Losing weight can be a challenging process that requires dedication and consistency. For many people looking to shed excess pounds, adding in exercise like jogging is an important component. But is jogging for just 1 hour per day enough to see meaningful weight loss results? Let’s take a deeper look at the benefits of jogging and how much you’d need to jog to lose weight.
How Many Calories Does Jogging Burn?
The number of calories you burn while jogging will depend on a few key factors:
- Your weight – Heavier people burn more calories jogging than lighter people
- Jogging pace – Faster jogging burns more calories per minute
- Jogging duration – Longer jogs lead to more calories burned
- Terrain – Jogging uphill burns about 40% more calories than jogging on flat ground
On average, a 155 pound (70 kg) person will burn around 300 calories jogging at a moderate pace for 30 minutes. So in an hour of jogging, they would burn about 600 calories.
Here’s a look at estimated calories burned jogging for different weights and durations:
| Weight | 30 Minute Jog | 60 Minute Jog |
|---|---|---|
| 120 lbs (54 kg) | 240 calories | 480 calories |
| 155 lbs (70 kg) | 300 calories | 600 calories |
| 190 lbs (86 kg) | 360 calories | 720 calories |
As you can see, in an hour of jogging you can expect to burn anywhere from 480 to over 700 calories depending on your body weight.
How Much Weight Could You Lose Jogging 1 Hour Per Day?
To lose 1 pound of fat, you need to have a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories. So to lose 1 pound per week through jogging alone, you’d need a 500 calorie per day deficit from jogging.
Based on the calorie burn estimates above, 1 hour of jogging per day would lead to weight loss for most people, but the amount of weight lost can vary significantly.
For example:
- A 120 lb (54 kg) person jogging 1 hour per day would burn about 480 calories. This would lead to about 1 lb of weight loss per week.
- A 155 lb (70 kg) person jogging 1 hour per day would burn about 600 calories. This would lead to around 1.25 lbs of weight loss per week.
- A 190 lb (86 kg) person jogging 1 hour per day would burn around 720 calories. This would result in approximately 1.5 lbs of weight loss per week.
So for most overweight and obese individuals, jogging 1 hour per day would be enough to lose weight at a reasonable rate of 1-2 pounds per week.
Other Benefits of Jogging for Weight Loss
Aside from the calories burned during jogging, there are some other benefits that can enhance weight loss:
- Afterburn effect – Your metabolism stays elevated for hours after jogging, leading to extra calories burned.
- Muscle tone – Jogging helps maintain and build muscle, which boosts resting metabolism.
- Appetite suppression – Exercise helps regulate appetite hormones like leptin and ghrelin.
- Stress relief – Jogging burns off cortisol to reduce stress levels and emotional eating.
Tips for Maximizing Weight Loss from Jogging
Here are some tips to help you get the most fat burning benefits from your 1 hour jogging sessions:
- Warm up and cool down for 5-10 minutes to prevent injury and maximize calorie burn during jogging.
- Alternate between higher intensity interval jogging and slower recovery jogging to spike metabolism.
- Run on an incline or use stairs to engage glutes and hamstrings more for extra toning.
- Time your jog for first thing in the morning before eating to burn more fat.
- Stay hydrated before, during, and after jogging to prevent overeating from mistaking thirst for hunger.
Ideal Jogging Pace for Weight Loss
Is a slow jog or fast jog better for losing weight? The ideal jogging pace for fat burning is between 50-70% of your maximum heart rate. This equates to a pace between a slow jog and a brisk run for most people.
At this moderate pace, you are working hard enough to significantly elevate your heart rate and burn a lot of calories, but not so hard that you can’t sustain the pace for a full hour.
Going at a slow, leisurely pace may not produce a sufficient calorie deficit for weight loss for some. On the flip side, sprinting at a hard pace may burn more calories per minute but is tiring and difficult to maintain for a full hour.
Aim to jog at a pace equivalent to a 5 or 6 on a 1-10 scale of perceived effort. You should feel like you are working moderately hard and be able to speak in short sentences.
Should You Jog Longer than 1 Hour for Faster Weight Loss?
Jogging for longer than an hour in a single session can definitely help you create a greater calorie deficit and lose weight faster. However, it also increases your risk of overtraining, burnout, and injury.
Most experts recommend limiting vigorous exercise like jogging or running to no more than about 60-90 minutes per session for optimal safety and sustainability.
A better approach is to start with 1 hour of jogging and gradually increase up to 90 minutes if desired. Or you can add a second jogging session later in the day rather than prolonging one single long session.
Strengths of Jogging 1 Hour Per Day for Weight Loss
Here are some of the key advantages of jogging for 1 hour each day if your goal is fat loss:
- Burns a significant amount of calories – Around 500-700 calories burned in just an hour
- Easy to sustain long-term – 1 hour is manageable for most people time-wise
- Convenient – Can jog anywhere outdoors or on a treadmill
- Joint-friendly – Low impact if done at an easy pace on soft surfaces
- No equipment required – Just need jogging shoes
Potential Drawbacks of Jogging 1 Hour for Weight Loss
While jogging 1 hour per day can absolutely help boost fat burning, there are some potential downsides to consider as well:
- Time commitment – Finding a full hour for exercise daily can be challenging for busy schedules
- Weather constraints – Hard to jog outdoors year-round in some climates
- May still need other exercise – Jogging works lower body mainly, so upper body needs attention too
- Impact – Running on hard surfaces may increase injury risk for some people
- Plateaus – As you get fitter, you burn fewer calories jogging the same duration
Maximizing Fat Loss from 1 Hour of Jogging
Here are some tips to help maximize fat burning results from an hour of jogging each day:
- Do jogging first thing in the morning before eating
- Jog on soft surfaces like grass or dirt trails to reduce impact
- Incorporate high intensity intervals or hills
- Combine jogging with strength training for more total body benefits
- Focus on nutritious, low calorie diet to create greater calorie deficit
- Stay well hydrated before, during, and after jogging
- Listen to music or podcasts to distract your mind
- Focus on good jogging posture and running form
- Consider supplements like protein powder to support muscle growth and recovery
What to Eat When Jogging for Weight Loss
Fueling your body properly complements your jogging routine and helps enhance fat burning. Here are some tips on what to eat around your jogging sessions for weight loss:
- Before jogging – Eat a light snack such as a banana, energy bar, or yogurt. Stay hydrated with water.
- During jogging – Drink water, electrolyte drinks, or coffee. For longer jogs, quick carbs like gels work too.
- After jogging – Consume a mix of carbs such as oats, sweet potato, or quinoa and protein like eggs, greek yogurt, or whey powder to replenish muscles.
- Throughout the day – Fill up on non-starchy veggies, lean proteins, healthy fats, fruits, and whole grains. Avoid excess added sugar and fried foods.
Sample 1 Hour Jogging Routine for Weight Loss
Here is an example of what a good 1 hour jogging routine might look like if your goal is fat loss:
Warm Up: 5 minutes
– Walk at easy pace to raise heart rate and body temperature
– Dynamic stretching of major muscle groups
Jogging: 40 minutes
– 10 minutes jogging at moderate pace
– 5 minutes at faster tempo pace
– 10 minutes jogging at moderate pace
– 5 minutes jogging uphill
– 10 minutes jogging at moderate pace
Cool Down: 5 minutes
– Walk at easy pace to lower heart rate
– Light static stretching of any tight muscles
Key Tips
- Mix up jogging pace and terrain to spike calorie burn
- Focus on good form – upright posture, midfoot strike, relaxed upper body
- Breathe deeply and rhythmically
Conclusion
Jogging for 1 hour per day can be an excellent tool for weight loss for many people. In that time, most can burn 500-700 calories through jogging alone plus extra from the afterburn effect. This creates the necessary calorie deficit for safe, sustainable weight loss of about 1-2 pounds per week.
Beyond just calories burned jogging, it provides many other metabolism-boosting benefits as well. With the right mix of jogging pace variations, nutritious diet, and lifestyle habits, jogging for an hour a day may be all you need to reach your weight loss goals.
