Healthy Weight Loss

Healthy Weight Loss
Cycling for Weight Loss

Cycling uses the large muscles of the lower body to work your heart and lungs and if you gauge the intensity of your workout correctly you can achieve quick fitness gains and burn body fat efficiently.

How do I get started?

Outdoor cycling is a great way to get around and incorporate some functional fitness into your weekly routine. Providing you are safe and confident, you can cycle to work, to the shops, or to see friends. Before you go anywhere, check your bike is roadworthy. If you are unsure what to look for, take it to a cycle shop and ask them to service it for you. Ensure that you have a crash helmet, and that you use it, and also that you wear suitable clothes for cycling with nothing hanging loose that could get caught anywhere. If you need to carry anything as you cycle either have a basket fitted or use a backpack rather than dangling anything over the handlebars.

Plan your routes carefully based on what you are trying to achieve. If you are cycling to work you will probably want to go the most direct route or the quietest route. If you are cycling to meet friends you may want to take a diverted route in order to get a bit more of a workout. If you are out for a ride purely to work on your fitness you may want to plan in some quiet or straight sections where you can cycle faster for more of a workout, or even take a hilly route to challenge your legs and your lungs. If you have a mountain bike you can often take in more challenging off road routes.

When you are cycling pay attention to your posture and sit up straight rather than slouching over the handlebars. An upright position will enable you to get more muscles involved in the action, primarily the large muscles of your bottom, and will also protect your lower back and keep your lungs open, allowing you to breathe more easily. Ensure that you seat is set to the correct height so that your leg is not quite fully extended. Pedal evenly with both legs, keeping knees inline, not bow legged and to make you work a bit harder, try to stay in the saddle as much as possible. Keep your shoulders and your arms relaxed and always have some water with you. If possible, have a phone with you, just in case.

The roads can be busy but if you like to cycle you can plan around this issue to find quiet routes or quiet times to go for your ride. If the idea of the traffic really puts you off you can cycle in the gym and use the programs on the machine to simulate the changing conditions of an outdoor bike ride. Moreover it's good if you are planning to lose weight, cycling offers a healthy weight loss solution.

Healthy Weight Loss
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