Cycling is a fantastic way to start your weight loss journey, for many different reasons. If the thought of exercising is one that doesn’t appeal to you, cycling is a low impact, and completely enjoyable activity. There are many ways and places to ride a bicycle to suit your physical ability, so read on to find out the advantages of cycling for weight loss.

Great exercise for beginners

Cycling is a great way to target weight loss in the legs and tummy area and fantastic for toning up leg muscles. Unlike running, cycling is a low impact sport, which is easy on the joints, meaning it’s actually a great option for those who are overweight to start burning calories without putting excess pressure on the ankle, hip and knee joints. Injuries can easily occur in high impact sports, particularly if you haven’t exercised in quite some time, but cycling can reduce the incidence of stress on the major joints making it a great place to start with some gentle physical exercise.

Cycling is fun

There is nothing more punishing than trying to lose weight and doing it with an activity that you don’t enjoy. Cycling is something that most of us were lucky enough to do as kids, and is filled with childhood nostalgia. You can travel further distances on a bicycle than you can by foot, so the opportunity to explore new territory on your bike is a great reason to start riding for fitness. You can take in the beautiful scenery on a bicycle, which is the perfect distraction from the thought that you are exercising. If you can get enjoyment out of your exercise, you are more likely to stick to your new routine and make it a regular occurrence which will help you to achieve that weight loss goal quicker!

It’s easy to set new goals

Cycling is such a popular sport; you can opt to ride on your own, or join a few friends and go cycling together. There are loads of amenities and support for cyclists now, including cycle ways, cycling events and cycling clubs and groups.

You can challenge yourself by increasing your kilometres cycled per week until you build up to some really decent distances, or you can create a segment that you like to ride and push to beat your best time.

Apps like Strava make it really easy to compete with other local cyclists in your area to see who the fastest cyclist is in a particular street – try and get yourself on the leader board for cyclists in your area. The motivation to continue riding will remain high if you have some targets you’re trying to achieve.

Cycling is the gateway to other sports

When you start to master cycling and you are craving the next level of fitness, you might also like to try another low impact sport such as swimming. Eventually if you segue into running, you’ll find yourself training for a duathlon or a triathlon, two events that can be extremely rewarding for your weight loss goals, fitness goals and sense of personal achievement.

Shop Cycling Essentials

Getting started with cycling requires a few things to begin. Things such as helmets and lights are essential for safety, see below essential items required: