If you have ever watched professional cyclists, you might have noticed how fit they are.
They might look skinny, however, they are actually really fit.
That’s because cycling is one of the best ways to lose weight and stay fit.
In this post, I will explain and teach you how to stay fit through cycling, but also how to lose weight cycling.
Why Is It Good To Lose Weight Cycling?
Spending time on two wheels is important in order to lose weight.
Cycling is considered as a great way to spend more calories than you consume.
By cycling for an hour, you can burn up to 500-600 calories, and if you take care what you eat, you could lose up to 1 kg per week.
It might not look much, but if you love cycling, you will enjoy it and you will lose weight at the same time.
Which leads us to set realistic goals.
Set Realistic Goals
As I have mentioned earlier, you could lose up to 1 kg per week just by cycling.
But everyone would love to track their progress right?
The best way to track your progress would be tracking weight by using Body Mass Index (BMI).
BMI is based on a person’s height to weight ratio. It’s often used by medical professionals and it can be simply done using any online BMI checker tool such as Slimming World BMI Calculator.
Once you enter your height and weight information, a calculator will automatically do the math for you and will show you your results and they will be explained.
Aiming for up to one KG per week would be a realistic goal, however, if you don’t see expected results right away, don’t quit.
Keep working and the expected results will come sooner or later eventually.
Ride At A Moderate Pace
Burning fat and losing weight won’t happen by simply going for a bike ride.
You will need to invest some energy and time into it.
If you want to burn fat and lose weight, you will need to ride at the pace which will keep your heart rate somewhere between 68 and 79 percent of your max heart rate.
That can be tracked easily using heart rate monitor or bike computer like Garmin.
However, if you don’t own a heart rate monitor or bike computer which could do it for you, simply aim for a pace which will leave you out of breath, but to still be able to have a conversation.
Ride Long
Going for long rides will help your body fat, which might not necessarily increase weight loss, but they will help you handle longer rides more easily.
If you burn around 500-600 calories per hour, it’s obvious that if you go for a three-hour ride that you will burn a massive amount of calories, and it’s just in one day.
Also, along with long rides, it would be smart to add two or three high-intensity rides per week.
High-intensity sessions will help your body burn more calories. Feel free to swap high-intensity rides with long rides or simply add high-intensity rides along long rides.
During high-intensity rides, you will need to be riding to 70-90% of your heart rate for most of the sessions.
Which means you will need to ride hard enough which will leave you without breath, so you won’t be able to maintain a conversation.
Taking some of your rides to the hills will also improve burning your calories.
However, long rides might leave you sore, especially if you are new to cycling.
But don’t get discouraged, because there is always a solution to the problem.
Using heating pads will help to relieve aches and pains from long bike rides.
Add Some Exercise Out Of Cycling
Cycling is great for losing weight, however, it will put stress on your body and muscles, especially if you are new to it.
Doing cross training will help balance leg-heavy muscle workout you get from pedaling and doing some flexibility works will prevent injuries by stretching your muscles.
Swimming, free weights, zumba or even boxing are great for cross training, while yoga and pilates are a great choice for flexibility workouts.
Doing some exercise out of cycling will build muscles, and the more muscle you have – the more efficient you will be at burning fat and calories by cycling.
Don’t over do it, but even doing a little is better than not doing it at all.
Also, make sure you get enough of sleep because it’s also important for weight loss.
It’s proven that people who get 6 to 8 hours of sleep lose more weight, but they also tend to be less stressed.
Remember, you will even see health benefits from walking since it counts as an exercise as well.
Here is a link for everyone who wants to find out more about healthy lifestyle and tips.
Take Care of What You Eat And How You Eat
Eating less but more often is better than eating a lot but only a few times per day.
If you imagine your body as an engine, you would want to keep it topped up with fuel and running steadily for a whole day.
Eating every two to three hours will help to keep your body topped up and steady for a whole day.
And you don’t need to worry that it might be bad for losing weight. It will actually improve your metabolism and burn your fat consistently.
You should avoid sugar and processed food. Sugar might give you lot of energy, however, it’s harder to process and if your body can’t process it right away, it will be stored by your body in the form of fat.
Limiting your treats once a week would be a great way to still eat some cake but not over doing it.
Also, make sure you avoid sports energy gels and bars, which might be great for racing and longer rides, but they are packed with sugar which isn’t great if your goal is to lose weight and burn fat.
Try to eat as much as vegetables and fruit you can, and focus on lean protein.
However, make sure you don’t overtrain yourself or undereat yourself. Do as much as you feel comfortable with and doing even a little is always better than not doing it at all.
Conclusion
Don’t get scared and simply do as much as you feel comfortable doing.
However, make sure you stay consistent and track your progress.
If you don’t see progress as soon as you would want to, just keep working because it will happen eventually.
Try paying attention to the tips I have written out and work hard.
It’s possible if you are willing enough to work hard for it.
Cycling is also great for releasing stress and enjoying a nice day outdoors, which is a great combination for losing weight rather than spending it inside the house or a gym.
Find your tools, get your bike ready for a ride, with the right knowledge on this site and enjoy your ride!
Do you think there is any other tip which could be added to the post?
Leave a comment down below and let me know!
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Enjoy your bike ride and I wish you a lot of success! 🙂