Biking

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atragicfate
atragicfate Posts: 57
in Fitness and Exercise
Is biking a good form of exercise?
I want to get my legs a bit stronger, and I have a bike I should probably use haha.

Replies

  • quiltlovinlisa
    quiltlovinlisa Posts: 1,710 Member
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    I love biking. It's cheap (as long as you have a bike), has no special equipment (except of course your helmet) and boy it can really give you a workout.

    I love feeling strong, tackling a small hill, I'm endurance isn't up to a big hill yet. Oh and it's fantastic for group, friends or family activities.

    I don't think you can go wrong with biking.
  • atragicfate
    atragicfate Posts: 57
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    I love biking. It's cheap (as long as you have a bike), has no special equipment (except of course your helmet) and boy it can really give you a workout.

    I love feeling strong, tackling a small hill, I'm endurance isn't up to a big hill yet. Oh and it's fantastic for group, friends or family activities.

    I don't think you can go wrong with biking.
    Thanks for replying!
    I thought it might be a good idea because it doesn't take forever, and where I will bike (a track around a lake) it's quite dodgy, so I'll have a fast escape.
  • EweCreekCottage
    EweCreekCottage Posts: 324 Member
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    I got on my bike in Oct last year have lost numerous inches 4 clothes sizes built muscles and improved the numbers of my blood panel- yes it is a great exercise and bikers are the best friendliest people oh and I lost 35 lbs
  • atragicfate
    atragicfate Posts: 57
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    I got on my bike in Oct last year have lost numerous inches 4 clothes sizes built muscles and improved the numbers of my blood panel- yes it is a great exercise and bikers are the best friendliest people oh and I lost 35 lbs
    Awesome! Congratulations.
    Unfortunately my bike is a little big (dad's bike haha) but I think it'll be fine.
  • corgicake
    corgicake Posts: 846 Member
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    If the bike doesn't fit you well, Craigslist one up... a good vintage mountain bike can easily be had for under 150. But yeah, biking will do wonders for legs. Budgets too, if you do it in place of drive time, and you will rack up tons of miles without thinking too hard about it.
  • atragicfate
    atragicfate Posts: 57
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    If the bike doesn't fit you well, Craigslist one up... a good vintage mountain bike can easily be had for under 150. But yeah, biking will do wonders for legs. Budgets too, if you do it in place of drive time, and you will rack up tons of miles without thinking too hard about it.
    I might be able to borrow my cousins bike for a while before getting my own.
    Okay, I am definitely going to go for a ride this afternoon!
  • quiltlovinlisa
    quiltlovinlisa Posts: 1,710 Member
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    Enjoy!!!!

    I started biking with a rust bucket I bought in college and was left out for years. You can certainly make due. :)
  • lswatson111304
    lswatson111304 Posts: 80 Member
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    I've been wanting to start biking because I have bad knees and it is less impact. Spent a few weeks thinking about it, was given a free bike..that had no brakes so that was a bust LOL But I then found on a facebook buy sell page, a good MTN Bike for $75. I bought it. Got it home, it broke. I was so disappointed! Ordered a new seat and a new part and yesterday my husband got me all fixed up to go. I live on a FM road and it is not the safest so we went to the park.. I rode. LOL For like 7 minutes, I was in so much pain, the seat hurt, there are too many hills at the park. So I got off, and my husband got on. He rode for 7 minutes!! LOL I got on again, and went 7 more. As did he. We then went home. I was excited! I at least DID IT! Well, this morning I was sooo sore! I decided I needed to return the seat and order another. Turned out my husband found one in our storage shed from the previous owners right as I was looking for a new seat on amazon. It was wider and fit my backside better! LOL I decided to hit the road again this evening. I rode 1.45 miles. It took me 12 minutes to make a loop. I did it again and I was proud again. I want to do this finally for the first time I feel motivated and I enjoy the bike even though I feel soooo huge! Anyone know of any groups online that are trying to lose the weight biking? I want to find similar people, I'm not into the major riding stuff, I just want to lose weight!
  • atragicfate
    atragicfate Posts: 57
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    I've been wanting to start biking because I have bad knees and it is less impact. Spent a few weeks thinking about it, was given a free bike..that had no brakes so that was a bust LOL But I then found on a facebook buy sell page, a good MTN Bike for $75. I bought it. Got it home, it broke. I was so disappointed! Ordered a new seat and a new part and yesterday my husband got me all fixed up to go. I live on a FM road and it is not the safest so we went to the park.. I rode. LOL For like 7 minutes, I was in so much pain, the seat hurt, there are too many hills at the park. So I got off, and my husband got on. He rode for 7 minutes!! LOL I got on again, and went 7 more. As did he. We then went home. I was excited! I at least DID IT! Well, this morning I was sooo sore! I decided I needed to return the seat and order another. Turned out my husband found one in our storage shed from the previous owners right as I was looking for a new seat on amazon. It was wider and fit my backside better! LOL I decided to hit the road again this evening. I rode 1.45 miles. It took me 12 minutes to make a loop. I did it again and I was proud again. I want to do this finally for the first time I feel motivated and I enjoy the bike even though I feel soooo huge! Anyone know of any groups online that are trying to lose the weight biking? I want to find similar people, I'm not into the major riding stuff, I just want to lose weight!
    Apparently my mum sold my bike without my knowledge and my dads bike is too big for me. I am being forced to settle with our exercise bike even though it's killer boring not to have anything new to look at while riding.
    I can't afford a new bike haha.
  • quiltlovinlisa
    quiltlovinlisa Posts: 1,710 Member
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    Oh that is a bummer. Dang it. Riding outside is so much better.
  • mreeves261
    mreeves261 Posts: 728 Member
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    I've been wanting to start biking because I have bad knees and it is less impact. Spent a few weeks thinking about it, was given a free bike..that had no brakes so that was a bust LOL But I then found on a facebook buy sell page, a good MTN Bike for $75. I bought it. Got it home, it broke. I was so disappointed! Ordered a new seat and a new part and yesterday my husband got me all fixed up to go. I live on a FM road and it is not the safest so we went to the park.. I rode. LOL For like 7 minutes, I was in so much pain, the seat hurt, there are too many hills at the park. So I got off, and my husband got on. He rode for 7 minutes!! LOL I got on again, and went 7 more. As did he. We then went home. I was excited! I at least DID IT! Well, this morning I was sooo sore! I decided I needed to return the seat and order another. Turned out my husband found one in our storage shed from the previous owners right as I was looking for a new seat on amazon. It was wider and fit my backside better! LOL I decided to hit the road again this evening. I rode 1.45 miles. It took me 12 minutes to make a loop. I did it again and I was proud again. I want to do this finally for the first time I feel motivated and I enjoy the bike even though I feel soooo huge! Anyone know of any groups online that are trying to lose the weight biking? I want to find similar people, I'm not into the major riding stuff, I just want to lose weight!
    Apparently my mum sold my bike without my knowledge and my dads bike is too big for me. I am being forced to settle with our exercise bike even though it's killer boring not to have anything new to look at while riding.
    I can't afford a new bike haha.

    Craigslist can be your friend when it comes to used bikes. TONS of people go out, buy bikes, use them once or twice, shelve them for a couple years and the want them out of the way. You can get a WalMart special for $30-50. They aren't the greatest bikes in the world but they can make a great starter bike and you won't feel bad if you totally trash it.

    On another note just because you don't plan on getting serious about cycling and only doing it to lose weight, keep in mind it is infectious and you will want to go farther and faster, beat your times on a loop, etc. I would suggest getting a gel seat cover starting out, just to help you sit bones get used to being on the saddle. If you start to find yourself getting into cycling, invest in padded cycling shorts.

    Enjoy!!!
  • ncmedic201
    ncmedic201 Posts: 540 Member
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    I just bought a bike 2 weeks ago. I'm loving it!! My teen son's are riding with me too so it's been a lot of fun! We ride a greenway trail near the house. I definitely recommend bike shorts if you're going to ride more than 10 miles!!

    The trail we ride is kinda hilly so I've learned quickly that I need to strengthen my glutes so I can improve my time and distance.
  • jentris
    jentris Posts: 30 Member
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    Biking is excellent exercise and quite a calorie burn- better than running and you'll spend more time doing it!

    There's a reason why those Tour de France guys are super skinny and eat 12,000 calories a day!

    Bike shorts are a must until you "toughen" up down there.

    Get a water bottle cage put on your bike. Once you start biking distances/going faster you are going to need to hydrate while riding.

    Assume that every car: A) doesn't see you and B) is a jerk. Keep that in mind and you should be OK. Bikes must follow the same rules as cars so stop at stop signs and be a gracious rider (stay to the right, yield, etc.).

    Have fun!
  • primdaisy
    primdaisy Posts: 21 Member
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    I looooove biking! I live in the country where the roads are beautiful and a little hilly so it is like getting intermittent aerobic training. Going up, gets the heart rate, going back down, HR comes down a little. I've had my bike for 13 yrs, so I'm thinking of upgrading next summer. I upgraded my seat when I bought it and it's still giving me a comfy ride, so don't skimp on that when the time comes. You can find all sorts of seats or gel seat covers on amazon for decent prices. I usually go a certain 10 mile route, but when I have more time, I go on a longer ride, the longest being about 17 miles. I just did it yesterday, it took an hour and a half and I burned 864kcals. Go ahead and try to find one. You wont' regret it. Good luck!

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