As the holiday season approaches, a common factor among many is weight gain. Among multiple parties, sweets galore, and excess alcohol, it is hard to stay in shape and avoid extra pounds. However, one way to counteract weight gain is to enter the holiday season in great shape, so that if you do add a couple of pounds, it is not as noticeable.
Plus, if you continue your workouts during the holidays, you may even prevent gaining extra weight. An easy and enjoyable way to get in better shape is biking. Not only does it provide physical benefits, but it also has mental and emotional advantages. Plus, getting on your bike can take you to wonderful places and sceneries at a lesser cost. It’s like travelling and shedding of extra weight at the same time.Even when you go on a holiday at a different city, biking is a good way to enjoy the views, and expend less carbon footprints. There are lot of cities that are known to be bike-friendly, this includes Amsterdam, Helsinki, Vienna, Tokyo, Vancouver, Barcelona, Taipei among others.
While travelling at the moment is not as easy, you can still get to bike in your own city or neighborhood. If you are ready to get in better shape, check out the various women bicycles for sale.
5 Tips on How to Use Your Bike to Fight the Holiday Pounds
- Go for long rides: One of the best ways to lose pounds and burn fat is to perform cardio for an extended amount of time. You should aim for at least 60 minutes five to six days a week. This may sound like a lot, but the good news is you do not have to go at a fast pace. You should feel like you are working, but you should still be able to carry on a conversation. If you have a beach bike, it is perfect, because when you have good scenery, the ride goes by quickly.
- Work in a couple of interval sessions: To switch things up, you should add in some high-intensity intervals to some of your rides. You can substitute an interval session for one of your moderate-paced rides, or you can add them into your long rides.
- Ride to work: Using your bike to commute to work not only is better for the environment, but it also adds more calorie burn. This exercise will also help you be more focused at work.
- Cross train: Work in some alternate exercises during the week to work out other parts of your body. Try zumba, swimming, or weight lifting.
- Be realistic: You have a better chance of meeting your fitness goals if you set realistic goals, because you will be more likely to not give up. Also listen to your body, and if you need to take a day off to rest, do not beat yourself up, as you are storing energy for your next ride.
Biking Your Way to a Happier You
Biking has numerous physical advantages, but it is also beneficial in other ways. Regular exercise increases the good-feeling chemicals in your body, which makes you happier overall. Biking can be calming, and it also helps to improve concentration and focus. Not to mention that, meeting your fitness goals and losing weight helps to increase your self-confidence. Some of the benefits of regular biking include:
- it increases cardiovascular fitness
- it improves joint mobility
- it reduces anxiety and depression
- it helps burn fat
- it increases muscle strength and also flexibility
- it improves one’s posture
- it can help you have healthier lungs
- it brings you closer to nature
- less gas emission (let’s help nature!)
- you can go mini-travelling without leaving your home country
Biking is a great way to get and stay in shape. Not only does it help vanish the extra pounds, but it is an activity that can be enjoyed at any age and with everyone. If you are new to the sport, grab a sixthreezero women’s bike and take it out for a ride with the whole family.
I need to get on a bike again. It’s been years. I am sure I’d love it once I started.
I haven’t since the lockdowns started, but we’ll probably go by the weekend….have fun!
I love riding a bike, thanks for sharing these helpful tips.
It is nice to factor in ways to get exercise on a daily basis. These are easy enough to be able to incorporate into a routine.
I used to love bike riding when I was a kid. I think it was the freedom to go wherever I wanted (or so I thought.)
I envy those people who knows how to bike. Hehe. I find it so beneficial even when I was still a kid.