web sites. A site like www.fitday.com, for example, can help you gain control over the intake side of the equation. Not only will it tell you your calorie gain or loss each day, it will give you an accounting of the vitamins, minerals, protein, etc. This is the best tool I know for learning what you are really eating, and what you’re missing.

 

Don’t get discouraged if you hit “plateaus” or “bump ups” in your weight. The ebb and flow of fluids will leave you up some days when you’ve been exercising more. Over a week or two, it settles out.