If you ask health experts about cycling, you’re bound to hear good things about it. With plenty of research supporting cycling’s effect on weight loss, countless people have taken to the streets on their bikes to burn off excess calories and get rid of fat.
However, cycling veterans and health experts say people can get more out of cycling for weight loss. Changing a few things in the way you eat and ride can make a huge difference on the amount of weight you lose through cycling.
Controlling the Calories
Effective weight loss thru cycling doesn’t require having the latest gear and goes beyond the “move more, eat less” strategy. It relies on controlling the body’s metabolism, proper nutrition, and working out in the most efficient way possible. With these tips on losing weight effectively thru cycling, you can burn even more calories than before; there’s even no need to change into a “better” bike.
Kickstarting Your Metabolism
Your body’s metabolism has a huge impact on how efficient your body is at burning calories. If you skip meals, your body’s metabolism goes down, forcing it to store calories in fat instead of using them for energy because it assumes that food supply is scarce.
Eating a healthy breakfast sends a signal to your body that there’s plenty of supply of energy and using calories stored in fat is fine. This speeds up your metabolism, allowing you to burn even more calories when you’re riding your bike. In short, eating more is actually a good thing when cycling for weight loss.
Controlling your diet
While eating big meals helps increase metabolism, you still have to consider what kind of food you’re eating during your meals. Just like with any other form of workout, cycling will increase your body’s demand for protein and nutrients to keep you energized.
You may be tempted to rely on nutritional supplements, but getting your nutrition from food is better because your digestive system will have an easier time absorbing the nutrients. The healthier your diet is, the more energy you can tap into, and the longer you can ride.
Eating on the Go
While it may sound like a bad idea, eating while riding can actually have its benefits. It’s been proven that snacking on a protein bar while on the road can help improve a rider’s performance, especially during extended rides when an energy boost might be needed from time to time.
Aside from helping you ride longer, snacking on the road also helps keep you from feeling too hungry after the ride – a common reason why some people end up overeating after their workout and making their last cycling workout rather pointless.
Finding Out Your Starting Point
One of the most common approaches to cycling for weight loss is just starting out with an idea that one has to lose weight and they have to start cycling till the fat goes away. Without any real goal, it also sets the person up for failure. You need something concrete and realistic to strive for if you want to be effective.
Find out your target weight by getting help from a certified fitness professional. This will give you a more accurate assessment of your body composition and help you figure out how much weight you need to lose than a self-assessment or a single BMI computation formula.
Keep Track of Your Progress
Many people quit cycling for weight loss because they feel that they are not making progress. To avoid falling into the same mindset, have a journal to monitor your weight, your workout, and even your calorie intake; the more detailed your tracker is, the more visible your progress will be.
Keeping track of these factors also help by letting you know when to make adjustments to your cycling routine and diet. If you feel that you’re not making as much progress as last week, you can find out what exactly is keeping you from losing weight effectively.
Don’t Overdo It
Too much exercise can be just as bad as not having enough of it. According to experts, overexerting early on in your cycling program can leave you feeling too drained earlier than usual. This means you end up with shorter rides and burn less calories in the long run.
Start at a pace that you are comfortable with and base your workout on time, not speed and distance. If you’re feeling too tired or are barely able to ride for a set amount of time, take things a bit slower. This will take several days before you find the right balance between exertion and endurance, but it will help establish a regular routine once it happens. Consistence is the secret to efficiency.
Save the Best for Last
Another trick to maximizing calorie burn when cycling for weight loss is to step on the pedals harder during the last few minutes of your cycling run. This tricks your body into using up more energy (and burning more calories) well after you are already finished with your workout.
As with any other kind of workout, do not forget to perform cooldown exercises; failing to do so can cause cramping and prevent you from riding the following day, resulting in fewer chances to work out during the week. By following these tips, you can expect bigger results and a healthier body in the long run.
