We’ve all been there at some point or another. We step on the scale, look in the mirror, feel the tightness of our clothes and think “man, I need to get back into shape!” Regardless of your starting fitness level, we’ve all had a point where we’ve let ourselves slip past our prime a bit. But you know what? That’s totally fine, because we can always get back on the wagon again and give it another go!
One of the best ways to quickly improve your health is through cycling. Cycling offers several health benefits like cardiovascular training, muscular endurance training, as well as a multitude of mental health benefits.
If you’ve tried riding your bike to get into shape before, but haven’t gotten the results you wanted, it may be due to the fact that you went after it unprepared. That’s why we’ve stepped up and create a few tips to help you get back on track and get the best workout you can on your bike. Let’s get started!
Have a Goal in Mind
Weight loss is all about setting achievable goals. Obviously, we all have a large goal in mind. From achieving a certain weight or physique to riding in a competitive race or being able to keep up with the kids for longer, everyone has something that they’re working on.
The key is to assess your large goal and break it into smaller goals. Whether it’s losing 1-2 lbs. a week, eating healthier, or just getting more active, you have to take the large goals and create milestones for yourself to set yourself up for success and create a mindset that will keep you in the game for the long haul.
Use the same strategy for setting small goals for yourself when it comes to cycling. Start by committing to a consistent day of the week that you’ll ride your bike at least 20 minutes. After you’ve achieved that goal over a period of three weeks, step it up by adding another day that you’ll ride each week. Repeat the process until you’re riding between 3-5 days per week.
By following the small goal setting strategy, you’ll notice how easy it will be to increase the frequency of your rides, which in turn will improve your workouts!
Properly Fuel Your Body
Another key for successfully improving your cycling workouts is to ensure that you’re eating a well-balanced diet. This means that you’re consistently eating food that makes your body feel good throughout the day. The most important part of changing your eating habits is to plan ahead and be prepared.
Going through a fast-food drive thru for a burger and fries is an easy way to get some calories in, but those calories are often accompanied by loads of excess fat, salt, and sugar. While you may feel good as you’re eating them, you’ll end up regretting it on your bike ride because they’ll sit like a rock in your stomach.
Aim to eat whole, non-processed foods to help improve your diet and properly fuel your body. Just like with the small goals strategy we talked about earlier, find ways that you can implement healthier options in what you eat every day one meal at a time. Pick a meal and try to sub out unhealthy foods for healthy options.
As you improve your diet, you’ll notice that your body will feel lighter and more energized on your rides. This will ultimately result in you getting a much more intense and efficient workout in the end!
Vary Your Rides
The brain craves novelty. This basically means that to stay engaged, you need to change up what you’re doing! A big reason why a lot of people end up falling off the wagon when it comes to their bike workouts is that they get bored with doing the same thing day in and out.
Take control over this! There are so many ways to reengage your brain, so you don’t end up burning out on doing the same workout every day. Vary the routes that you take so that you’re changing the scenery where you ride. Try implementing sprints into your rides by pedaling as hard as you can for a short amount of time before resuming a casual pace. Look for opportunities to go up hill when you can and time yourself to see how fast you can get to the top. Make it a game!
The biggest take away here is to keep making your rides interesting. This will encourage you to continue to ride, which in turn will improve your bike workouts!
Be Consistent
The most important thing to improving your bike workouts is just being consistent about it. There are very few things in life that you can do well without consistent practice. Cycling is no different!
Think about it like this: you show up for the people who are important to you in your life. You show up to work each day to ensure that your job gets done. Treat your bike workouts in the same way. You’re important. So show up for yourself by being consistent and you’ll see how much impact this will have on your rides!
Final Thoughts
Cycling is a great way to get into and stay in shape. Whether you’re cycling competitively or just for fun, doing each of these things will help you go further and progress higher than you had before.
Remember to take things easy at first and build up. The last thing you want to do is to overload yourself from the get-go and end up falling off the wagon right at the beginning. Being consistent will allow you to build your intensity over time, but the key is to show up when you intend to and put the work in. Get 1% better every day and you’ll be surprised how much you can progress in a single year. Now go get after it!
