As well as being in the running to replace Keir Starmer as Prime Minister, fitness fan Andy Burnham regularly lines up at parkruns, races and marathons.
But after photos emerged of the former Manchester mayor jogging in unforgiving sportswear, social media users were quick to point out something that may be familiar to millions of middle-aged men: a stubborn bulge around the waist.
It raises an obvious question. If running burns hundreds of calories per session, why do so many dedicated runners, like father-of-three Burnham, still struggle to shift their ‘dad belly’?
According to one top personal trainer, the answer has little to do with how many miles you’re clocking up.
Sean Willers, a health and lifestyle coach and founder of Willers Coaching based in London, says: ‘A lot of men think a Sunday run cancels out a week of takeaways, pints and poor sleep. Unfortunately, the body doesn’t work like that.’
It’s a common midlife health complaint. An estimated 58 per cent of men have waist measurements exceeding healthy thresholds, and 80 per cent of middle–aged British men are either overweight or obese.
Unlike women, who often first gain weight around their hips and thighs, men are more likely to store excess fat around their abdomen.
But it’s more than just a cosmetic issue. A larger waistline indicates a man may be carrying excess amounts of visceral fat – fat that sits deep inside the body around vital organs and is linked to a higher risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and certain cancers.
If running burns hundreds of calories per session, why do so many dedicated runners, like Burnham, still struggle to shift their ‘dad belly’?
So why isn’t running the answer?
‘Running does burn calories,’ says Sean. ‘But people often overestimate how much they’ve burned and underestimate how much they’re eating.
‘If you’re using running as a tool to lose weight on its own, you’ll likely be heavily disappointed. This can cause people to lose motivation for exercising and give up entirely.’
There is also the temptation to go too far, too fast on the treadmill in the hope of shedding fat.
‘With running, more isn’t always better,’ he says.
‘If you’re doing intense runs all the time without rest periods that give your body a chance to recover, you’re putting yourself at an increased risk of injury and causing your cortisol levels – known as the stress hormone – to spike.’
Many runners assume more miles automatically means more fat loss. But without proper recovery, sleep and nutrition, progress can stall despite all that effort.
The signs to look out for when it comes to raised cortisol include weight changes, fatigue and mood disruption.
The classic ‘beer belly’ – think Homer Simpson – isn’t always caused solely by beer.
While alcohol contributes calories and often encourages overeating, it’s usually the combination of excess calories over months and years that leads to abdominal fat gain.
‘It’s often a result of poor habits throughout the week,’ Sean says, adding that reduced testosterone levels can also play a part.
In the UK, men are more likely to smoke, drink alcohol, use drugs, and have high cholesterol and blood pressure than women.
These lifestyle factors are among the reasons men, on average, have shorter life expectancies than women.
While abdominal fat is notoriously difficult to shift, the good news is that it is possible to drop inches from your waistline without starving yourself.
Instead of pushing yourself past the point of overexertion, Sean recommends improving your overall lifestyle and tracking how your body responds to exercise using a fitness tracker.
He also advises prioritising rest, including good-quality sleep, which promotes the release of testosterone and growth hormones while keeping cortisol in check.
Crucially, belly fat cannot be spot-reduced through endless sit-ups or extra miles. Losing it requires reducing overall body fat through a combination of diet, exercise and recovery.
‘If I was working with somebody who wanted to lose their beer belly, the first thing I would recommend is reducing or cutting alcohol from their diet,’ Sean says.
‘If you’re using running as a tool to lose weight on its own, you’ll likely be heavily disappointed,’ says health and lifestyle coach Sean Willers
‘This is often the biggest culprit because alcohol adds so many calories, lowers our inhibitions around food, disrupts sleep and makes it harder to recover and train consistently.
‘After that, I would be looking at creating a calorie deficit – not just looking at the amount you’re eating, but also the quality of the foods you eat. This will naturally bring down your calorie intake.’
Studies suggest people lose more fat and retain more muscle when they combine a modest calorie deficit with plenty of protein and regular strength training.
For someone weighing around 150lb, that means roughly 150g of protein a day spread across three meals, enough carbohydrate to fuel workouts – around 200 to 300g a day for most active people – and plenty of vegetables, which add filling fibre for relatively few calories.
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Willers says: ‘The problem with running too often without strength training or eating enough protein is that it can cause your muscle mass to deteriorate, bringing down your basal metabolic rate – the number of calories you burn at rest.’
Research has consistently shown that combining aerobic exercise with resistance training is more effective for improving body composition than relying on cardio alone, particularly in middle age when muscle mass naturally begins to decline.
Sean recommends a workout routine that combines two to three cardio sessions a week with strength training three to four times per week.
A simple way to build functional, full-body strength is with a 30-minute barbell workout.
Choose a weight that allows you to maintain good technique, then perform three sets of eight to 10 repetitions of each exercise: deadlifts, front squats, overhead presses and barbell rows.
Rest for 90 seconds between each set, and only increase the weight once you can complete every rep with good form.
‘Building and maintaining muscle will improve your body composition,’ says Sean.
‘Theoretically, the more muscle we have, the more calories we burn. This means your metabolic rate will be higher.
‘This doesn’t mean overloading your workouts and compromising your form by pushing yourself to complete too many reps.
‘Start your workout with bigger compound movements such as squats, deadlifts and bench presses, as they naturally require more energy.
‘Then move on to isolation exercises towards the end of your workout when energy levels are a little lower.’
The other key factor, says Willers, is consistency.
‘You don’t need to be perfect with all of this, but if you can get it right 70 to 80 per cent of the time, you will see huge results further down the line.’
