Is Running 3 Miles a Day OK? What You Need to Know to Decide
Are you looking to begin a new, regular habit of running every day?
You’ll need to determine how many miles you can (or should) run in a day. Maybe you don’t know if you should run one day a week or every day.
If you’re interested in running 3 miles a day but wondering if this is possible, we’ll answer all your questions right here. Then you can make the best choice for yourself.
Is Running 3 Miles a Day Good?
If you’re able to run three miles, that’s great! If you can run three miles daily, that’s fantastic.
Running 3 miles a day is certainly good. This is an excellent distance that isn’t too far for the body to handle regularly but is also long enough to get a sufficient daily workout.
The CDC recommends that every adult get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise weekly. Running is a moderate to high-intensity activity. You’ll quickly hit this health recommendation if you can run 3 miles daily.
You should be intuitive and pay attention to what your body tells you. If you begin a running routine of running 3 miles every day and you begin to feel worn out or experience any pain, take some time off.
Too much of a good thing can undoubtedly be bad. If you listen to your body and understand the benefits rest has on the body you’ll know that you’ll only continue helping your body gain strength.
What About Every Other Day?
If you find running two days in a row is too much on your body or busy schedule, consider running 3 miles every other day.
Running every other day can be more beneficial. If you tend to run hard, your body might need rest the following day.
Alternatively, you might consider walking 3 miles on the days you don’t run. This can help you build that healthy habit and stay on track.
This will still help you receive many of the benefits of running. You likely won’t see the improvements running every day brings, but with a little more time, you should find that you’re much more physically fit and capable of running the distance.
Can You Lose Weight Running 3 Miles a Day?
You may lose weight if you begin running 3 miles a day.
Everybody is different, and losing weight also depends on your current fitness level; however, if you’re getting started, you’ll likely be able to lose weight.
Meeting the recommended 150 minutes of vigorous activity each week is a good starting place for losing weight. In addition to this exercise, adults should also include regular strength training workouts.
If you’re able to maintain these health and fitness guidelines, you’ll likely lose weight by running three miles each day.
Will Running 3 Miles a Day Help with Weight Loss?
How can a 3-mile run a day help with weight loss?
If you’re currently a reasonably inactive person, adding a regular running routine will help improve your fitness. Using running and cross-training together will ensure that you are strengthening your body.
Running 3 miles a day can help with weight loss by burning more calories than other activities like walking. It’s not enough to just run 3 miles a day and expect weight loss.
A calorie deficit is necessary for this to work. This means you’ll need to take in fewer calories than you use throughout the day.
Eating high-quality meals in addition to your running will lead to the best weight loss results.
How Many Calories Are Burned on a 3 Mile Run?
Several factors determine how many calories you’ll burn during a 3-mile run.
We can determine the approximate calorie expenditure by identifying:
👉🏼 Your current weight
👉🏼 The amount of time/speed you’ll be running
👉🏼 The distance you’re running
The MET Formula (metabolic equivalent of task) can be used to determine an approximate calorie count. This formula lacks the knowledge of age and gender, which also affect calories burned.
The formula explains the amount of oxygen necessary for a specific activity (MET), multiplied by body weight (in kilograms), multiplied by the amount of time in hours completing the training will equal the number of calories burned.
This is challenging to solve quickly as we don’t generally know how many METs to assume for each run, although running is often within 8 to 9 METs. Using a calorie-burned calculator can help you understand better and faster.
You may burn anywhere from 240 to 420 calories running 3 miles. Remember, this is an estimate based on averages. You’ll want to find the exact number that fits your situation to track your calories for weight loss.
Does Running 3 Miles a Day Build Muscle?
Losing weight is one aspect of fitness, but building muscle is another.
Running can undoubtedly help to build muscle. If you’ve been inactive for some time, regular running will help you build strength, especially in your lower legs.
However, there are better ways to build muscle than running alone.
While some muscle building is inevitable with running, proper muscle building must come from resistance training exercises. This is because running is primarily a cardiovascular exercise, and running alone to build muscle leads to imbalances.
Remember, the best runners use cross-training and run training to build muscle and stability.
Is Running 3 Miles in 30 Minutes Good?
Suppose you’re able to run 3 miles in 30 minutes; great! This is the average time for runners to run the distance.
If you want to run a 5k but ask yourself, “how far is a 5k in miles?” The answer is very close to 3! A 5k race is 3.1 miles making the 3 miles distance a great distance to run regularly if you’re going to run a 5k.
If you’re able to hold a 10-minute-per-mile pace, you’ll be able to run 3 miles within 30 minutes. As you get stronger and more confident as a runner, you’ll find that you can shave a few seconds (or even minutes) off the time.
Running 3 Miles a Day for a Month Results
When you decide to make a habit of running 3 miles, you’ll see significant results.
If you can run 3 miles a day for a whole month, you’ll start to see your body change. You’ll also be able to run the distance much easier than you did on the first day.
If you’re running to lose weight and being conscious of what you’re eating and drinking, you’ll also likely see a difference in your weight by the end of the month. Remember, you should also include some resistance training to see significant changes in your weight.
Also, remember that if you begin to build muscle, you might not see weight loss on the scale.
This is because muscle is denser than fat. If you’re losing fat and replacing it with muscle, you’ll look leaner but weigh the same or more. Focus on how your clothes fit and how you feel rather than worrying about a number on a scale.
9 Benefits of Running Three Miles a Day
Surely you already know some of the positives of running 3 miles a day. Let’s review some of the best benefits to help you get and stay motivated.
✅ You’ll get in shape.
Running 3 miles a day is going to help you get in shape, no matter what.
To sustain the body running for 3 miles daily, you’ll need decent cardiovascular fitness. Although it might feel difficult initially, you’ll soon find it easier to run and breathe while you help build a stronger heart.
✅ Your mental health will improve.
Running can help elevate our mood because it releases endorphins and serotonin. These chemicals make you feel at ease and can help you when feeling down.
Running is also an excellent tool to destress. If stress is why your mental health is unbalanced, try running 3 miles a day to see if you can decrease your stress and increase your happiness.
✅ You’ll build a healthy lifestyle.
If you’re opting to run 3 miles daily, you’re making a healthy decision to improve your life. This likely means you’ll choose to make other healthy choices.
You can start a morning run routine to stick with your 3 miles. From here, you may opt for healthy breakfast options, drink more water, and get quality rest. Soon you’ll have an ultimate balance and healthy lifestyle.
✅ You’ll feel stronger.
Running takes a strong body. Although runners are notoriously weak in the hips and core, you still need strength to run regularly.
Remember to add in the cross-training to make your body strong where running doesn’t help, and you’ll feel strong and capable of complicated things.
✅ You’ll become more confident.
Running 3 miles a day is incredible!
Not everyone does this, and honestly, most people don’t. If you can commit to your running, you’ll find that your confidence will strengthen. You’ll feel strong in your mind and body, which will help you keep that confidence.
✅ Your energy will be higher throughout the day.
Although you’ll feel more tired at first, it shouldn’t last. After your body begins to adapt to the new running routine you’ve created, you’ll feel more alert throughout the day.
The endorphins released on your run will help give you the burst of energy you need to get through the day.
✅ You’ll make friends.
If you decide to run with others, you’ll meet some of the best people. Runners are generally amiable people who love to talk about running.
You should visit your local running store to see if they offer group running meet-ups. Many of these local groups do fun runs where they’ll run to a pub or coffee shop for drinks after the run.
✅ You’ll always be ready to run a 5k.
Although you might think you’re not interested in running a 5k, these races are some of the most fun. They are relatively short in the scheme of distance races. They also tend to be some of the best fun runs available.
You’ll be able to run a fun turkey trot, a 4th of July race, or any other 5k that pops up, all while being trained and ready to go at a moment’s notice!
✅ You’ll know that you can run and maybe run further.
This might seem crazy to you now, but running 3 miles a day might show you that you enjoy running and lead to running a half marathon or a marathon.
If you’ve never run a long-distance race before, you might think you never could, but if you can run 3 miles a day, you can run a half marathon.
You can build off your 3 miles and begin attempting to train for your first half marathon. Before you know it, you’ll be crossing your first half-marathon finish line.
Final Thoughts: Running Three Miles a Day
If you want to start running but don’t know if it’s okay to run 3 miles a day, let this be your sign that if you do it right, it’ll change your life.
Always check with your doctor first to ensure no previous injuries or strains will hold you back. Then get started by following a simple 5k training plan, and soon you’ll be confidently running every day.
