This is a guest post by Sophie Elise from bestbikesforwomen.com.
Are you tired of being out of shape and want to gain your fitness back?
If your answer is yes, then you need to find a workout that fits your lifestyle. But there are thousands of workouts that can help you to achieve your goals. So, which one should you choose?
I would suggest cycling because it’s a fun and entertaining activity. If you are trying to improve your fitness level, then cycling is an ideal form of exercise for you. Because it will help to build your fitness gradually and the fact that it is an immensely enjoyable activity makes it more alluring. Furthermore, cycling also helps us to build our muscle and develop a toned body.
Below I am going to show you exactly how you can build your fitness gradually with bicycling.
1. Get a Bike That Fits Your Body
In your fight to get fit, you need a bike which aids and not deters you from achieving your goal. That’s why, when shopping for a bike, make sure that the handlebars, pedal, and the seat suit you perfectly. If your bike does not fit you properly, then it can make you lose your balance during the ride and cause muscle aches and other injuries.
You should explain your current fitness level and what kinds of biking you intend to do to the shopkeeper, and then he can help you to get a bike that fits you perfectly.
But can people with a disability cycle too? Definitely!
Just because you have a disability does not mean that you don’t have the right to improve your fitness. People with disabilities can cycle with a 3 wheel recumbent bike as it is perfectly suitable for them. Recumbent bikes put the rider in a recumbent position and are renowned for their comfort level. But despite being comfy it can still help you to vastly improve your health, as it offers an easy but effective way to burn your calories.
What if your financial situation isn’t great? Then you can buy a second-hand bike and get it adjusted according to your needs in a cycle shop, or you could ask Google –who appears to know everything – about the new budget comfort bike.
2. Set a Goal
Goals are important, and not only in the soccer matches but also in the real life.
In order to make sure that you remain determined in the future you must set up some specific targets. For example, you should aim for at least 30 minutes of cycling per day or you could set a certain amount of distance that you will cover each day.
Setting up those specific targets will help you to become committed to your fitness regime and propel you towards achieving your fitness goals.
3. Start with Road Cycling
If you don’t possess the confidence, balance, and skills of an expert rider, then you could hurt yourself while cycling. Therefore, you should start slow and at the beginning only cycle around your neighborhood. It will help you to acquire balance and improve your coordination.
4. Use Bicycle for Transportation
We spend a significant amount of our time in our cars while commuting. And this sedentary lifestyle contributes highly to our ever increasing waistline.
That’s why you need to abandon automobiles for commuting and substitute it with your bicycle. This will improve both our environment and your fitness level. Moreover, as cycling is a low-intensity activity, you won’t even feel that you are working out.
5. Go for Trail Riding During Weekends
Doing the same thing every day can become monotonous and trail riding can help you regarding that.
It will bring a refreshing change and can brighten up your mood. In addition, there are numerous health benefits of mountain biking. It will improve your metabolic rate, reduce the risk of coronary heart diseases, strengthen your heart muscles and protect you from diabetes type-2.
Furthermore, mountain biking results in increased brain power. It increases the blood flow and oxygen in the brain, which in turn regenerates the receptors. And that is the secret of how exercise manages to ward off the Alzheimer.
Trail riding also improves our balance as during the ride we have to adapt to different types of trails, which also requires our constant vigilance.
6. Try a More Demanding Type of Biking
If you think you have become quite skillful in bike riding and can take on the harsh terrains, then you should take part in cyclocross. But what is cyclocross??
Cyclocross is a type of competition that requires you to ride your bike on pavement, grass, mud, steep hills and through many other obstacles. During the process, you might have to dismount and carry your bike on your shoulder. This is a very demanding activity which demands maximum intensity and offers only short recovery time periods. All these troubles are worth taking as it is extremely good for burning calories and will make your stomach flatter.
‘Fartlek’ is another type of biking that can be a part of your fitness regime. It means ‘speed play’ in Swedish and is similar to interval training. Fartlek consists of alternating periods of fast cycling and slower cycling. This kind of training reduces fat, as the body keeps burning the calories even long after the workout.
7. Recovery Time
First of all, you are not a machine, and even a machine requires rest. Thus taking proper rest, although often overlooked, is fundamental to your fitness. But how can sleeping at your home help you to become fit?
When your body is at rest, several physiological adaptations are made by your body. All of these changes contribute to making you a better rider. Providing your body with enough recovery time is essential for improving your fitness, while not giving your body enough rest could prove harmful to your body.
That’s why you should try to maintain a balance between your workout and recovery time.
Okay, that’s all I had for you! Anyways, we value our reader’s feedback. And, if you have any suggestion or idea that you think could be helpful to us, then please leave them in the comments section below.
Sophie Elise is a passionate cyclist, author and blogger. She is very passionate about writing on different types of women’s bikes, accessories, health, fitness and more and regularly writes on bestbikesforwomen.com.
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