How Much Does Jogging Raise Your Metabolism?

Any time you raise your heart rate, you increase the number of calories your body burns. Make demands of your muscles and lungs, and you'll need more fuel. However, when you think about raising metabolism, what you really want to do is speed it up around the clock so that, even when you're resting, you're burning more calories. That's possible, but you may have to change the way you jog.

  1. Resting Metabolism

    • All day long, even when you're sleeping, your metabolism is working to provide your body with fuel. Breathing, pumping blood, digesting: all these body functions require fuel to get the job done. This is your resting metabolism. Some people have a higher resting metabolism than others -- they naturally burn more calories throughout the day. While the set point for a metabolism is determined genetically, there are ways to move the needle on your burn.

    Active Metabolism

    • When you go for a jog, your metabolism responds by revving up, converting blood sugar and even stored fat cells to energy at a much faster rate so that your body can use the fuel to keep your muscles working and your heart pumping. Running at a steady pace for 30 minutes or so will burn about 300 calories, according to information from the National Institutes of Health.

    Afterburn

    • Studies from experts at the American College of Sports Medicine suggest that you get some afterburn following exercise. When you finish jogging, your metabolism begins to slow down, but it takes a while for it to return to your resting rate. During that time, you may burn up to 50 extra calories. Jog several times a week, and you're metabolic rate will get you an extra 200 to 300 calories burned without you having to do any extra work.

    Intervals

    • If you'd like to get an even greater boost in metabolism, try adding high-intensity intervals to your run. Researchers at the University of New Mexico point out that interval training gives the greatest metabolic boost of any type of exercise, literally doubling the calorie afterburn. Next time you head out for a jog, after about five minutes of warming up, try sprinting for 30 seconds. When you've finished, continue to jog, but at a slow enough pace that you'll be able to recover and catch your breath. After two or three minutes pass, do another 30-second sprint. Continue this pattern until you reach the end of your run. You'll not only get a greater afterburn, you'll burn at least 100 more calories during your jog.