If you are overweight and want to lose weight by running, congratulations because you just made the right decision. Running is one of the best exercises to lose weight because not only will you instantly burn excess calories and fat, but it will also improve your physical condition and lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Here we have compiled 4 tips to help overweight people start running and shed those unwanted pounds:

Believe in yourself

Running is not an easy task for overweight people because they are out of shape. However, believing in yourself can work miracles. Your beliefs are like the set of rules that your mind dictates. So, if you firmly believe that you can become a lean and healthy runner, chances are you can achieve that goal.

You can use visualization to build self-confidence, motivation, and performance throughout your running program.

Build up slowly

You shouldn’t try to run too much too soon. This is a big mistake and can lead to many injuries and health problems. If you run too much during your first days of training, you will be exhausted and disappointed. You should be able to accept the fact that you may not be able to run at all at first due to your overweight and out-of-shape condition.

You should start slowly and build intensity as time goes on. For example, you may only need to walk 25 minutes three times a week in your first month and then start adding 30 seconds of running and one minute of walking during your training days in the second month and so on.

Regularly check your heart rate

You need to monitor your heart rate to make sure you are not running too early. If your heart rate in the morning is too high (6-12 beats per minute) than your normal level, you are doing too much.

You should monitor your heart rate in the morning and record your data in your running diary. As your training progresses, your pulse will improve as well. Your heart will become more efficient at pumping blood and working your muscles.

Register your races

You need to record your careers so you can analyze what you need to improve. A run log can help you keep track of your progress and doing so is crucial to your success and constant improvement.

In your running log, you should keep track of your distance, pace, and the type of workouts you have completed on a regular basis. Plus, you can clearly see the progress of your fitness and weight loss goals so you never lose sight of them. This is a great tool to increase your motivation as a runner.

These tips are very helpful and you should take action on them now. If you don’t take action, nothing will ever change.