Summer often means holidays, the beach, and that little push to take better care of yourself. Fueled by the whole “summer body” idea, especially on social media, the goal is often to lose weight fast, but not always in the right way. And that “summer body” mindset does not really build self-confidence anyway. RunMotion Coach helps you take a healthier approach, with balanced nutrition and regular exercise all year long.
We want to help you feel good in summer and in winter, thanks to running. Our goal is simple, help you feel good in your head and in your running shoes while you reach your goals. Like the famous Latin saying goes, “A healthy mind in a healthy body”.
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Effective running for a summer body all year long?
How does it work?
When you walk, run, or do any kind of physical effort, you burn calories. When you eat, drink soda, or snack, you take in calories. To lose weight and reach your summer body goal, even in winter, you generally need to be in an energy deficit, meaning you burn more calories than you consume.
Calculating your energy expenditure
Running is one of the most accessible and effective ways to burn calories and maintain your summer body in every season. When you run, you burn roughly 1 kcal per kilometer per kilogram of body weight. If you weigh 60 kg and run 10 km, that is about 600 kcal burned.
Of course, it changes with a lot of factors, heat, your speed, your running form, elevation gain, and plenty of other variables that impact your energy cost. The most important thing is to do workouts that match your level and your current fitness.
Nutrition alongside running
Careful, an energy deficit does not mean a drastic diet, deprivation, or skipping meals, despite what some summer body trends might suggest. It is the opposite. For weight loss to be effective and sustainable long term, it has to happen without all that. For example, if you follow a diet where you barely eat at certain meals, your body can respond by storing more when you do eat, to compensate. That can lead to disordered eating behaviors, which will not help you feel better in your body or your mind.
In short, you can pay attention to what you eat without going extreme. It is also a good idea to truly enjoy yourself about once a week, the famous “cheat meal”. On average, an adult woman needs around 1800 to 2200 calories per day, and an adult man around 2400 to 2600 calories per day. So the goal is to eat better, not simply eat less.
Note that if you want to go deeper on nutrition, you can consult health professionals like registered dietitians or nutritionists. They can support you and, for example, create a nutrition plan tailored to your needs alongside your running training.
How to structure your workouts to reach your summer body goal
Easy aerobic base, the pillar of your success
Easy aerobic base running is a relaxed jog pace you can hold for a long time. If you can talk while you run, you are in that easy endurance zone. For some people, a brisk walk can be their easy aerobic pace. Everyone has their own level and capacity.
After around 30 to 50 minutes of steady running, your body tends to rely more on fat as a fuel source. That is why easy aerobic runs are so effective when you are trying to lose weight. You will generally burn more overall than with just 10 minutes of all-out fast running. As the French saying goes, “Slow and steady wins the race”.
If you cannot run that long yet, no stress. Start with walking and shorter sessions. This helps your body and muscles adapt progressively to training load. Try again a few weeks later, you will be surprised by your progress.
Interval sessions, an extra boost
It is smart to vary your paces once per week. High-intensity interval training, alternating fast running with easy recovery, is a powerful way to improve fitness and performance. It can also help you reach your summer body goal faster, whatever the season. You can do it by time, for example 30 seconds fast and 30 seconds easy, or by distance.
Start with longer recovery periods and, above all, choose sessions that match your current level.
Consistency, the unbeatable foundation for a summer body
The real secret to leaning out is consistency, in both training and nutrition. Two to three workouts per week are enough, as long as you stick to them week after week. Especially if you are a beginner or not used to running, doing too much can quickly discourage you and make you quit after just one week. It is better to follow a progressive training plan over several weeks.
Also, when you are starting out, we recommend alternating walking and running so you do not put too much stress on your body and you reduce injury risk. You can even use the same idea as interval training by alternating easy running with walking recovery.
How do you stay motivated?
Run with a group
That is it, you are in. A summer body all year long is happening for you. But after one week, the motivation drops. A bit of soreness, long workdays, and you give up. First of all, no panic. You can miss a session if you are tired or simply not available.
If you know you can lose motivation easily, do not hesitate to run with a group. Ask a few friends to join you, it is a huge boost when you are not alone. When you do not feel like it, someone else will, and vice versa.
Running in the rain, brrr. Swap your run for S&C
Yes, the number one obstacle to running is the weather. When you are starting out, bad weather can derail your training. If you are still motivated, you can follow the tips in this article to run in the rain.
Otherwise, it is no big deal. You can replace your running session with some muscle strengthening and general strength and conditioning (S&C). Check out the video below, it offers a workout with exercises to get stronger and run better later on. It is a great ally for firming up your muscles and getting closer to your summer body goal.
Or, directly in the RunMotion Coach app, you can follow fully guided strength and conditioning sessions.
Sign up for races to challenge yourself
Setting a goal race to run in a few months can be a great way to stay motivated and track your progress. You have a clear target, so you stick to your training plan and enjoy race day to the fullest. I recommend a 5K or 10K to start. You can find road races near you, or in a place you love, on the race calendar Finishers, or trail races on Trail Péi.
The most important thing, feel good in your body
To wrap up, the summer body idea can be motivating. Just watch out for its downsides, especially on social media, which can end up discouraging you. There are no miracle solutions for a summer body in a few days. Everyone has their own pace, their own body, and their own abilities. If you follow the tips in this article, you will see improvements within a few weeks. Some people will lose weight quickly, others will get stronger first and then lose weight later.
In every case, you will feel much fitter when you practice regular physical activity. Even if it sounds contradictory, running is also great for your mental and physical energy. It helps your body and mind reset.
Hit your goals with RunMotion Coach
You get it now, piling on training and skipping meals is not an effective long-term strategy if you want to maintain your summer body year-round.
If you want to improve and stay motivated without putting pressure on yourself for that famous summer body, a personalized training plan is a real advantage. The RunMotion Coach app gives you sessions adapted to your level, your goals, your schedule, and your training terrain. You are guided through every workout with pace targets, time, distance, and more. Plus, you get weekly nutrition tips.
One of the biggest advantages of the premium version of the app is fully guided muscle strengthening sessions. You start the workout and you just follow the exercises. Perfect for getting started and beginning to shape your muscles for your summer body goal.
Set your main objective to “lose weight” or “wellbeing” and let the coach guide you. With the premium version, you can even choose its personality, strict, positive, or philosophical. I am sure it will keep you motivated to reach your goal.
One extra bonus, you can add cycling workouts to mix things up.
Like Vincent and many others, do not hesitate to share your success story about your year-round summer body goal.
