Biking and Diet Plans

Note: this is a copy of Bike Diva's article, Biking and Diet Plans, which first appeared on the Associated Content website on 12/20/07

World's First Spinning Bike?

The latest fad diets may be popular, because they offer a quick and easy way to loose weight. But in the long run dieters following these plans often gain back all the weight they lost, and sometimes even a few extra pounds, when they go back to their normal eating patterns.

Fad Diets Don't Work

One of my neighbors has been on just about every diet currently on the market. She has even lost a lot of weight following these various diet plans. Unfortunately, once she goes off these very restrictive diets, she ends up gaining back all the weight she originally lost. To loose weight and successfully keep it off you either have to radically change your eating habits or start to exercise on a routine basis. A combination of following a healthy diet and incorporating a moderate amount of exercise into your life is usually the best option.

Bike Riding and Weight Loss

Riding a bike, whether it be a mountain bike, road bike or beach cruiser, is a fantastic way to burn calories. Depending upon the intensity at which you ride, the average cyclist will burn between 400 and 600 calories per hour. I am a high intensity road biker and can burn between 800 and 1,000 calories per hour. On a recent century bike race that I participated in I burned over 5,600 calories during the 100 mile event. I treated myself to half of a 7-layer bar and peppermint mocha coffee later in the day and didn't even feel guilty about it.

Cold Weather Workouts

When the weather gets colder outside I have two options for keeping my cycling muscles in shape. One way is to participate in a weekly spinning class at my local gym. Spinning, is a high-intensity, group cycling class which lasts between 45 minutes to 1 hour. You can burn up to 500 calories in a single spinning class. We also have a bike trainer at our house. This allows my husband and I to put any of our bicycles onto the trainer turning them into a stationery bike. I like to ride the trainer in the fall and winter, especially after daylight savings time, when there are limited daylight hours for bike riding. I have the trainer setup near our TV/DVD combo so I can watch TV or a movie while riding the trainer to help prevent boredom.  

Additional Activities

In addition to riding my various bikes, I occasionally participate in other exercise programs. Activities such as lifting weights, to increase my upper body strength, and jogging, to increase my aerobic capacity, make me a stronger biker and help prevent boredom whenever I feel like I am spending too much time riding my bike.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

Comments

[Justin]

Great observations. My current efforts at fitness are to ride my bike on a trainer stand in the living room (usually for about 20 minutes at a time) and eat more healthily, e.g. by snacking on fruit before dinner. So far, I haven't been trying that hard, and I've lost the 5 lbs I put on over the holidays.

[Bike Diva]

Hi Justin,

I'm spoiled right now - I live in SE Florida and can bike outside year round. But I forget most of the rest of the world is in the middle of winter. Snow and ice aren't very great biking conditions.

Keep up the good work on the bike trainer! :)

[rob]

Great article,
Can you suggest a workout for a older person, who's hip was replaced? Loved to ride before the darn operation, however now I have a great deal of muscle pain after riding a short ( 6 miles ) distance. I stop while on this ride,you know for a short break,I have tried several ointments and they help for a short time but the darn soreness comes back right away.
Thanks for your input
Rob