How Cycling helps you Lose Weight

Do you loathe at the word ‘gym’ or find it hard to go on a diet? If so, you must be eager to find a way to get rid of those unwanted pounds and get in shape again! And the solution to this struggle between wanting to lose weight and not wanting to work out/diet is cycling. Yes, you can hop on a cycle and hit the road to weight loss because cycling works all the muscles of the body regardless of age group or level of fitness. While bicycling, you not only enjoy your stint with nature, but also burn calories.\

[Read: Is Biking an Effective Method of Weight Loss?]

How bicycling aids in weight loss

• Biking provides an intense workout to your lower body’s muscles. Without putting strain on your knee bone or leg muscles, it helps to tone and strengthen your calves’ muscles, hamstrings and quadriceps.
• Bicycling also involves workout of the abdomen improving your cardiovascular fitness levels.
• Bicycling improves heart health and makes the lungs stronger. This facilitates better transportation of oxygen throughout the body, which is a key factor to maintaining fitness.
• To ride a bicycle, your muscles need energy, which the body will use from stored body fat.
• 30 minutes of cycling thrice in a week will increase your body’s flexibility..
• Cycling intensely uses the thighs, arms and waist, thereby not allowing fat to accumulate in these fat-prone areas.

[Read: Cycling your way to a fit body]

How many calories you burn by bicycling

Biking helps one to burn more amount of calories than what he or she loses by walking or jogging. The number of calories you lose by bicycling depends on your weight and the duration of cycling. A person weighing 150 lbs. would lose approximately 300 calories per hour of bicycling at an average pace. By increasing the pace to 12 to 15 mph, the person can burn close to 600 calories. To lose a pound, a person needs to shed 3500 calories. Someone, who rides bicycle at an average pace an hour every day, can lose a pound within ten days i.e. three pounds in a month! An accomplishment for a weight loss seeker!

Sticking to a healthful diet and avoiding fatty food while engaging in cycling regularly will further boost your weight loss efforts. Drink sufficient amount of water to avoid dehydration caused by loss of water in the form of sweat due to bicycling.

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