Have you considered biking, but found reasons not to give it a whirl? The following five reasons will get you back on your bike again.
Biking is a simple sport to take up, even if you haven’t done it for years. No matter what your fitness level is, you can handle biking. All you have to do is regain your balance on that bike and you’ll be off! Feel free to go at whatever pace you feel comfortable, slowly working your way up as you get more comfortable.
Biking is a fabulous cardio exercise that burns plenty of calories. Let’s compare calorie burning for a few forms of exercise, assuming you weigh about 150 pounds and exercise for a half hour each day. A half hour of biking (moderate pace, easy course) is worth 264 calories. The same amount of time of general swimming will cover 200 calories. A half hour walk will only burn 132 calories. Throw yourself into a hearty biking workout to burn some calories.
It’s easy to find places to bike. You can bike at home, at the gym, both inside and out. Most hotels have stationary bikes in their workout rooms, and most vacation areas have bike rental shops on hand. There’s no excuse not to bike.
You can bike to actually get places and do things. Try biking instead of driving a car so that you combine your exercise routine with your daily commute or errands. You can actually get somewhere, doing something that is both good for your body and for the environment. Be sure to take safety precautions and wear a helmet and reflective gear, and to equip your bike with a rear view mirror and a sturdy lock.
Biking won’t wear out your joints like some sports. If you’ve twisted an ankle or ruined your knees with running on hard pavement, you will discover how gentle biking is. Biking will challenge your heart, lungsm and muscles without tearing up your joints and ligaments.
Pull that old bike out of the garage, get it tuned up, and give biking a try. If you need companionship, join a biking club, which will give you opportunities to go on long rides in the safety of a group. Or, if you prefer biking indoors, check out your local fitness club’s spin classes.
