Biking for exercise
Replies
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dmcforthewin wrote: »Hey guys! I have been power walking and doing some water aerobics for a while, as my main daily exercise. I am wondering if anyone does only cycling, whether at home or outdoors, as your only exercise? I bought a bike and want to use it for maybe 45-60 minutes, 5-6 days a week. However, I am wondering if that would be an adequate exercise by itself. I will ride at a decent pace, so more then just a leisurly stroll. Thanks!
What do you mean by "adequate exercise"....adequate for what exactly?
I'm a cycling enthusiast. I road ride and mountain bike as my primary forms of exercise. I hike here and there as well. I would also recommend doing some form of resistance training to preserve bone density and muscle mass1 -
I cycle and lift. Cycling is great cardio if you ride hard enough. Most people don't. Getting on a bike and pedeling around at 10 mph won't really get your heart rate up or burn a ton of calories. For example, I have a smart trainer with a power meter that is accurate to within about 5% of calorie burn. A recent ride of mine for 57 minutes at an average speed of just over 20mph burned an estimated 538 calories. That's a fairly long, hard ride at over 19 miles. Most people don't ride that way.
Cycling is great fun and can be a great primary form of cardio exercise, but you should understand how hard you have to work to burn a significant number of calories.1 -
Hi. I do both bije and light weights and have lost over 50 lbs dince march. For bike i use and indoor trainer and the Zwift cycling app on laptop. I use a spped, heartrate and cadence sensors
I connect the laptop to tv and can do any off the many "rides" on Zwift. Its the best approach. I can cycke anytime of day or night , no need to worry about weather, traffic or safety, and best of all no need to drive anywhere. The app tracks everything and includes races, work out plans or just fun rides. Its online so you are conbected to ruders all over the world.1 -
I recently discovered that time sure does fly when I'm on my recumbent bike playing Animal Crossing! That half hour goes by quickly!2
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Thanks! I hope to work up to a good speed and distance over time, to make some kind of difference.DevilsFan1 wrote: »I cycle and lift. Cycling is great cardio if you ride hard enough. Most people don't. Getting on a bike and pedeling around at 10 mph won't really get your heart rate up or burn a ton of calories. For example, I have a smart trainer with a power meter that is accurate to within about 5% of calorie burn. A recent ride of mine for 57 minutes at an average speed of just over 20mph burned an estimated 538 calories. That's a fairly long, hard ride at over 19 miles. Most people don't ride that way.
Cycling is great fun and can be a great primary form of cardio exercise, but you should understand how hard you have to work to burn a significant number of calories.
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I just mean to help with the continued weight loss part. I have done tons of walking over the year and it has helped me to lose a lot of weight. I am wanting the biking to take the place of SOME of the walking. Getting bored with the same routine. I do plan to add some gym exercise soon and hopefully build more muscle. I wanted to find an exercise that might be fun and comparable to walking at least. I figured biking would be one example.cwolfman13 wrote: »dmcforthewin wrote: »Hey guys! I have been power walking and doing some water aerobics for a while, as my main daily exercise. I am wondering if anyone does only cycling, whether at home or outdoors, as your only exercise? I bought a bike and want to use it for maybe 45-60 minutes, 5-6 days a week. However, I am wondering if that would be an adequate exercise by itself. I will ride at a decent pace, so more then just a leisurly stroll. Thanks!
What do you mean by "adequate exercise"....adequate for what exactly?
I'm a cycling enthusiast. I road ride and mountain bike as my primary forms of exercise. I hike here and there as well. I would also recommend doing some form of resistance training to preserve bone density and muscle mass
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Many years ago, I used to have a recumbent bike and I did enjoy it. I don't think I've have ever heard of animal crosssing. Time does go fast when you can do something else, while exercising. When I use my treadmill, I watch a movie, so an hour of walking goes fast. You're concentrating on the movie, instead of how much time you have left.Lynnsgoals2020 wrote: »I recently discovered that time sure does fly when I'm on my recumbent bike playing Animal Crossing! That half hour goes by quickly!
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dmcforthewin wrote: »I just mean to help with the continued weight loss part. I have done tons of walking over the year and it has helped me to lose a lot of weight. I am wanting the biking to take the place of SOME of the walking. Getting bored with the same routine. I do plan to add some gym exercise soon and hopefully build more muscle. I wanted to find an exercise that might be fun and comparable to walking at least. I figured biking would be one example.cwolfman13 wrote: »dmcforthewin wrote: »Hey guys! I have been power walking and doing some water aerobics for a while, as my main daily exercise. I am wondering if anyone does only cycling, whether at home or outdoors, as your only exercise? I bought a bike and want to use it for maybe 45-60 minutes, 5-6 days a week. However, I am wondering if that would be an adequate exercise by itself. I will ride at a decent pace, so more then just a leisurly stroll. Thanks!
What do you mean by "adequate exercise"....adequate for what exactly?
I'm a cycling enthusiast. I road ride and mountain bike as my primary forms of exercise. I hike here and there as well. I would also recommend doing some form of resistance training to preserve bone density and muscle mass
The eating less than you burn in total is what actually caused the fat loss.
The exercise can help because it means you burn more daily, and the same deficit means eating more which can make it easier to adhere to whatever deficit you use. Hopefully reasonable with less to lose.
But you won't build much in the way of muscle while in a diet as a woman, especially when you have less fat reserves.
But it's much easier to save what you've got, then trying to build later.
One reason we both mention resistance training - bone density.
As a woman higher risk already.
Doing mainly non-impact cardio in a diet - even more risk.
That's a real hard one to make up for later compared to even muscle.
https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/why-cycling-is-bad-for-bone-density-and-how-you-can-improve-it/
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I love cycling as part of my fitness routing. My other go to's are body weight circuits (push up, pull up, squat, plank, etc) as well as some rowing - and of course walking the dog. Fall is prime outdoor cycling time. If you do choose to go the cycling route and as we come into winter, you may want to check out adding a home smart power trainer with an app to keep cycling up indoors with the same bike you use to ride outdoors. Last winter, I procured a Wahoo KICKR (https://www.wahoofitness.com/devices/bike-trainers/kickr/buy?gclid=CjwKCAjwm_P5BRAhEiwAwRzSO_hKF9ELdqCijsV6DAMHPU6-FhFSczS6V9y9wz_5UIBR4pEBqzW2shoCOTQQAvD_BwE) and use ZWIFT (https://zwift.com) to keep things interesting. Very similar to the Peleton approach mentioned in an earlier thread.1
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dmcforthewin wrote: »I just mean to help with the continued weight loss part. I have done tons of walking over the year and it has helped me to lose a lot of weight. I am wanting the biking to take the place of SOME of the walking. Getting bored with the same routine. I do plan to add some gym exercise soon and hopefully build more muscle. I wanted to find an exercise that might be fun and comparable to walking at least. I figured biking would be one example.cwolfman13 wrote: »dmcforthewin wrote: »Hey guys! I have been power walking and doing some water aerobics for a while, as my main daily exercise. I am wondering if anyone does only cycling, whether at home or outdoors, as your only exercise? I bought a bike and want to use it for maybe 45-60 minutes, 5-6 days a week. However, I am wondering if that would be an adequate exercise by itself. I will ride at a decent pace, so more then just a leisurly stroll. Thanks!
What do you mean by "adequate exercise"....adequate for what exactly?
I'm a cycling enthusiast. I road ride and mountain bike as my primary forms of exercise. I hike here and there as well. I would also recommend doing some form of resistance training to preserve bone density and muscle mass
The eating less than you burn in total is what actually caused the fat loss.
The exercise can help because it means you burn more daily, and the same deficit means eating more which can make it easier to adhere to whatever deficit you use. Hopefully reasonable with less to lose.
But you won't build much in the way of muscle while in a diet as a woman, especially when you have less fat reserves.
But it's much easier to save what you've got, then trying to build later.
One reason we both mention resistance training - bone density.
As a woman higher risk already.
Doing mainly non-impact cardio in a diet - even more risk.
That's a real hard one to make up for later compared to even muscle.
https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/why-cycling-is-bad-for-bone-density-and-how-you-can-improve-it/I love cycling as part of my fitness routing. My other go to's are body weight circuits (push up, pull up, squat, plank, etc) as well as some rowing - and of course walking the dog. Fall is prime outdoor cycling time. If you do choose to go the cycling route and as we come into winter, you may want to check out adding a home smart power trainer with an app to keep cycling up indoors with the same bike you use to ride outdoors. Last winter, I procured a Wahoo KICKR (https://www.wahoofitness.com/devices/bike-trainers/kickr/buy?gclid=CjwKCAjwm_P5BRAhEiwAwRzSO_hKF9ELdqCijsV6DAMHPU6-FhFSczS6V9y9wz_5UIBR4pEBqzW2shoCOTQQAvD_BwE) and use ZWIFT (https://zwift.com) to keep things interesting. Very similar to the Peleton approach mentioned in an earlier thread.
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Thanks for all the info! Sorry I’m late replying. back.0
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As part of my routine, I do try to bike everyday for 30 minutes. Have lost around 35 pounds in the last 3 1/2 months. Its not the only thing I'm doing but I have seen improvements in how I bike. My indoor bike only tracks calories and distance. There is no resistance but frankly one does not need that. When I started I would bike for 5 minutes, rest for one and then continue like that until the 30 minutes are up. But now, I can bike much longer, went 20 minutes straight and then finished the remaining 10. Each week, I biker harder as my distance and calories are going up. Summer is almost done this year but next year i would like to bike outdoors. When I bike indoors, I do find it a bit boring so I watch tv and that helps alot.1
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Thanks! I am waiting for my bike to arrive, but I wouldn't mind being able to bike indoors too, depending on the weather. I get about the tv thing. It does make time fly, when you get tired of watching the clock. I used to walk for an hour on my treadmill, before I started watching tv. I thought the hour would never end.bobbyorr99 wrote: »As part of my routine, I do try to bike everyday for 30 minutes. Have lost around 35 pounds in the last 3 1/2 months. Its not the only thing I'm doing but I have seen improvements in how I bike. My indoor bike only tracks calories and distance. There is no resistance but frankly one does not need that. When I started I would bike for 5 minutes, rest for one and then continue like that until the 30 minutes are up. But now, I can bike much longer, went 20 minutes straight and then finished the remaining 10. Each week, I biker harder as my distance and calories are going up. Summer is almost done this year but next year i would like to bike outdoors. When I bike indoors, I do find it a bit boring so I watch tv and that helps alot.
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Thanks! I watched the short video. Very neat and interesting piece of equipment. I like the idea of dog walking. I don't have a dog, but I do plan to get one in the near future. I love exercising in the fall, so that is something to look forward to. Definately over walking in the heat and humidity, although people say it's better. I prefer the more comfortable weather and it seems to have the same impact for me, as the warmer temps.I love cycling as part of my fitness routing. My other go to's are body weight circuits (push up, pull up, squat, plank, etc) as well as some rowing - and of course walking the dog. Fall is prime outdoor cycling time. If you do choose to go the cycling route and as we come into winter, you may want to check out adding a home smart power trainer with an app to keep cycling up indoors with the same bike you use to ride outdoors. Last winter, I procured a Wahoo KICKR (https://www.wahoofitness.com/devices/bike-trainers/kickr/buy?gclid=CjwKCAjwm_P5BRAhEiwAwRzSO_hKF9ELdqCijsV6DAMHPU6-FhFSczS6V9y9wz_5UIBR4pEBqzW2shoCOTQQAvD_BwE) and use ZWIFT (https://zwift.com) to keep things interesting. Very similar to the Peleton approach mentioned in an earlier thread.
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cycling is fun. burnr 500-900 cal per day when i pedal hard. i love it.1
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Long distance cycling was my main exercise for many years and for many years I was slim and fit.
Cycling is still my favourite exercise, but unfortunately I'm not able to do it as much as I would like. I'm hoping to increase my distances again this coming summer, after I finish my degree in October.
Meanwhile, I walk a lot for transportation, and run, row or cycling inside and occasionally outside.
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I hope I can still ride a bike. It's been 35 years, since I rode a bike outside. I know, sounds crazy.Long distance cycling was my main exercise for many years and for many years I was slim and fit.
Cycling is still my favourite exercise, but unfortunately I'm not able to do it as much as I would like. I'm hoping to increase my distances again this coming summer, after I finish my degree in October.
Meanwhile, I walk a lot for transportation, and run, row or cycling inside and occasionally outside.
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@dmcforthewin I just got a bike this spring after not riding for about 38 years. When I first got it, I rode it a few times around a parking lot just to see if I still could. Luckily, it really was "like riding a bike". After a few parking lot rides, I felt a bit more confident and I hit a few bike trails around here but not by myself. I only went if my son was available to go along. I felt better having someone along in case something happened. I guess I was a nervous old lady.
Now, several months later, I ride 5 times a week on the trails all by myself. lol. When I began going by myself, I started with a fairly easy paved loop trail. I could increase the number of loops I did as my fitness increased. I found that a good way for me to start. I am enjoying it so much and hope you will too! Good luck! 2 -
I'm so sorry. I may have missed your reply to me. I do like the option of being able to bike indoors. I'm not a fan of exercise in the really freezing cold weather, that will be coming up this year. I don't like the gym too much, although I do go from time to time. Thanks for the ideas!Hi. I do both bije and light weights and have lost over 50 lbs dince march. For bike i use and indoor trainer and the Zwift cycling app on laptop. I use a spped, heartrate and cadence sensors
I connect the laptop to tv and can do any off the many "rides" on Zwift. Its the best approach. I can cycke anytime of day or night , no need to worry about weather, traffic or safety, and best of all no need to drive anywhere. The app tracks everything and includes races, work out plans or just fun rides. Its online so you are conbected to ruders all over the world.
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Wow! I feel like your talking about me. I haven't been on a bike in 35 years and I will probably also have to take it somewhere to make sure I won't fall on my face, in front of my neighbors. I am kind of self concious, thinking all the neighbors will be watching me and laughing. It's probably just in my head. From what most people have said out there, it's like walking. You don't forget once you have learned. Thank you for the kind words. I think I willl enjoy biking. I have a neighborhood trail and then a close by community paved loop. I will start there, I guess.@dmcforthewin I just got a bike this spring after not riding for about 38 years. When I first got it, I rode it a few times around a parking lot just to see if I still could. Luckily, it really was "like riding a bike". After a few parking lot rides, I felt a bit more confident and I hit a few bike trails around here but not by myself. I only went if my son was available to go along. I felt better having someone along in case something happened. I guess I was a nervous old lady. Now, several months later, I ride 5 times a week on the trails all by myself. lol. When I began going by myself, I started with a fairly easy paved loop trail. I could increase the number of loops I did as my fitness increased. I found that a good way for me to start. I am enjoying it so much and hope you will too! Good luck!
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@dmcforthewin I felt very self conscious at first as well. I tried to find parking lots where no one could see me. One time, a father and son showed up at the same lot so the son could practice riding his bike. It was kind of funny. I was probably more than 55 years older than him (he looked very young to me) and I was there practicing too except it was my adult son encouraging me on. At least he didn't have to hold the bike seat for me to keep it steady! lol. I'm grateful my son was willing to do that and was patient through all my insecurity at first.
I also felt really unsure that I could/should actually ride on my own. That's part of the reason I did the paved loop trail at first. It is nearby. It only has a few small hills and the pavement makes riding easier than on a crushed limestone trail or something like that. I needed to build my confidence as well as my fitness. I'm sure you'll progress faster than I did because I'm guessing you're younger and fitter than I was when I started. Please let us know how things go for you!2 -
Thank you all for posting about your bike adventures. Does anyone bring their dog? Asking for a friend 🐶0
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Mithridites wrote: »Thank you all for posting about your bike adventures. Does anyone bring their dog? Asking for a friend 🐶
Got a dog backpack from K9 when I go trail riding0 -
My pooch 6 -
@dmcforthewin I felt very self conscious at first as well. I tried to find parking lots where no one could see me. One time, a father and son showed up at the same lot so the son could practice riding his bike. It was kind of funny. I was probably more than 55 years older than him (he looked very young to me) and I was there practicing too except it was my adult son encouraging me on. At least he didn't have to hold the bike seat for me to keep it steady! lol. I'm grateful my son was willing to do that and was patient through all my insecurity at first.
I also felt really unsure that I could/should actually ride on my own. That's part of the reason I did the paved loop trail at first. It is nearby. It only has a few small hills and the pavement makes riding easier than on a crushed limestone trail or something like that. I needed to build my confidence as well as my fitness. I'm sure you'll progress faster than I did because I'm guessing you're younger and fitter than I was when I started. Please let us know how things go for you!
It had been decades since I had cycled, as well. In the interim, I had also ballooned in size for a number of specific reasons. As I retired, the family bought a bike for me, Christmas 2017, as a combined Christmas/retirement gift. "Go ride, it'll be good for you," they said, and were right. While I'm still a "Cyldesdale," I've lost about 75 lbs and my health overall is much improved. Riding has been key, as are other activities, such as swimming (pool/ocean). Plus an improved approach to eating. I'm the household chef now (wife still working), and, doing nothing extreme, sticking to whole foods, moderation in all things (hence MFP). Good luck to you in your journey.2 -
Your post made me giggle. I loved it. Sounds like we feel the same. I'm 50 by the way. Wish I had got a bike a lot sooner, but I guess it's better then never. I think I will go and ride it for the first time, when it's getting dark, but somewhere with light of course. I'm probably worrying and nervous for nothing. I gotta chill, it's only a bike. Lol@dmcforthewin I felt very self conscious at first as well. I tried to find parking lots where no one could see me. One time, a father and son showed up at the same lot so the son could practice riding his bike. It was kind of funny. I was probably more than 55 years older than him (he looked very young to me) and I was there practicing too except it was my adult son encouraging me on. At least he didn't have to hold the bike seat for me to keep it steady! lol. I'm grateful my son was willing to do that and was patient through all my insecurity at first.
I also felt really unsure that I could/should actually ride on my own. That's part of the reason I did the paved loop trail at first. It is nearby. It only has a few small hills and the pavement makes riding easier than on a crushed limestone trail or something like that. I needed to build my confidence as well as my fitness. I'm sure you'll progress faster than I did because I'm guessing you're younger and fitter than I was when I started. Please let us know how things go for you!@dmcforthewin I felt very self conscious at first as well. I tried to find parking lots where no one could see me. One time, a father and son showed up at the same lot so the son could practice riding his bike. It was kind of funny. I was probably more than 55 years older than him (he looked very young to me) and I was there practicing too except it was my adult son encouraging me on. At least he didn't have to hold the bike seat for me to keep it steady! lol. I'm grateful my son was willing to do that and was patient through all my insecurity at first.
I also felt really unsure that I could/should actually ride on my own. That's part of the reason I did the paved loop trail at first. It is nearby. It only has a few small hills and the pavement makes riding easier than on a crushed limestone trail or something like that. I needed to build my confidence as well as my fitness. I'm sure you'll progress faster than I did because I'm guessing you're younger and fitter than I was when I started. Please let us know how things go for you!
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Interesting article in the NYTimes. Good news for cyclists. https://nyti.ms/32Ngkuu1
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Thanks for sharing this article!Interesting article in the NYTimes. Good news for cyclists. https://nyti.ms/32Ngkuu
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