Can you lose weight by just cycling?
Cycling does, in fact, help to reduce belly fat, as well as any existing body fat by burning calories and boosting your metabolism. An hour of vigorous cycling can burn between 590 and 930 calories.
Tell me, how many times have you asked this question before?
Well, Don’t worry. Today, we will give you a one stop answer for that question. So, Let’s get started
Belly fat is a problem that has plagued persons from all age groups, worldwide for as long as we could remember, leading to many quick fix and unsafe developments that do more harm than good, and sometimes even leads its victims to fatality.
Despite the fact that its appearance is unappealing, there are many other reasons to get rid of excess belly fat including its numerous health complications.
An article written by the Harvard Medical School, states that excess visceral fat can cause many deteriorating health problems, by producing more molecules that develop chronic health conditions such as cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer.
Essentially, the more belly fat you have, the higher your risk becomes for developing health complications.
A safer and more economically viable way of getting rid of belly fat is to take up cycling as a sport or hobby.
Getting on a bike could be the major difference between a heart attack or an extension of your lifespan. Cycling does, in fact, help to reduce belly fat, as well as any existing body fat by burning calories and boosting your metabolism.
Cycling will also help to tone and sculpt your core, increase your body’s production of fat burning hormones and substances and suppress your appetite, leading to a lifestyle change as opposed to a quick fix that will have you regaining the weight in a matter of months.
But before you jump on a bike, here are some tips that’ll help you through this journey.
Tips When Using Cycling to Get Rid of Belly Fat
Nutrition (Eat healthier foods)
Have you ever heard the saying “abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym”? Well, guess what, it’s completely accurate.
While cycling will play a major role in the fat burning process, eating the wrong foods can completely kill the entire process, and significantly decrease the amount of weight you are able to lose over a specific time period.
Even if you do lose your belly fat without adjusting your diet, the minute you stop cycling, it will come right back on, putting you right back where you started.
Try your best to gradually remove unhealthy options from your diet, and introduce more body friendly foods such as vegetables and fruits.
Your main aim is to lose more calories than you intake, so switching saturated fats and complex carbs for more vegetables and simpler carbs will do the trick.
Saturated fats and trans fats should be avoided, and include foods such as cheese, milk, cream and certain meats and pastries.
Ensure that you also stay away from alcoholic drinks and sweets which generally are extremely bad for your health as well as your belly fat.
Another noteworthy point is to never starve yourself. Starvation may seem smart but it actually harms your body and hinders the entire process of losing your belly fat.
Starvation will cause your body to underperform in cycling because of a lack of energy, and can also result in weight gain, as your body will enter into starvation mode and store all the calories you get in fear of not getting any more.
This process also slows down the metabolism so you burn fewer calories than you normally would on a daily basis.
Cycle at a steady pace
If you’re a beginner at cycling, this may be a little difficult for you but as you continue, you’ll get the hang of it. Try your best to ride at a consistent and steady but moderately rigorous pace.
This will help you burn the same amount of fat each time, and as your metabolism increases, even more, fat than before.
Ideally, you should have a highly intensive cycling session at least three times per week to get your desired results, and you should be aiming to reach your maximum heart rate for each session.
While consistently getting your work out at a steady pace, be careful not to overdo it. Excessive high-intensity cycling sessions can cause harm to your body by putting it under a lot of stress to overperform, which will only result in you losing less belly fat because the process was deterred.
Overperformance can lead to chronic inflammation, which in turn causes your body to hold on to excess belly fat. Instead, have a controlled and comfortable rate at which you cycle but still meet your goals and targets.
Consider adding interval training
While cycling at a steady pace is best for beginners, cycling at varied intervals will burn a lot more calories.
If manageable, try to cycle at different speeds throughout your session, beginning with cycling slowly for 30 seconds, then cycling quickly for a minute, and repeating this as needed.
This will help to keep your heart rate up, so be careful especially if you struggle with chronic health issues such as hypertension, but otherwise go at this pace for better results.
Another added benefit of interval training is that it keeps your metabolism elevated for the next 12 hours, which also significantly increases the number of calories burnt.
Engage your core
Firstly, this is not an attempt at spot reduction because it genuinely doesn’t help to burn belly fat as you would expect, but instead, engaging your core helps to strengthen your stomach muscles and cause you to be stronger.
Engaging your core also makes your abdomen appear more sculpted and defined, and ideally results in you having better posture.
A change in posture will help you to visibly appear slimmer in the midsection area, even if you are not.
During your cycling session, you can engage your core in the workout by maintaining an average abdominal contraction, meaning you don’t place a lot of pressure on your arms nor do you lean too far forward.
Instead, use your core to hold you steadily in position on your bike, and also to control the movement and position of your arms and feet.
Eliminate stress & other mental health issues
Stress and moodiness can significantly lower your body’s ability to burn calories, so attempt to lower the stress and other issues such as depression and anxiety, if you want to get rid of your little pudge.
Exercising is a known mood lifter, so after a few weeks, you may feel your moodiness changing, which in turn will cause you to be happier and healthier. Stress can be one of the hardest issues to combat, but getting rid of it will benefit both your mental and physical health, in the long run.
Rest well
One of the best ways to boost your weight loss goals is to turn the lights off and go to bed. A study conducted by the International Journal of Obesity has stated that the level of sleep one gets is directly connected to meeting or missing weight loss goals.
The study concluded that persons who slept between six and eight hours nightly had a higher chance of meeting their weight loss goals than those who got less or more rest.
Sleep is also necessary for your body to recuperate after a workout, and helps to repair muscles and prevent exercise-related injuries.
Cycling is a great way to combat excess belly fat and get rid of that pudge once and for all, and with these tips, you’ll eliminate that gut in no time. So what are you waiting for? Get cycling today! For More Information on Bikes & Awesome Products visit our homepage
