| Bike
Riding for Weight Loss: Tips for Beginning A Bicycling
Plan
by Sharyl Calhoun
If you are one of those people who
leisurely pedal around the block or over a flat stretch
of scenic road, you’ve probably been riding for
sheer pleasure. Riding bikes for pleasure 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 really get sick of hearing people
say, “No pain, no gain!” But the old adage
is true when it comes to riding bikes to lose weight.
By pushing your cycling distance 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 accommodate your increased
demand for oxygen.
HEALTH TIP: Stretching exercises
prior to exercising are helpful in preventing injury!
GETTING YOUR BICYCLE 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 bicycle for leisure riding, to a 24-speed
bicycle 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
bicycle shop to be very helpful, and concerned for our
unique cycling needs. Rather than simply steering us
toward the most expensive bicycle available (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 honestly share your goals and level of experience,
the sales clerks can match you with exactly what you
need. They want you to be successful in your biking
venture!
Some state laws require bicycle
lights. But if you will be riding anytime from dusk
to dawn, common sense demands that you have lights on
your bicycle. These little accessories are battery-operated
and last a long time. There are a variety of lights
to choose from. My tail light has different blinking
speeds, and is designed to make my bike visible to cars
approaching from both the rear and the sides. Check
for brightness before you buy one. Install 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 feature
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 everything 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 bicycle pump.
Ask your bike dealer how many pounds of air pressure
to put in your bicycle 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 expanding 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 closed 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 physical activity!
STAYING COMFORTABLE ON YOUR BIKE
Sitting for long periods of time
on a bicycle seat can cause pain, discomfort, and even
serious blood circulation problems in avid bicyclists.
At your local bike shop, you’ll find a variety
of bicycle seats made specifically for your comfort
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.
Someone has even invented seats that look more like
a bird perch than a bicycle seat!
HEALTH TIP: Get off your bicycle
seat and walk around every 25 minutes or so to get the
blood flow to important 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 actually 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 enough to become entangled
in the bicycle chain, either! If you become overheated,
strip off a layer. If you get cold, add a layer. Wear
light or bright colors to allow drivers to see you easily.
It really 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 holder 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 almost 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 observe traffic
coming up from behind.
I recommend wearing sunglasses–both
for the sun and for bugs! At certain times of the year,
the air is thick with flying insects. Getting a tiny
bug in your eye is a painful event. For contact wearers,
carry a contact 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
frequently to get the blood flowing and to prevent pain
or numbness in your arms and hands.
MAPPING OUT A WEIGHT LOSS PLAN
You will want to keep a record of
your daily diet and food intake, your weekly body measurements
and weight, as well as your bicycling miles and time.
The WORKOUTWARE Personal Training
Workstation software (see the Home Fitness page at www.poshbungalow.com)
for your personal computer is an excellent way to track
your progress. It is very easy to use–simply type
in your information you wish to track. As the only software
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 number of calories, fat,
carbs, and protein. You simply select 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 almost
meal time. Both times will slow you down.
No matter how humiliating it is,
measure 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 seeing those
same inches melt away in the coming weeks will be worth
the effort. It’s especially impressive seen as
a graph!
Consider investing in an instrument
that actually measures body fat–there are inexpensive
pincer-type instruments that measure fat by pinching
you, or buy a set of bathroom scales that cost more
but calculate 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 quickly develop
stamina for longer distance. As fat turns to muscle,
your speed will increase. Each week, try to increase
either your mileage or your speed.
You know how far you’ve been
able to ride, thus far. Start keeping 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 outside so you
were forced to cut your ride short? Did the road crews
dump a layer of gravel on your normally 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 coming from any other direction,
be prepared 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 WORKOUTWARE
Personal Training Workstation software, created by a
certified personal fitness trainer, has excellent features
which allow you to design and track this portion of
your fitness program, as well.
Bicycle riding is a fun, inexpensive
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!
Sharyl Calhoun
See our Home Fitness page at http://www.poshbungalow.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sharyl_Calhoun
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