Cycling and Weight Loss


There are many exercises to choose from that can help lose weight. The best exercise to perform would depend on individual preferences and capabilities. What may be a great exercise for one person may not suit another.
Cycling is a popular exercise for those attempting to lose weight. This exercise does offer many benefits; it can be done outdoors, viewing the scenery together with friends. Not only does cycling give one an opportunity to enjoy nature in the outskirts of the city, it also involves all the muscles of the legs and strengthens them.
Cycling is a rigorous exercise and it helps immensely in increasing one's stamina and it aids sufficiently in weight loss as it increases the metabolism rate considerably. This is helpful in aiding the loss of excess calories accumulated in the body. Depending on your weight and intensity you'll burn between 180 - 700 calories in a one hour cycling session. It is well known that obesity endangers a person towards contracting various fatal diseases like heart ailments, cancer and diabetes. Cycling is extremely beneficial in such cases as it not only aids in weight loss, it regulates the blood pressure level to normalcy and thus helps in restricting the possibilities of a stroke and acts as a shield against coronary heart diseases and cancers and diabetes as well.
Indoor bikes are also a great way to experience bicycling even if you never learned how to ride a traditional bike. An indoor bike allows you to feel like you are on a bicycle without having to worry about the safety issues that riding on the open road brings. In addition to offering aerobic exercise, it also improves the muscle tone of your hips, buttocks and thighs. However, in case of indoor cycling it is necessary to bear in mind that if it is not enacted in a proper manner, it is possible for one to attain injuries. Therefore one must acquire the knowledge about how to perform this exercise before trying it for losing weight. Indoor cycling three to four times a week can gradually show results in the form of reduced weight.

Getting started

One of the greatest things about cycling, is how easy and relatively inexpensive it is to get started. Here are some tips you should consider in order to lose maximum weight from your Bike ride:
  • Eat according to your ride: When your training volume and intensity are low, eat smaller meals, reduce snacks and avoid extra calories from sports drinks and bars. You need only a handful of carbohydrates such as pasta or rice with your meals on days when you don't ride or go for only an hour. For long or intense rides and races, double or triple the servings of carbohydrates at dinner and breakfast beforehand, and then at lunch and dinner afterward to recover. During the ride, use sports drinks, gels and bars to prolong your endurance capacity and prevent you from hitting the wall.
  • Recover with real foods: While recovery products are convenient and effective, they add extra calories that you may not need on easier training days. Instead, make your next meal a recovery meal with a little more carbohydrate (50 to 100 grams, depending on your body weight) and a medium portion (slightly bigger than the size of your palm) of lean protein such as fish, chicken or red meat. Eat it within two hours of the ride. The longer and harder the ride, the more critical it is to refuel quickly. If you can't eat for a couple of hours after a killer ride, refuel with a recovery product or snack including some protein (10 to 15 grams).
  • Don't skimp on protein: When restricting calories, don't cut protein, which is key for maintaining your muscle strength and power. As a bonus, protein also helps you feel full, as does fiber and water. On easier riding days, build your meals on fruits and vegetables to ensure you get plenty of nutrients and fiber. Salads, steamedvegetables and fresh fruits are ideal. Accompany them with lean proteins: eggs and egg whites, lowfat yogurt and milk, cottage cheese, poultry, fish, beans and other legumes

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