Taking Up Bicycling For Fitness

Are you a few pounds heavier than you'd like to be? Are you trying to figure out how to shed some of those pounds before the winter holidays hit? Finding an enjoyable way to exercise can be difficult. If going to the gym is not your kind of thing, yet you don't feel like exercising at home either, you may want to consider taking up cycling as a way to lose that extra weight. Cycling can have many advantages over other forms of exercise. Here are just a few of those advantages:

Low-impact: If you have problems with joint pain, it can be even harder to find an exercise that works for you. Walking or running may cause your knees to pop or ache, making you regret trying to exercise at all. On the other hand, riding a bike puts much less impact stress on your joints. Should you experience joint pain while biking, this may be a sign that the bicycle isn't properly adjusted. Before buying a bike, make sure to rent a bicycle or two to help you find one that will be the most comfortable for you to ride.

Fresh air: One thing that can be difficult to get either at home or at the gym is fresh air. When the weather outside is nice, it's a shame to waste it by spending your time in an air-conditioned gym or at home. It can be especially nice if you spend your time bicycling through more rural areas. If you don't have a roof rack on your vehicle to carry your bike out of the city, you might want to find a place near a hiking trail where you can rent a bicycle. This way you don't have to try to figure out how to bring a bike along, but you can still enjoy the great outdoors.

Run errands: One of the major drawbacks of exercising is that it can seem like a huge waste of time. You may be losing weight and getting healthy, but nothing "useful" is being done. As a result, you may find yourself skipping your weekly exercise in favor of popping to the store for a dozen eggs and a roll of paper towels. But with cycling, you can combine exercise and running errands. Unlike passively sitting in a car, you'll actually be burning calories when you're on a bike. And while your quick store runs may take a little longer on a bike than they would if you were driving, you could be saving time by doing two things at once versus going shopping and exercising separately. With a good-sized backpack, you may even be able to do much of your weekly shopping with a bike which will save you even more time.