Is Riding a Bike Good For Losing Weight? All You Need to Know

Cycling as a sport is healthy and fun but, is riding a bike good for losing weight? Is it really effective? Riding a bike is a physical activity that can help burn calories, sleep better and properly manage stress. Riding a bike is even good for your sex life. (1,2)

Many people are already choosing to ride bikes to lose weight because it’s not as hard on the knees as running. In fact, people with a higher weight fall in love with bike routines because it isn’t a weight-bearing exercise, moreover, it is easy to fit into your daily routine.

As you know, my goal is to get you on the right path so you can become your better version. I have put together ways that can help you easily lose weight by cycling. I can promise you that if you can dutifully follow these recommendations, you are definitely going to see positive results and not only that, you will find it easier to convince other people to do the same.

IS RIDING A BIKE GOOD FOR LOSING WEIGHT?

Cycling is a good way to control or reduce weight, as it raises your metabolic rate, builds muscle, and burns body fat. Indeed, a simple biking trip can help you burn hundreds of calories. You can calculate how many calories you burn by measuring a variety of factors like:

  • The distance and time traveled
  • Intensity or resistance
  • Speed
  • The weight of the bike rider.

For How Long Should I Use My Bike?

If you’re new to exercise, it is recommended to start slow and build up to at least 3 times a week for 20-30 minute sessions on your bike. It is important to do it for 2 to 4 weeks before jumping into any type of cycling HIIT training.

Why? The time of preparation is key to your body. It will help you stick to the habit and reduces the risk of injury. Therefore, once your muscles are prepared and you have conquered the habit, the possibilities are endless. 

Don’t believe me! _ Try yourself.

 “If you persevere long enough if you do the right things long enough, the right things will happen.”

Manon Rhéaume – The first woman to play in an American men’s pro sports league


Now, you are probably wondering how efficient it is.

Calories You Can Burn by Cycling

According to Harvard Medical School, a 155-pound person who bikes for 30 minutes at 12 to 13.9 mph burns 288 calories. What about 125 lbs.? You’ll burn about 240 calories. Weigh over 155 lbs.? You can expect to lose even more calories.

So, to respond to your question, yes! Cycling is effective and versatile since you can change the time and intensity – it can be built up slowly to suit your needs.

BEST WAYS TO LOSE WEIGHT BY CYCLING

When you are looking to lose some weight, cycling is one of the best options you can consider because the activity again is fun and effective. The best way to lose weight by cycling is simple: You need to set small goals and always work towards breaking your previous limit. Plan your rides rather than random rides, wear comfortable biking clothes and use proper biking gear. Opt for long rides or High-intensity interval training (HIIT) from time to time. You could also diversify your training with indoor activities and most importantly, you must start eating healthier and sleeping better.

Doing so, will not only help you lose weight but also go a long way in helping you build muscles, revive the metabolism, and de-stressing which all supports a healthy weight.

Therefore, like every other exercise and physical activity, getting the desired result demands patience, commitment, and hard work. Cycling is no different, whether you cycle indoors or outdoors, it can be tiring and demanding. You need to put effort and I know you have the willpower to take action.

Now, Let’s go over the best ways you can meet the demands of cycling and lose the desired number of calories.

Ø Develop a Plan 

Developing a plan and setting small goals will guide you along the way, and help you make improvements. You can start by marking out a particular route and set different distances to reach per ride till you can cover the whole path. I started riding around our little community and then progressed with each ride to further destinations.

Overall, the minimum cycling training you can get away with and still see significant results is three rides per week. I know from experience many folks are already losing weight by conquering biking exercises. As for myself, I have been able to maintain my weight doing so. So, start taking action today.

Ø Focus on Small Goals First, Then Shift to the Larger One

Research shows that accomplishing small goals enhances the sense of attainability and therefore leads to greater motivation. That’s what we all need to accomplish a goal, small continuous steps until we reach the final goal.

You can ride your bike alone or with friends and family. As you progress, you will find your efforts to workout, become second nature. Conversely, biking in nature will improve your mood and burn calories all while enhancing your cardiovascular health.

“What motivates people changes, so the structure of the goal should change accordingly”.

Professor of Standford University- Szu-chi Huan

Ø Always Work Towards Breaking Your Previous Limit.

Just when you think you’ve had enough, try to go a little further. Cycling Challenges will make you stronger from the inside out. Remember that to build physical strength, you must apply a bit of resistance to your joints and muscles. Challenge is another way to say resistance, and this is what develops a stronger body.

That’s the idea behind endurance training too. To give you some ideas, you can always hit once or twice your local bike trail. An all-day biking family adventure trip, cruising around the neighborhood with friends or zipping around your town to tick off your to-dos.

Doing so, you surely know you’re getting small steps and a good heart-pumping.

Ø Opt for High-intensity interval training from time to time once your body is ready.

It can help make cycling more challenging and more fun. Moreover, is a great way to even challenge your body and reduce fat and weight.

The idea is to have short bursts of intense exercise alternated with intervals of low-intensity exercise. How can you do it?

With cycling, the intervals may look like this:

  1. Cycle as fast as you possibly can against high resistance for 50 seconds to 80 seconds. (Going uphill or a difficult track)
  2. Then, do 4 to 5 minutes of easy cycling with low resistance. (Go downhill)
  3. Repeat this pattern for the next 20 to 30 minutes.

You burn more calories in less time following this type of exercise, as well as improving your cardio fitness.

The benefits do not just stop there, when you stop pedaling and your workout is over, your metabolism remains engaged. Your body continues to burn calories at a higher rate, even after the workout is done and your body has returned to its normal, resting state.

Ø Ride With your Family or Friends To Boost Motivation

Riding your bike with friends or a loved one encourages you to do better. Indeed, is an opportunity for competition and for training harder. It also pushes you further to keep that commitment. Kids will remind you to take them for a ride. However, it’s essential to manage your expectations before biking with kids.

Ø Wear Comfortable Biking Clothes

Bike clothing serves multiple purposes. It’s lightweight and practical, but most importantly is geared around helping you to be comfortable and safe while biking. If you want to stay motivated, you need to ride comfortably, and wearing the right biking clothes goes a long way.

These are some of the most popular biking shorts for men* and for women*.

Ø Make Sure the Bike You Are Using Have The Correct Size

Riding a bike too small or too big can cause several discomforts such as back pain and, knee pain. Strong Wheels and rims made of stainless steel are also important. A saddle that’s wide enough in the back can also help you feel comfortable.

Ø Diversifying Your Training Is Also a Good Way to Lose Weight When Cycling.

If you don’t like getting locked into one activity, diverse training may be the way to go. It’s a great way to add variety to your workouts by alternating activities. For instance, you might hop on your bike for a long outdoor ride one day, then head over to the home to jump on a mini-trampoline or maybe use a bike trainer.

Spin classes are also amazing if you need someone to encourage you to keep on riding through your workout. Spinning is just as effective for improving your physical fitness and changing your body, compared to regular bicycling riding.

Let’s turn to the other principle of this secret weapon for weight loss and fitness.

Ø Go to bed earlier to ensure your body can process and recover effectively.

Do not forget one of the most important principles of living a healthy life is, quality sleep. Your body needs daily quality sleep to recover.  Good sleep helps regulate hunger hormones while using stress-reducing strategies. As a result, it can help prevent you from turning to food every time you’re feeling overwhelmed.

Ø Make the Following Changes to Your Eating Habit With Keto Diet

If you’re trying to lose weight, cycling must be combined with a healthy eating plan. For example, my husband and I are following a Keto diet which consists of reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. Multiple research shows that the Keto diet may be as effective for weight loss as a low-fat diet (1, 2, 3). Feel free to research what works best for you.

To do so, you need to reduce or avoid the starchy high carbs and replace them with high levels of protein and fat.

You can also just eat healthy food

  • Fruit
  • Vegetables
  • Nuts
  • Meat
  • Fish
  • Dairy

Eat Fair Amount of:

  • Low Sugar Fruits:  blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, Kiwi, peach, plum 
  • Meat: steak/ beef, chicken, veal, goat, pork, lamb, etc 
  • Fish: Bay Scallops, Mackerel, Salmon, haddock, etc
  • Eggs,
  • Vegetables/salad: broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, eggplant, spinach, cabbage, peppers, zucchini, lettuce, cucumber, green beans
  • Plain Greek yogurt and cottage cheese
  • Nuts and seeds: almond, Brazil nuts, cashews, macadamia nuts, pecans, pistachios, walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseeds, etc.

AVOID or Eat Small Portions of:

  • Brown rice 
  • Beans: green beans, black beans
  • Root vegetables: yuca, potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots

Bottom-Line

If you’re trying to lose weight, or keep in perfect shape, cycling is a great way of achieving this goal. Keep in mind that is important not to take your weight loss plan as a task but as a journey. The idea is always to keep your body healthy.

For some people, it can be a bit tedious to develop the habit, but when done right, motivation will follow because cycling is very fun for all ages. Moreover, gives results.

To maximize your weight loss and burn more calories, increase the intensity or duration of your biking experience. Doing interval training and diversifying your training can also help with weight loss and your calorie-burning efforts.

Get out and cycle, and don’t forget to have fun!!.

_Ria

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