Can Jogging Burn Off Love Handles?

It's easy to hide a pair of tiny love handles under your clothing, but if these pesky bits of fat around your waist continue to grow, you'll soon find yourself out of wardrobe solutions. Close the door to your closet, open your front door and head outside for a jog. Jogging is an effective way to burn fat throughout your body and finally get rid of your love handles.

  1. Spot Reduction Myth

    • Burning fat would be simpler if you could specifically target fat deposits in certain parts of your body -- but contrary to what you might hear on fitness commercials, it's impossible to do so. This theory, known as spot reduction, is a fat-loss myth that CNN calls a myth that won't go away. The American Council on Exercise reports that exercise will burn fat throughout your whole body, rather than in the area on which you concentrate.

    Calorie Deficit

    • A simple method of losing your love handles is to create a calorie deficit; that is, burn more calories than you consume every day. Creating a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories results in 1 pound of fat burned. Jogging is an effective exercise that helps you burn calories rapidly to achieve this deficit. Harvard Medical School notes that jogging at a speed of 5 mph for 30 minutes will help a 185-pound person burn 355 calories. If the same person can sustain a pace of 6 mph for 30 minutes, he'll burn 444 calories.

    Jogging Considerations

    • Everyone jogs at a slightly different speed according to their endurance, weight and athleticism. In an article on BBC Sport, running coach Mike Antoniades recommends that jogging technically occurs up to 6 mph. When you're moving faster, you're running; when you're moving significantly slower, you're walking. If you have joint pain, Antoniades recommends a brisk walk instead of a jog, as the impact of walking is less than the impact of jogging.

    Jogging Amount

    • The amount of jogging you'll need to do to burn off your love handles depends on several factors, including the amount of fat deposits throughout your body. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends a minimum of 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week for adults, but if you want to receive increased benefits of exercise, raise your exercise amount to 300 minutes per week. Spread the 300 minutes throughout the week to avoid straining your body.