If you are one of those habitancy who leisurely pedal nearby the block or over a flat stretch of scenic road, you've probably been riding for sheer pleasure. Riding bikes for satisfaction is a good form of aerobic exercise. But unless you map out a plan to "push yourself," you probably won't lose much weight.
I assuredly get sick of hearing habitancy say, "No pain, no gain!" But the old adage is true when it comes to riding bikes to lose weight. By pushing your cycling length or speed, you are sure to feel some pain in your leg muscles, your hands, wrists, and your derriere-- even some pain in your throat and lungs as your body tries to adapt your increased question for oxygen.
Little Tikes Parts
Health Tip: Stretching exercises prior to exercising are helpful in preventing injury!
Getting Your motorcycle Ready...To Roll Off The Weight
Your first concern will be outfitting your bicycle. If you need an excuse to purchase a new bike, this is an excellent opportunity! I went from a 3-speed motorcycle for relaxation riding, to a 24-speed motorcycle for more committed exercising. Once I learned how the different gears worked, I was very thankful for the extra speeds. They make my ride faster and the hills a lot easier to handle.
We've found the guys at the motorcycle shop to be very helpful, and implicated for our unique cycling needs. Rather than simply steering us toward the most high-priced motorcycle ready (as I had expected), they asked how much riding we would be doing, whether we were trying for speed or leisure, and whether we would be riding on paved roads or dirt trails. When you assuredly share your goals and level of experience, the sales clerks can match you with exactly what you need. They want you to be victorious in your biking venture!
Some state laws wish motorcycle lights. But if you will be riding anytime from dusk to dawn, tasteless sense demands that you have lights on your bicycle. These little accessories are battery-operated and last a long time. There are a range of lights to choose from. My tail light has different blinking speeds, and is designed to make my bike descriptive to cars approaching from both the rear and the sides. Check for radiance before you buy one. Setup the light where it makes the most sense.
We held off on buying a speedometer and odometer unit for our bikes, but once we got serious about losing weight and getting in shape, this highlight became a "must have." You simply cannot track your progress without knowing how far and how fast you're riding.
If you already have a bicycle, take it to the bike shop for a safety inspection each season. They should check the gears, tires and brakes to make sure all is working properly. They can adjust your seat to fit your height and adjust the handlebars to fit your reach, making your ride more comfortable. If you're lucky, they might even clean and polish your bike!
If you want to save money in the long run, you can find books and videos that teach you how to care for your own bicycle. It's always a great idea to know how to change your own flat tire and adjust a loose chain.
Another must have is a motorcycle pump. Ask your bike dealer how many pounds of air pressure to put in your motorcycle tires. Check the tires each time you get ready to ride! We guessed at the air pressure one summer day, and lived to regret it. We rode the bikes to the swimming pool, not realizing that one tire was too full. While we were cooling off in the water, the hot sun was rapidly increasing the air in the tires-one tire blew as it sat in the parking lot. The day in the sun was not so fun, once the pool complete and we had to wait for a truck to haul us home!
Health Tip: Talk with your doctor first, and get his or her blessing before you increase your rate of corporal activity!
Staying Comfortable On Your Bike
Sitting for long periods of time on a motorcycle seat can cause pain, discomfort, and even serious blood circulation problems in avid bicyclists. At your local bike shop, you'll find a range of motorcycle seats made specifically for your relax and health. The salespeople at our local bike shop encouraged us to try out new seats on our bikes for a few days. My husband found the split seat to be more comfortable for himself, while I opted to keep my old gel seat. person has even invented seats that look more like a bird perch than a motorcycle seat!
Health Tip: Get off your motorcycle seat and walk nearby every 25 minutes or so to get the blood flow to leading unmentionable parts of your body.
Think about your clothing...you don't have to have padded biker shorts and special clothing to start riding bikes. There are assuredly scientifically engineered fabrics designed to pull sweat away from your body in the summer and to keep you from getting hypothermia in the winter. But for now, just wear layers of comfortable sports clothes.
Make sure your clothes aren't so tight that you are miserable trying to pedal. But they shouldn't be loose sufficient to come to be entangled in the motorcycle chain, either! If you come to be overheated, strip off a layer. If you get cold, add a layer. Wear light or arresting colors to allow drivers to see you easily.
It assuredly helps to have a small cargo rack on the back of your bike. Mine looks like a little shelf over the back tire. It has two bungee cords to keep any cargo securely fastened to the bike. I've used it to tote a small picnic cooler, a shopping bag or extra clothes.
I had the bike shop attach a water bottle possessor to the bike under my seat. I can grab a quick swig as I ride or pour some water over my pulse points to cool off a bit. Take small sips of water when needed during your bike ride, rather than chugging huge gulps.
A helmet is roughly a must. Life is filled with hazards-and biking has its share. Be smart. Wear a helmet. You can buy a cool rear-view mirror for your helmet. The mirror helps you see when it's safe to turn and lets you study traffic arrival up from behind.
I propose wearing sunglasses-both for the sun and for bugs! At definite times of the year, the air is thick with flying insects. Getting a tiny bug in your eye is a painful event. For taste wearers, carry a taste case and lens cleaner on bike rides for just that reason. Some day you'll be glad you did!
Health Tip: Shake your hands downward oftentimes to get the blood flowing and to preclude pain or deadness in your arms and hands.
Mapping Out A Weight Loss Plan
You will want to keep a description of your daily diet and food intake, your weekly body measurements and weight, as well as your bicycling miles and time.
The web site http://www.OpenFitness.net is an excellent way to track your progress. It is very easy to use-simply type in your facts you wish to track. As the only community fitness web site of its kind, you'll find it to be a fantastic motivation tool that will print out charts and graphs to show how much progress you've made in a few days, a week, or a month!
It keeps track of your food, vitamin, and supplement intake. Thousands of foods have already been analyzed by experts for amount of calories, fat, carbs, and protein. You simply elect the foods you ate from a pull down feature, and the daily total is tallied for you. Make sure you don't exercise when you've just eaten, or when it's roughly meal time. Both times will slow you down.
No matter how humiliating it is, part your arms, legs, chest, waist, neck, hips and thighs once a week. The software keeps track of your weight and body measurements. The thrill of finding those same inches melt away in the arrival weeks will be worth the effort. It's especially impressive seen as a graph!
Consider investing in an instrument that assuredly measures body fat-there are cheap pincer-type instruments that part fat by pinching you, or buy a set of bathroom scales that cost more but conjecture body fat quite painlessly.
Try to ride 4-6 days per week. When you map out your weight loss plan, your short-term goals will change as you change. You'll swiftly establish durableness for longer distance. As fat turns to muscle, your speed will increase. Each week, try to increase whether your mileage or your speed.
You know how far you've been able to ride, thus far. Start retention track of the exact route you are taking, the total mileage, and the length of time it took you. Make notes in your records for special circumstances. Did it get dark surface so you were forced to cut your ride short? Did the road crews dump a layer of gravel on your ordinarily paved road?
What was the weather like? Was it dangerously hot? Was it windy? The wind can be your friend or your enemy. When the wind is behind you, your ride is a breeze...but arrival from any other direction, be ready to huff and puff. Accept any length of time as a job well done and simply get the ride accomplished!
Finally, add an upper body workout three times per week. Bicycling works your legs, but to get the rest of your body firm and trim, you'll need to exercise your upper body, as well. The http://www.openfitness.net web site, created by a certified personal fitness trainer, has excellent features which allow you to establish and track this part of your fitness program, as well.
Bicycle riding is a fun, cheap form of aerobic exercise-it's good for every part of you. But be warned-you will need to buy a whole new wardrobe for the thinner, more beautifully fit body that emerges!
Bike Riding for Weight Loss - Tips for beginning A Bicycling Plan
