Cycling 5km a day

laurawale
laurawale Posts: 9 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've decided to start cycling - I have an exercise bike at home and set myself a goal of 5km a day.

How long until I notice any effects of this? (Apart from my bum aching from the seat). And when would be a good point to increase how much I'm doing?

Replies

  • fanuch
    fanuch Posts: 18 Member
    I too will start cycling using my road bike 7km a day. The effects you notice will depend on how fit you already are, muscularity etc. Increase when you feel like you can do more I guess.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    What are you looking to achieve by this?

    Ie; weight loss, better cardivascular health, general improved fitness?

    5k a day isn't much for cycling - I probably cycled 5k yesterday going to the shops, dropping a parcel off etc - and I live pretty centrally in town too.
  • IrishGabriella
    IrishGabriella Posts: 48 Member
    I'm using an exercise bike too as my only form of exercise. It's hard to say if you will see any difference as it depends on a lot of things. Are you eating less calories too, how much do you have to lose etc.?

    P.s. I get a v sore bum too! I've heard that with any exercise once you're sweating you're burning calories.
  • Coffeeholic8
    Coffeeholic8 Posts: 272 Member
    It will depend on the effort far more than the distance. You could do that 5k in a low gear or with hardly any resistance and it won't really raise your heart date or cause you to break a sweat and it would take a long time for any effects to show, if they ever did. Do it with a high gear or plenty of resistance dialled in and the benefits will show sooner. Think of it as cycling up a steep hill and the effect that would have on your heart rate.

    5km really isn't a lot on a bike, in a 45- minute Spinning® class you would cover somewhere around 20-25km depending on the amount of flat roads and hills coached. 5km is a start but you should be looking to increase that distance quite quickly.
  • laurawale
    laurawale Posts: 9 Member
    Sorry, I should have put more info in. I want to lose about a stone and a half. I don't think I'm that fit, I'm exhausted after my 5km and yesterday it took 21 minutes to do it. I'm assuming that I can do it in a quicker time the fitter I get and then increase how much I'm doing.

    Just had a quick look at my food intake and I'm on about 1500 cals a day.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    Cycling is good for allowing pretty quick continuous improvement.
    It might be better to set a specific time and try and improve the distance you do every day.
    Or increment the distance ever day by 100m say, even just 50m, but aim to do it in the same time.

    Exercise does have some general benefits for weight loss, but the biggest is burning more calories.
    Burning more calories gives you a bigger deficit, but you can also eat less calories.

    Saying that, I do like eating lots, so exercise helps with that - on Sunday I ate over 4000 calories and was still at a bit of a deficit - I did an 8.8 mile off road run and a weights session.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    I've decided to start cycling - I have an exercise bike at home and set myself a goal of 5km a day.

    Personally I'd suggest ramping up to time rather than distance, as you'll develop your fitness fairly quickly as long as you're putting sufficient effort in. Five Km is about 11 minutes for me on an exercise bike.

    As you've highlighted you're able to do 20 minutes already, build from there to 30 minutes.

    Can't help much beyond there, anything stationary other than a rowing machine bores me to tears fairly quickly so I wouldn't advocate more than 30 minutes based on that alone.
    How long until I notice any effects of this? (Apart from my bum aching from the seat). And when would be a good point to increase how much I'm doing?

    You'll fairly quickly see an improvement in your ability to cope with physical stress, but it really depends on your objectives.
  • ianex33
    ianex33 Posts: 1 Member
    i just did 5km on my exercise bike casual riding 12 mins i would have to double that to lose 2 lbs per week but cant get there yet im 400lbs exercising is so hard to lose weight but gotta keep it up i guess and try to pedle a little longer everytime or two
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,437 Member
    edited May 2020
    laurawale wrote: »
    Just had a quick look at my food intake and I'm on about 1500 cals a day.

    Im not trying to be a smart *kitten* here, but your wording jumped out at me.


    1500 calories, if your stats and goals have been carefully entered, should be burned into your brain, and be a goal you think about as you carefully measure and weigh your food, and as you pre-plan each meal. A big, neon “1500” should be primo, and the complementary exercise (which is wonderful, btw, go you!!!) secondary.

    And then you should be able to mentally flip that number like one of those giant highway lotto signs, every time you need to adjust up or down, to keep it burnt into your brain.

    Knowing your CICO goal is the fastest, surest, most positive way to get the results you want.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,204 Member
    edited May 2020
    ianex33 wrote: »
    i just did 5km on my exercise bike casual riding 12 mins i would have to double that to lose 2 lbs per week but cant get there yet im 400lbs exercising is so hard to lose weight but gotta keep it up i guess and try to pedle a little longer everytime or two

    Exercise-wise, I think you're on the right track.

    Some of the posters you're reading from in this thread are more experienced cyclists, so what's challenging for you right now would be easy for them, and that's fine on both sides. If you're challenging yourself just a bit, that's perfect. Keep working at it, and your fitness will improve. As it does, keep kicking up intensity, duration, or frequency to keep just that nice bit of challenge. You want to feel energized, not exhausted, for the rest of your day (after maybe just a few minutes of post-exercise "whew" feeling). That's a good way to improve fitness.

    Exercise really is mostly for fitness and health, and fitness is a great thing. Yes, exercise burns a few more calories, but for most people - everyone using the "MFP standard method" ;) - exercise just means getting to eat a little more, while losing weight at the same rate.

    For the weight loss . . . that's all about calorie balance. Eat fewer calories than you burn, and you'll lose weight. You burn calories just being alive (heartbeat, breathing & whatnot), more calories by doing your job and chores, then a few more calories if you do some intentional exercise. MFP wants you to eat a little bit under that total, to steadily and gradually lose weight.

    For fitness improvement, keep doing the good stuff you're doing on the bike, and keep a little bit of challenge. Later, maybe add some strength work, such as (to start) a bodyweight beginner program from this thread:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

    For weight loss, get your calorie intake a little below your calorie output.

    For best overall health, combine those with good nutrition, and you're golden. :)

    Best wishes!

    P.S. to experienced MFP-ers: OP is a zombie thread from 2014. New post on it is new. :)

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