There are many exercises you can do to lose weight. However, if you want to do something that you enjoy and still get your body working effectively for weight loss, then why not think about cycling. There is a good reason most gyms have stationary bikes as part of their equipment. This reason is that cycling is actually a whole-body workout that exercises the lower body, arms, and abs, making it the perfect exercise to incorporate into your daily routine if you want to lose weight and tone your body. How can you lose weight with cycling, though?
Getting Started
If you have never cycled before for exercise, then it is advisable to start slowly. Although being low impact exercise, cycling does require effort and it will definitely get your heart rate up. If you have previously only cycled at a leisurely pace and are now wanting to cycle to lose weight, you should slowly start to increase the intensity.
The faster you cycle, the more energy your body will be using and the more calories you are likely to burn up. And as you may already know, burning more calories than you consume will help you to shed those pounds.
According to Healthline, you can burn around 300 calories through cycling steady, moderate intensity cycling (although cycling harder and faster will mean that you burn more). The heavier a person is, the more calories they will burn too.
Increase the Time
As well as increasing the intensity of your rides, you can also consider cycling for longer and further. You might start with a short cycle of around fifteen minutes. If you do this every other day for the first week, you could increase the time by five minutes the following week and continue like this until you are cycling for around 30 minutes every other day.
If you enjoy cycling, you might then continue to increase your cycles until you are cycling up to 60 minutes or longer each time. The recommended amount of exercise per week for health is 150 minutes but if you want to lose weight, the more exercise you do the more weight you will lose (provided of course, that you are also eating a healthy diet).
Some people like to get the whole family out cycling together. The good folk at Woom say that encouraging children to cycle with you is a terrific way to ensure they are getting the exercise they need. Moreover, cycling with someone else is much more fun. In addition to light bikes for adults, you can find fantastic lightweight bikes for kids that will make cycling much easier and enjoyable for the whole family.
Consider Your Diet
Exercise by itself will not help you to lose the weight you want. There is no point in cycling for hours each week, burning off hundreds of calories, if you are going home and eating it all again in the form of junk food. But cutting your calorie intake too much is not a good idea either.
If you are burning a lot of calories, you are going to be hungrier. Rather than eating junk food though, consider filling up on healthy alternatives and incorporating more fresh fruit and vegetables into your diet. These foods will keep you fuller for longer and are better for your health overall.
Conclusion
A combination of healthy eating and exercise can help you to lose the weight you desire. Cycling is a wonderful way to shed the pounds when combined with a healthy diet. It is a low impact exercise that gives the whole body a workout.
