Running to lose weight is one of my all-time favorites for general fitness, and is a front-runner (pun intended) in getting me to lose 30 pounds.  I’m not talking about endurance training, I’m talking about interval running.

What is interval running? In a nutshell, you perform several sprints with short rests in between, instead of running for 20 – 60 minutes straight.  Of course, there are many variations to these sprint workouts, so you really can’t get bored with it.

Getting started: If you’re like me, and you’re looking to get started with losing weight, start with something easy.  This type of workout requires only a pair of running shoes and a track.  On Sunday, go to your local high-school or college track.  It should be vacant.

For beginners: Walk or jog around the track for two laps.  After that, get a bit of stretching in.  When you’re ready, take a sip of water and then walk around the first turn (100 meters).  When you get to the straight-away, jog until you get to the next turn.  That is when you walk again.  So really, just walk the turns and jog the straight-aways.  Do this for one mile (four laps).  After that, get a drink of water and then walk for two laps.  Regardless of how ambitious you are (or want to be), jog slow enough that you can complete all eight laps as instructed.  The goal here is to finish the workout without getting burned out.

When you get home after the workout, get a bite to eat (preferably something that includes protein).  Adopt a meal plan if you’re serious about losing weight.

For those accustomed to running: Perform the workout above.  However, after walking the turn, sprint about 50% speed down the straight-aways.  You’ll know if you have to slow down.

The goal is not to see how fast you can complete the workout; it’s to get you to finish the workout and feel good about it.  Sometimes, I’ll do this workout two or three times per week (becasue I love it).  If I can’t run around a track (because it’s getting used), I’ll run around the block instead.  The workout might need a bit of tweaking for that, but it still works.

As I said earlier, running to lose weight is one of my all-time favorites.  It’s easy and it doesn’t really require any special equipment.  Make sure you don’t over-do it, because when you’re just getting started, you’ll want to feel good about it.  That way you come back for more!