Does Running Burn Belly Fat?

Running is an efficient tool for burning fat, including around your belly, because you lose fat throughout your body. While running helps keep your fat to a minimum, adding strength training and a lower-calorie diet will improve your chances of slimming down. You might not be able to target just your stomach, but any fat loss helps you get a slimmer tummy.

Running burns fat in your body, including your stomach, based on your energy expenditure. When the calories you use in running exceed the calories you take in, you contribute to fat loss. According to the American Council of Exercise, lower-intensity exercise uses more fat for energy, but higher-intensity exercise burns more calories. Alternating low- and high-intensity exercise burns calories and fat and reduces the chances of injury.

Adding strength training and a diet change will increase fat loss from running. Strength training amps up your metabolism because muscles use more energy at rest than fat does. Dieting helps to reduce the calories you take in. All calorie loss contributes to fat loss, so combining these elements will slim your body, including your stomach.