Let’s be real. Running is a great fitness activity and makes all of us feel good after we’ve gotten in our run. But what really motivates us is the calorie freedom. The extra scoops of ice cream, our favorite meal at a restaurant, or an extra glass of wine or beer can be erased by the magic elixir called running. Let’s cover a few things to keep in mind to help strengthen that motivation.
Calorie Freedom for Real?
Calorie freedom is the ability to eat whatever you want because you are a runner. It means you are not keeping track of the calories you consume. I am not a doctor or a nutritionist, but I can safely say it is a made up concept to illustrate motivation. It’s like the imaginary pool of water in the desert or the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Neither are real, but we will keep on trying to find it as if it were. I unfortunately cannot claim that running will make you invincible to consuming whatever you want. No, you cannot eat an entire pizza and call it a personal pizza because you ran three miles today. I will share that there are some really strong benefits to running and it absolutely can lead to calorie freedom based on your state of mind.
Benefits of Running
Let’s cover the benefits of running first. Obviously, when you are running, you are expending energy and you need to refuel your body depending on how far you ran. Depending on your distance, it can be a lot. Let’s keep things simple, because there are too many factors to come up with the right equation. If you burn 100 calories per mile, and you run five miles, that’s 500 calories for your training run. That’s about 25% of a 2,000 calorie diet. That’s quite an impact and will require some additional nutrition to achieve your calorie count for the day. On the flip side, it is only 25% and not unlimited, so calorie freedom isn’t real exactly. Finding those 500 calories may become easier than you think.
If you are a frequent runner, you may notice an increase in your metabolic rates. This means you can probably have a higher calorie intake, because you body is good at burning energy. The way you refuel can be really important to the outcome of your diet. Quality is an important factor and not properly refueling can have a reverse effect, because the body tends to preserve energy. All of this depends on a on many factors, but I would say the concept generally holds true.
Looking for that Calorie Freedom
The benefit for using food or drinks is a concept of motivation that is very powerful. It’s a concept that keeps runners going and lacing up those shoes when the weather isn’t great or there is just no motivation to make it out. It can be used in a few ways:
- Reward system: Either training for a race or just getting out for a longer run can make you feel that you burned enough calories to want to reward yourself for completing the activity. I’ve used this many times after completing a long training run, going out for a over-sized burger and beer. It’s simple, but a great motivation to get started. Moderation is important here, because quality will have a big impact on your diet.
- Reduced Guilt: Maybe you aren’t rewarding yourself, but you are going to go out with friends or family and not keep track of calories. Giving you that comfort can really make the rest of the day more enjoyable. Feeling guilty of over eating can put a damper on how you feel later that day or the next day.
- Added energy: Running can give you extra energy to power through the day. I’ve been there many times before when a burger and fries without running can make you feel tired. A burger and fries after running 5 miles doesn’t.
The Magic Elixir
Whatever motivates you to get out and run is something to take advantage of. Running for wine, running for ice cream, or running for pizza are all great reasons to lace up the shoes and hit the road. It could be more about that pot of gold, where we may not actually indulge, but since we’ve run, we feel better knowing that we can. Having a burger and a beer can be a rather normal meal when in moderation. It’s the feeling we have after the run that get’s us going out there again. So cheers and enjoy the run!