Lose Weight With Cycling for an Hour Daily: What to Expect and Mistakes to Avoid?

Obesity is a rising concern among people of all age groups. Obesity is not just a cosmetic issue but a serious medical condition. To ensure obesity doesn’t take your life, losing weight is essential. Everyone is familiar with the fact that to lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you eat. So, people sweat it out in the gym or jog every day to do so. But what about people who do not enjoy running or gymming? Well, they have a fantastic alternative to cycling. Yes! Do you know you can lose weight by cycling? In this blog, we will discuss how to lose weight by cycling for an hour.

Clearly, losing weight is a goal for many people. And since cycling is a fun exercise, you can use it to lose weight and build muscles while enjoying the freedom of being in nature. It is a fun and versatile activity that is low-impact, so from kids to adults, everyone can enjoy it. Wait.. before you go to purchase a bike from a bicycle shop Jaipur, Is cycling good for losing weight?

Does cycling help lose weight?

Yes, cycling is an incredible exercise to lose weight. When you ride a mountain bike or regular bike or a single-speed or multi-speed cycle, you burn calories. It enhances your activity level, aiding in fat loss. Moreover, riding a bike can help improve heart health and keep your mental health good. Though, do remember, cycling alone will not help. Like any exercise, focusing on a balanced diet is essential to lose weight. So, cycling will help you lose weight and keep it off too if you follow a balanced diet along with it.

Tips to follow to lose weight by cycling for an hour daily

Increase your intensity

So, do you ride your mountain bike or fat bike at a leisurely pace? Then, even if you ride for two hours, let alone one, you will not see many results. Therefore, it is necessary to push yourself and increase the intensity of riding a bicycle. If you do that, you will lose weight by cycling for an hour daily. It is a rule of thumb that if you ride faster, you will burn more calories. It is because the body will use more energy to pedal faster, which means burning more calories and losing weight. In 30 minutes, you lose 300–400 calories, according to your weight, if you ride moderately. So, if you increase the intensity, you will undoubtedly lose more calories.

Set-up goal

Weight loss is a goal, and if you create realistic goals, you will make progress and have the motivation to do so. Thus, you must create realistic goals, and tying them to an event helps too. For instance, goals like ‘I want to lose 2-3 kg in a month and become fitter to ride at a cycling event. Having small and attainable goals gives you motivation. Also, do not focus on the scale. Instead, focus on living a healthy lifestyle.

Also Read: 10 benefits of cycling: How bike riding can boost your health and power your mind?

Cycling HIIT

HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, is something everyone is familiar with. In this, you do short, intense exercises coupled with intervals of low-intensity exercise. It can help reduce weight significantly. So, how do you include this in your bike riding?

Start by cycling at a fast pace for 30–60 seconds.

Then, for 2–3 minutes, cycle easily (low resistance).

This type of cycling helps you lose weight faster and is a great cardio workout.

Be consistent

When you include cycling in your daily routine, whether through biking in the evening or using it as a commute to work, be consistent with it. To see results, you need consistency. Otherwise, it will not yield any results. Do not follow crash diets or focus on just cycling for hours. Start small and focus on a healthy lifestyle, which helps you lose weight while ensuring you are healthy. Otherwise, you will burn out, and you will put the weight back on.

Go further

You cannot start cycling for an hour initially. You have to start slowly, especially if cycling is new to you. So, start by cycling for 15-20 minutes and keep increasing the minutes to it. That will help you stay consistent, and finally, when your body is ready, you can start cycling for an hour every day. Once you reach this goal, you can sometimes cycle for a few minutes more, increase intensity, change the route, or go for hikes.

Focus on your diet.

Along with cycling and cross-training, it is essential to focus on your diet. If you are crash-dieting and cycling, you will fall sick. Your body needs fuel, so eat a balanced diet rich in protein and fiber and also have enough carbs and fats. All are essential for a healthy person and aid in weight loss too.

Mistakes to avoid while cycling to lose weight

To lose weight by cycling for an hour every day, you must avoid a few mistakes. It is given that when starting a new routine, you will make mistakes. So, below are a few mistakes to avoid for better fitness:

Overtraining: Sure, being consistent is necessary for losing weight by biking. But if your body needs rest, it is critical to listen to your body and take proper rest. If you don’t, it will lead to injuries. 

Not adding variations: Our body adapts to the workout we do. Thus, it is essential to add variation to your cycling routine too. This means, changing the routes or increasing or decreasing the intensity, so your body gets the benefits it needs.

Not focusing on diet: To lose weight by cycling for an hour daily, combining it with a proper diet is essential too. If you are eating too much or too little and nutrition is lacking in your diet, you will have trouble losing weight.

Not performing other exercise: Cycling is cardio and helpful but it is critical to add strength training to it to ensure your overall fitness.

What if you face a plateau?

Often in your weight-loss journey, you face a time when there is no progress. You are neither losing weight or inches. This is known as a  plateau and it can happen while trying to lose weight by cycling for an hour. So, how do you overcome this? By following these tips:

Increase the intensity or duration of riding a bike

Add HIIT to your exercise routine

Reassess your diet. Consider talking to a nutritionist. Cutting on carbs or processed food and eating more protein can undoubtedly help.

Check for any medical conditions.

Conclusion

To lose weight by cycling for an hour daily, following the above tips and avoiding common mistakes is effective. Cycling is an enjoyable way to support your weight-loss goals. Moreover, it is not just the weight you lose; cycling has other multiple health benefits, like good cardiovascular health or mental health, and since it is low-impact, even adults can enjoy it to stay fit and socialize. So, buy the best bike from a bicycle shop in Jaipur, grab your safety gear like a helmet and gloves, and start riding. It is never too late to start riding towards health and fitness. A little tip for anyone with a medical condition: talk to your doctor before riding every day for an hour. If they say it’s okay, then only you should ride. For healthy people, it is the perfect way to lose weight, stay fit, and enjoy a thrilling sport.