Bicycling is a pleasurable way to view the countryside or commute to work. It allows you to travel without sitting in automobile traffic jams. It also has health benefits, including helping you to lose weight. Whether you bike mountain bike trails or just travel on city streets, you are sure to experience the enjoyment and health benefits that biking offers.
Significance
Bicycling burns significant amounts of calories if you compare it to walking. According to HealthStatus.com, a 150-pound person will burn 270 calories an hour biking at a leisurely pace. If you kick it up a notch to 12 to 14 mph, that same person will burn 594 calories. If you really go for the calorie burn, biking at 14 to 16 mph will burn 720 calories per hour. A pound lost is 3,500 calories. If you bike at this intense pace, you will lose one pound for every five days of biking.
Effects
Biking will target the muscles of your lower body. Regular exercise will tone and strengthen your quadriceps, hamstrings and calf muscles. Since biking also requires balance, you will also work your abdominal muscles. It is because you engage so many muscles that you will burn calories and lose weight. These muscles need energy. They will first use the sugar in your blood. Then they will tap the stored sugar and fat in your liver, muscles and fat tissue.
Benefits
Another benefit of biking is the effect on your cardiovascular system. The intensity of your activity will require plenty of oxygen. Your heart will need to work harder to deliver it to your muscles. This action will strengthen your heart and increase your lung capacity. In this way, you will become stronger for other activities in your life.
Evidence
The benefits and weight loss associated with biking are well documented. According to a 2010 study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, biking helped pre-menopausal women prevent weight gain when they biked at least four hours a week. A 2010 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association backed this evidence, recommending that women engage in 60 minutes a day of moderate-intensity activity most days of the week.
Considerations
Other factors can influence the amount of weight you will lose while biking. If you bike on hilly terrain, the demand on your body will be greater and the calorie burn will rise. Also, you will burn more calories if you use a mountain bike instead of a road bike. The wider width of the tires of a mountain bike creates more resistance, increasing the calorie burn.
References
- Health Status: Calories Burned Estimator:
- "Principles of Anatomy and Physiology"; G. Tortora et al; 2005
- "Archives of Internal Medicine"; Bicycle Riding, Walking, and Weight GAin in Premenopausal Women"; A. Lusk et al; June 2010
- "Journal of the American Medical Association"; Physical Activity and Weight Gain Prevention; L. I-Min et al; March 2010
Member Comments