Cycling might not just help you trim down; it could also help you become healthier overall. There’s also nothing to it. It’s easy, efficient, and can be a lot of fun. Plus, it should be easy to pencil in on a packed schedule.

We already know it holds many physical benefits, but more importantly, it affords us mental and emotional perks we otherwise wouldn’t get without outdoor exercise. So, yes, getting into cycling should be a great way to lose weight. Then again, it’s also important to go about it the right way for optimal results.

How To Lose Weight Efficiently Through Cycling

Lose weight faster and healthier by approaching your cycling journey using the following tips:

1. Be Realistic About Your Goals

Don’t pursue cycling expecting it to remove belly fat within a week or so. That mindset tends to end up with some disappointing outcomes. Instead, set an achievable goal by using your BMI as guidance.

The Body Mass Index focuses on the height to weight ratio to tell you your weight status. It should shed light on the ideal target weight for someone of your stature. It’s not perfect, as it doesn’t account for body fat composition, but it should be enough to get you started on a good note.

Of course, you can always go ahead and use body fat percentage from the onset. Aim for the healthy maximum of 18 percent body fat for an adult man or 32 percent for an adult woman. Intense cycling can take your fat percentage as far down as eight percent if you’re a man and 24 percent if you’re a woman.

2. Target One Kilogram or Week Weight Loss Goal

Speaking of realistic goals, aiming to lose a kilogram a week through cycling should be a good one. It’s not uncommon to lose more than this figure when you’re on a healthy diet but stick to no higher than this number if you’re mostly relying on cycling.

Remember, slow and steady wins the race. Also, even if you manage to lose more than a kilogram a week, you won’t likely be able to maintain it and gain the weight back.

Go cycling gradually, incorporating it into your lifestyle at your own pace. This approach lets you maintain the outcomes of the activity long-term. According to experts, doing at least an hour of cycling per day should help you lose one kilogram in a week more often than not.

3. Keep the Pace Moderate Early On

To lose fat, it is said that your pace has to result in a heart rate between 68 and 80 percent of the maximum. A bike monitor or heart rate monitor should help you set this up, though you should get your heart going at this rate by riding at a moderate pace.

A moderate pace should leave you out of breath after a ride, but not too much that it takes a few minutes to settle yourself. This level of riding is known as baseline training. It’s tiring, but not too exhausting that you don’t want to do it again. On the contrary, it should have you itching to give it another go the next day.

4. Ride to Work When You Can

If it’s possible to commute to your workplace, do it. This can be your cycling exercise instead of having to slot the activity into your evening schedule. Some would rather stay at home and rest after work, as that can also be key to shedding off those pounds.

Losing weight by cycling also has sufficient science-backing. A study showed those who switched to cycling from public transport or driving lost around seven kilograms over the course of 12 months. That’s from at least 30 minutes of cycling every day.

Aside from that, cycling helps improve focus and concentration, reduces stress levels, and boosts creativity. Thus, there’s a good chance it helps you become more productive at work.

5. Slot High-intensity Sessions Into Your Weekly Schedule

Do some high-intensity interval training at least twice a week to boost cardiovascular endurance. You should still be able to lose weight even if you don’t, but making time for these heavy training sessions should make you an even more efficient fat-burning machine.

It should be sufficient to swap two to three of your normal rides for these, or you can do a half-and-half. Cycle as you usually do one way and make it more intense on the ride back.

So, Does Cycling Help You Lose Weight?

As you can see, it very much does. It may even do a better job when paired with healthy eating and an overall healthy lifestyle. In fact, the best way to go about cycling is to incorporate it into your lifestyle. That’s when the activity is in its best calorie-burning stage!