If you’re serious about shedding kilos, you should be focusing on the kilometres you log in your sneaks. A new study published in The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness found that the most successful dieters didn’t even have to run far to slim down. In fact, they only had to hit an average of five kays per week. Boom.
READ MORE: 5 Treadmill Hacks That Shave Off More Kilos
For the study, Dutch researchers asked 538 newbie runners to fill out questionnaires about their diets and their reasons for taking up running. Then, they measured the participants’ body fat and gave them GPS devices to record their total kilometres. Participants weren’t given any instructions or formal training. After a year, they filled out another survey and were measured again.
When the researchers crunched the numbers, they found that people who were consistently running more than five kilometres a week, while also watching their diet, lost the most fat. Score! (These folks made an effort to eat more salads and raw veggies, and less white bread, cake, sweets, chips, fast food and sugary beverages.)
READ MORE: Beginner’s Guide: How To Lose Weight With Running
The effect was only seen in people who said they took up running to lose weight and not those who pursued it for any other reason. Still, sounds like a good reason to sign up for that 5K.
Want to get back on the running track? All you have to do is put one foot in front of the other (literally!) and follow these four expert-backed strategies.
