Cycling for Weight Loss • Ride Your Bike; Lose Some Weight • Eliminating Roadblocks to Weight Loss If weight loss is your objective, cycling can be very beneficial. A gradual weight loss of approximately one pound a week is a wise goal. Gradual weight loss helps to maintain muscle tissue (remember sitting on the couch burning calories?) and will greatly increase your chance of long term success. People who lose a great deal of weight quickly, often through deprivation-type diets, are very likely to regain the pounds within the first year. Eliminating or burning 3500 calories will result in a weight loss of one pound. Assuming that you burn approximately 500 calories on a one hour bicycle ride, a daily ride would equal a one pound weight loss after just one week! One side note about lifestyle changes: they are best made one at a time. If daily physical activity is a new part of your life, deny the urge to make too many other changes until the daily activity is established. Oftentimes people attempt to reform themselves in dramatic and unrealistic ways and the outcome is doomed for failure. (Consider some of your past New Year’s resolutions.) In other words, it is probably not a good idea to start exercising, give up sugar, caffeine and cigarettes all at the same time. Better Eating = Better Cycling = Better Body • Whole Foods for Weight Loss • Basic Nutrition for Better Biking Once you have established a regular cycling routine and are reaping the benefits of feeling stronger and healthier, you may want to make somesmall dietary changes. The key to a healthy diet is increasing whole foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains and other foods that are naturally whole and unprocessed) and knocking out the less healthy portions of your diet. Eating a diet rich with fruits, vegetables and whole grainswill support the loss of extra pounds while fueling your body on cycling excursions. In time, cycling will help you to feel stronger, leaner and more positive about your body. If you continue with daily activity and healthful eating, a better body is a sure thing.
Text of Cycling for Fit Life
CYCLING FOR FIT LIFE Shri Bheemalingeswaraswamy Adhyayana
Kendram www.shribheemalingeswaraswamy.org Shri
Bheemalingeswaraswamy Adhyayana Kendram
Issued by Shri Bheemalingeswaraswamy Adhyayana Kendram
www.shribheemalingeswaraswamy.org Suggestions
[email protected] Public Interest @2014-2015 Shri
Bheemalingeswaraswamy Adhyayana Kendram
www.shribheemalingeswaraswamy.org
Why Bike? Top 5 Reasons to Ride Lots of people ride bikes for
lots of different reasons. Here are the top five reasons why you
should be out there too. 1. For Your Body Riding a bike offers many
health benefits. Here are just a few: increased cardiovascular
fitness increased strength increased balance and flexibility
increased endurance and stamina increased calories burned It can be
done by people of all ages, from childhood up even through the
adult years when achy joints don't allow for more stressful
exercise like jogging. 2. For Your State of Mind Riding a bike is a
proven stress releaser. Regardless of if you are riding purely for
pleasure or for a specific purpose, you will arrive at your
destination feeling relaxed, energized and happier about the world
and yourself. Plus, being out on your bike is just flat-out fun.
The more time you spend on two wheels, the harder it is to take
yourself too seriously. 3. For Your Community Being out on your
bike is good for the people around you as well. You are able to go
the places you want to go and yet put one less car on the road. You
dont bring with you the noise that a car generates and are actually
able to interaction with people as you move. From my bike I can
wave to a neighbor, say hi to a kid, smell someones dinner cooking
and be a warm and friendly human presence on the streets. Also, not
insignificant: operating a bicycling does not harm the environment.
There is no polluting exhaust released, no oil or gas consumed. And
the energy and materials used to manufacture one automobile could
be used to created a hundred bikes. 4. For Convenience There is an
undeniable convenience factor youll discover when riding a bike.
Front row parking spaces are guaranteed no matter where you go.
Traffic jams are also irrelevant. Though cars will certainly make
better time on long trips, youll find for many short trips or
through heavy traffic, you can travel just as fast or faster on
your bike. Have you ever been to a massive festival or concert in a
park somewhere, the type of event that draws so many people that
just getting there is a problem? Going in on a bike is a perfect
Shri Bheemalingeswaraswamy Adhyayana Kendram
www.shribheemalingeswaraswamy.org
solution. Zip in, zip out. You dont have to get there hours
early to get a parking spot or else face parking miles away from
the event. And you wont have to wait hours in traffic to get out
once its over. 5. For Your Pocketbook It costs between 20 and 30
cents per mile to operate a car, depending on the vehicle. This is
based on expenses like gas, oil, maintenance, etc., that go up when
you drive more. This figure doesnt include the hidden costs of
vehicle ownership like depreciation, taxes, and insurance. These
factors make the actual per mile cost to operate a car much higher.
When you start multiplying cost per mile to operate a car by the
distance you ride, you can easily calculate how much money you save
by riding a bike. For example: my daily roundtrip commute is 16
miles. If I do that just twice a week, I will save over $400 in
operating costs alone in the course of a year. (16 miles x 2 trips
per week x 52 weeks x .25 cents per mile.) And if you would
otherwise have to pay for parking, tolls, and the like, dont forget
to factor that in too. It can add up quickly. Ride For You When you
ride your bike, you are doing a lot of good things, many of which
are for the benefit of others. But ultimately, the one who benefits
the most is you, through better health, peace of mind, increased
confidence and self-reliance, heck, even through a fatter bank
account. So for all these reasons, get out there on your bike
today. Even if you dont save the world in the process, youll still
have fun trying! Bike Your Way to a Better Body Bicycling is a
great way to see the outdoors, take in the fresh air, or simply get
around town. Its also an efficient way to burn excess calories,
shed body fat and improve cardiovascular health. Depending on your
body weight and the intensity of your ride, you will probably burn
some where between 400 and 500 calories on a one hour bicycling
trip. Ride Your Bike; Lose Some Weight Eliminating Roadblocks to
Weight Loss Whole Foods for Weight Loss Basic Nutrition for Better
Bike Riding The motion of bicycling, especially uphill and high
intensity cycling, is a great way to develop muscle and burn fat.
As both the large (quadriceps and hamstring) and small (calf)
muscles of the legs work, they become stronger and more developed.
The beauty of developing more muscle is that it not only makes the
body look leaner and stronger, but it raises the resting metabolic
rate. The higher your resting metabolic rate, the more calories you
burn even at rest. So eight hours after your bike ride, sitting on
your couch, youre still burning extra calories! Shri
Bheemalingeswaraswamy Adhyayana Kendram
www.shribheemalingeswaraswamy.org
Bicycling also works to strengthen the core region of the body,
the abdominal and back muscles. A strong core is essential for good
balance and posture, and beneficial for activities of daily living
such as lifting groceries, carrying children and doing yard work.
Build a stronger core: Pilates exercises for cyclists Cycling for
Weight Loss Ride Your Bike; Lose Some Weight Eliminating Roadblocks
to Weight Loss If weight loss is your objective, cycling can be
very beneficial. A gradual weight loss of approximately one pound a
week is a wise goal. Gradual weight loss helps to maintain muscle
tissue (remember sitting on the couch burning calories?) and will
greatly increase your chance of long term success. People who lose
a great deal of weight quickly, often through deprivationtype
diets, are very likely to regain the pounds within the first year.
Eliminating or burning 3500 calories will result in a weight loss
of one pound. Assuming that you burn approximately 500 calories on
a one hour bicycle ride, a daily ride would equal a one pound
weight loss after just one week! One side note about lifestyle
changes: they are best made one at a time. If daily physical
activity is a new part of your life, deny the urge to make too many
other changes until the daily activity is established. Oftentimes
people attempt to reform themselves in dramatic and unrealistic
ways and the outcome is doomed for failure. (Consider some of your
past New Years resolutions.) In other words, it is probably not a
good idea to start exercising, give up sugar, caffeine and
cigarettes all at the same time. Better Eating = Better Cycling =
Better Body Whole Foods for Weight Loss Basic Nutrition for Better
Biking Once you have established a regular cycling routine and are
reaping the benefits of feeling stronger and healthier, you may
want to make somesmall dietary changes. The key to a healthy diet
is increasing whole foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains and
other foods that are naturally whole and unprocessed) and knocking
out the less healthy portions of your diet. Eating a diet rich with
fruits, vegetables and whole grainswill support the loss of extra
pounds while fueling your body on cycling excursions. In time,
cycling will help you to feel stronger, leaner and more positive
about your body. If you continue with daily activity and healthful
eating, a better body is a sure thing. Shri Bheemalingeswaraswamy
Adhyayana Kendram www.shribheemalingeswaraswamy.org
Biking for Weight Loss So, youre thinking that its time to lose
a few pounds, but youre not sure how to get started. How about
dusting off that bike in the garage and taking it out for a spin?
Bicycling is ideal for weight loss because it burns a lot of
calories. Riding at a moderate speed (12 14 mph) you will burn
approximately 235 calories per half hour. Consider cycling for
weight loss in a variety of ways. How about these options? Try
having a scheduled daily ride of about an hour. Could you ride your
bike to and from work or school? If you did this most days of the
week and ate a healthy diet, you could easily expect to lose one
pound a week. (Related article: How to Get Started in Bike
Commuting) Another option is to plan family or group rides a few
times a week. Make this a longer ride of a couple hours. Coupled
with a healthy diet this would also bring a weight loss of about
one pound a week. Plan times throughout your week to fit in a bike
ride, such as running errands or visiting a friend. These
activities will all add up to calories burned and pounds shed.
Plus, they are also just a lot of fun and surprisingly easy way to
fit in exercise. When losing weight, this rate of sheding a pound a
week or so is about right. Long term success is rarely achieved by
crazy crash diets. If you lose more than a pound per week, you are
essentially starving yourself, and your body responds accordingly.
It tries to save calories wherever possible, and your metabolism
will slow and you risk losing muscle tissue. The best way to lose
weight and keep it off is by exercising regularly and making
healthy food choices. Remember this: food is fuel for your body. To
keep your body running at full speed, you need to plan your meals
around whole foods with minimal processing. Things like whole
grains, fruits, vegetables and lean meats and dairy. The fruits,
vegetables and grains will provide needed carbohydrates to fuel
your activity, while the lean meats and low fat dairy products will
encourage weight loss and provide protein for muscle development.
If you are new to healthy eating, search the Internet for healthy
recipes or invest in a good cookbook. Basic Nutrition for Better
Bike Riding One of the best things about riding your bike is that
you get a free pass to eat what you want, right? Well, sort of. You
can definitely consume more calories, but the right eating plan
will give you energy, help you feel better, fuel your body more
efficiently and help you lose weight, if that is your goal. The
best eating plan for a cyclist is one that includes plenty of low
fat, high carbohydrate foods to provide energy and fluids to offer
hydration. While carb is a four letter word to many dieters, they
are certainly not the diet-wrecking evil food that some people
might lead you to believe. Carbs are your bodys preferred source of
energy for cycling. Since you are constantly burning carbs to fuel
your cycling as well as daily activities, you must regularly
replace them with a high carbohydrate diet. The kind of carbs that
give all carbs a bad reputation are those made with simple sugars
and refined flours. These offer little nutritional value. Get your
fill of carbohydrates through fruits, Shri Bheemalingeswaraswamy
Adhyayana Kendram www.shribheemalingeswaraswamy.org
vegetables, beans, and whole grain breads, rice and pasta.
Round out your diet with lean protein and a small amount of fat.
When you eat is almost as important as what you eat. About an hour
before a ride, fuel up with a high carbohydrate snack or small
meal. Some ideas might be fresh fruit and whole grain toast or a
half whole wheat bagel with peanut butter. If your ride is longer
than 60 minutes, youll need to refuel with more carbs. Researchers
recommend about 30 to 40 grams of carbohydrate each 30 minutes you
ride beyond the first 60 minutes. This might be a good time to
consider a sports drink or energy bar. Eating a high carb snack or
meal within 60 minutes after a lengthy ride is important to
replenish your body and prepare you for your next ride. Cyclists
must make a conscious effort to drink fluids before, during and
after riding to stay hydrated. Becoming dehydrated is one of the
worst things that can happen to you and so it is important to be
proactive and push lots of fluids, even before you feel thirsty.
You'll want to drink at least 8 - 12 ounces of fluid immediately
before a ride, another 8 ounces every half hour during a ride, and
enough when you're finished to gradually replenish those lost
fluids after a ride. Whole Foods for Weight Loss If you want to
lose weight or simply feel better by eating healthier, consider the
source of what you eat. Do most of your foods come out of a box,
bag, or jar or do they still resemble something that grew? The best
diets are ones rich in whole foods and which contain few processed
foods. A whole food is just what it sounds like a food that you eat
whole, just the way nature intended. When foods are processed they
are often stripped of nutrients and filled with additives, and so
you want to eat things that are as close to their natural state as
possible. Fruits and vegetables are perfect examples. You can eat
them fresh from the garden, skin and all. Whole grains are healthy
because the most nutritious part of the grain is still intact. Good
Eating = Good Cycling Eating a diet rich with fruits, vegetables
and whole grains will support the loss of extra pounds while
fueling your body during those long rides. The vitamins, minerals
and phytonutrients in these foods are not only the best for
building muscle, but have been shown to protect the body against a
variety of chronic diseases including cancer and heart disease.
When choosing packaged foods, look for short ingredient lists. The
more stuff in your food, the more processed it is. Watch out for
words like "enriched" and ingredients that sound like they were
created by a mad scientist. It's a safe bet no one went out early
this morning and picked an azodicarbonamide from the garden, which
is an ingredient (a "dough conditioner") found in a Big Mac bun.
Start today by adding a fruit or vegetable to every meal. Keep
fresh fruit around and out on the table where it is easy to snack
on. We have a bowl of grapes that sit in the center of our kitchen
table, and I walk by and pop a few in my mouth each time I pass,
just like I used to do Shri Bheemalingeswaraswamy Adhyayana Kendram
www.shribheemalingeswaraswamy.org
with potato chips. These few tricks make it easy to hit the
recommended 5 fruits and vegetables a day and in no time at all,
you'll be well on your way to losing weight, feeling better, and
having more energy. 30 reasons to take up cycling Whether it's to
boost your fitness, health or bank balance, or as an environmental
choice, taking up cycling could be one of the best decisions you
ever make. Not convinced? Here are 30 major benefits of taking to
two wheels. 1. Youll get there faster Commute by bike in the UKs
major cities and youll get there in half the time of cars, research
by Citroen shows. In fact, if you drive for an hour in Cardiffs
rush hour, youll spend over 30 minutes going absolutely nowhere and
average just 7mph, compared to averaging around 12-15mph while
cycling. 2. Sleep more deeply An early morning ride might knacker
you out in the short term, but itll help you catch some quality
shut-eye when you get back to your pillow. Stanford University
School of Medicine researchers asked sedentary insomnia sufferers
to cycle for 20-30 minutes every other day. The result? The time
required for the insomniacs to fall asleep was reduced by half, and
sleep time increased by almost an hour. Exercising outside exposes
you to daylight, explains Professor Jim Horne from Loughborough
Universitys Sleep Research Centre. This helps get your circadian
rhythm back in sync, and also rids your body of cortisol, the
stress hormone that can prevent deep, regenerative sleep. 3. Look
younger Scientists at Stanford University have found that cycling
regularly can protect your skin against the harmful effects of UV
radiation and reduce the signs of ageing. Harley Street
dermatologist Dr Christopher Rowland Payne explains: Increased
circulation through exercise delivers oxygen and nutrients to skin
cells more effectively, while ushing harmful toxins out. Exercise
also creates an ideal environment within the body to optimise
collagen production, helping reduce the appearance of wrinkles and
speed up the healing process. Dont forget to slap on the factor 30
before you head out, though. 4. Boost your bowels According to
experts from Bristol University, the benets of cycling extend deep
into your core. Physical activity helps decrease the time it takes
food to move through the large intestine, limiting the amount of
water absorbed back into your body and leaving you with softer
stools, which are easier to pass, explains Harley Street
gastroenterologist Dr Ana Raimundo. In addition, aerobic exercise
accelerates your breathing and heart rate, which helps to stimulate
the contraction of intestinal muscles. As well as preventing you
from feeling bloated, this helps protect you against bowel cancer,
Dr Raimundo says. Shri Bheemalingeswaraswamy Adhyayana Kendram
www.shribheemalingeswaraswamy.org
5. Increase your brain power Need your grey matter to sparkle?
Then get pedalling. Researchers from Illinois University found that
a ve percent improvement in cardio-respiratory tness from cycling
led to an improvement of up to 15 percent in mental tests. Thats
because cycling helps build new brain cells in the hippocampus the
region responsible for memory, which deteriorates from the age of
30. It boosts blood ow and oxygen to the brain, which res and
regenerates receptors, explaining how exercise helps ward off
Alzheimers, says the studys author, Professor Arthur Kramer. 6.
Beat illness Forget apples, ridings the way to keep the doctor at
bay. Moderate exercise makes immune cells more active, so theyre
ready to ght off infection, says Cath Collins, chief dietician at
St Georges Hospital in London. In fact, according to research from
the University of North Carolina, people who cycle for 30 minutes,
ve days a week take about half as many sick days as couch potatoes.
7. Live longer Kings College London compared over 2,400 identical
twins and found those who did the equivalent of just three
45-minute rides a week were nine years biologically younger even
after discounting other inuences, such as body mass index (BMI) and
smoking. Those who exercise regularly are at signicantly lower risk
of cardiovascular disease, type two diabetes, all types of cancer,
high blood pressure and obesity, says Dr Lynn Cherkas, who
conducted the research. The body becomes much more efcient at
defending itself and regenerating new cells. 8. Save the planet
Twenty bicycles can be parked in the same space as one car. It
takes around ve percent of the materials and energy used to make a
car to build a bike, and a bike produces zero pollution. Bikes are
efcient, too you travel around three times as fast as walking for
the same amount of energy and, taking into account the fuel you put
in your engine, you do the equivalent of 2,924 miles to the gallon.
You have your weight ratio to thank: youre about six times heavier
than your bike, but a car is 20 times heavier than you. 9. Improve
your sex life Being more physically active improves your vascular
health, which has the knock-on effect of boosting your sex drive,
according to health experts in the US. One study from Cornell
University also concluded that male athletes have the sexual
prowess of men two to ve years younger, with physically t females
delaying the menopause by a similar amount of time. Shri
Bheemalingeswaraswamy Adhyayana Kendram
www.shribheemalingeswaraswamy.org
Meanwhile, research carried out at Harvard University found
that men aged over 50 who cycle for at least three hours a week
have a 30 percent lower risk of impotence than those who do little
exercise. 10. Its good breeding A bun in the oven could benet from
your riding as much as you. According to research from Michigan
University in the US, mums-to-be who regularly exercise during
pregnancy have an easier, less complicated labour, recover faster
and enjoy better overall mood throughout the nine months. Your
pride and joy also has a 50 percent lower chance of becoming obese
and enjoys better in-utero neurodevelopment. Theres no doubt that
moderate exercise such as cycling during pregnancy helps condition
the mother and protect the foetus, says Patrick OBrien, a spokesman
for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. A bun in
the oven could benet from your riding as much as you 11. Heal your
heart Studies from Purdue University in the US have shown that
regular cycling can cut your risk of heart disease by 50 percent.
And according to the British Heart Foundation, around 10,000 fatal
heart attacks could be avoided each year if people kept themselves
tter. Cycling just 20 miles a week reduces your risk of heart
disease to less than half that of those who take no exercise, it
says. Shri Bheemalingeswaraswamy Adhyayana Kendram
www.shribheemalingeswaraswamy.org
12. Your boss will love you No, we dont mean your Lycra-clad
buttocks will entice your superiors into a passionate ofce romance,
but theyll appreciate what cycling does for your usefulness to the
company. A study of 200 people carried out by the University of
Bristol found that employees who exercised before work or at
lunchtime improved their time and workload management, and it
boosted their motivation and their ability to deal with stress. The
study also reported that workers who exercised felt their
interpersonal performance was better, they took fewer breaks and
found it easier to nish work on time. Sadly, the study didnt nd a
direct link between cycling and getting a promotion. 13. Cycle away
from the big C Theres plenty of evidence that any exercise is
useful in warding off cancer, but some studies have shown that
cycling is specically good for keeping your cells in working order.
One long-term study carried out by Finnish researchers found that
men who exercised at a moderate level for at least 30 minutes a day
were half as likely to develop cancer as those who didnt. And one
of the moderate forms of exercise they cited? Cycling to work.
Other studies have found that women who cycle frequently reduce
their risk of breast cancer by 34 percent. 14. Lose weight in the
saddle Loads of people who want to shift some heft think that
heading out for a jog is the best way to start slimming down. But
while running does burn a ton of fat, its not kind to you if youre
a little larger than youd like to be. Think about it two to three
times your body weight goes crashing through your body when your
foot strikes the ground. If you weigh 16 stone, thats a lot of
force! Instead, start out on a bike most of your weight is taken by
the saddle, so your skeleton doesnt take a battering. Running can
wait 15. Youll make more money If youre cycling to lose weight then
you could be in line for a cash windfall Well, sort of. Researcher
Jay Zagorsky, from Ohio State University, analysed data from the
National Longitudinal Survey of Youth which saw 7,300 people
regularly interviewed between 1985 and 2000 to see how their
obesity and wealth changed over that period. Zagorsky concluded
that a one unit increase in body mass index (BMI) score
corresponded to an 800 or eight percent reduction in wealth. So,
shed a few BMI points on the bike and start earning. 16. Avoid
pollution Youd think a city cyclist would suck up much more
pollution than the drivers and passengers in the vehicles chucking
out the noxious gases. Not so, according to a study carried out by
Imperial College London. Researchers found that passengers in
buses, taxis and cars inhaled substantially more pollution than
cyclists and pedestrians. On average, taxi passengers were exposed
to more than 100,000 ultrane particles which can settle in the
lungs and damage cells per cubic centimetre. Bus passengers sucked
up just under 100,000 and people in cars inhaled about 40,000.
Cyclists, meanwhile, were exposed to just 8,000 ultrane particles
per cubic centimetre. Its thought that cyclists breathe in fewer
Shri Bheemalingeswaraswamy Adhyayana Kendram
www.shribheemalingeswaraswamy.org
fumes because we ride at the edge of the road and, unlike
drivers, arent directly in the line of exhaust smoke. Cyclists
breathe in fewer fumes than drivers 17. Enjoy healthy family time
Cycling is an activity the whole family can do together. The
smallest tyke can clamber into a bike seat or tow-along buggy, and
because its kind on your joints, theres nothing to stop
grandparents joining in too. Moreover, your riding habit could be
sowing the seeds for the next Bradley Wiggins. Studies have found
that, unsurprisingly, kids are inuenced by their parents exercise
choices. Put simply, if your kids see you riding regularly, they
think its normal and will want to follow your example. Dont be
surprised, though, if they become embarrassed by your tendency to
mismatch uorescent Lycra when they become teenagers. 18.It means
guilt-free snacks Upping your salt intake is seldom your doctors
advice, but in the few days leading up to a big ride orsportive,
thats exactly what you should do. This gives you the perfect excuse
to munch on crisps and other salty foods you might normally avoid.
The sodium in them helps protect your body against hyponatraemia, a
condition caused by drinking too much water without enough sodium
that can lead to disorientation, illness and worse. 19. Get better
at any sport Shri Bheemalingeswaraswamy Adhyayana Kendram
www.shribheemalingeswaraswamy.org
Whether you want to keep in prime shape or just improve your
weekly tennis game, a stint in the saddle is the way to begin. A
recent medical study from Norway carried the title Aerobic
Endurance Training Improves Soccer Performance, which makes it
pretty clear that the knockon benets to other sports and activities
are immense. 20. Make creative breakthroughs Writers, musicians,
artists, top executives and all kinds of other professionals use
exercise to solve mental blocks and make decisions including Jeremy
Paxman, Sir Alan Sugar and Spandau Ballet. A study found that just
25 minutes of aerobic exercise boosts at least one measure of
creative thinking. Credit goes to the ow of oxygen to your grey
matter when it matters most, sparking your neurons and giving you
breathing space away from the muddle and pressures of real life.
21. Youre helping others Many cyclists turn their health, tness and
determination into fundraising efforts for the less fortunate. The
London to Brighton bike ride has raised over 40 million for the
British Heart Foundation since the two became involved in 1980,
with countless other rides contributing to the coffers of worthy
causes. 22. You can get fit without trying too hard Regular,
everyday cycling has huge benets that can justify you binning your
walletcrippling gym membership. According to the National Forum for
Coronary Heart Disease Foundation in the US, regular cyclists enjoy
a tness level equal to that of a person whos 10 years younger. 23.
Boost your bellows No prizes for guessing that the lungs work
considerably harder than usual when you ride. An adult cycling
generally uses 10 times the oxygen theyd need to sit in front of
the TV for the same period. Even better, regular cycling will help
strengthen your cardiovascular system over time, enabling your
heart and lungs to work more efciently and getting more oxygen
where its needed, quicker. This means you can do more exercise for
less effort. How good does that sound? 24. Burn more fat Sports
physiologists have found that the bodys metabolic rate the efciency
with which it burns calories and fat is not only raised during a
ride, but for several hours afterwards. Even after cycling for 30
minutes, you could be burning a higher amount of total calories for
a few hours after you stop, says sports physiologist Mark Simpson
of Loughborough University. And as you get tter, the benets are
more profound. One recent study showed that cyclists who
incorporated fast intervals into their ride burned three-and-a-half
times more body fat than those who cycled constantly but at a
slower pace. Shri Bheemalingeswaraswamy Adhyayana Kendram
www.shribheemalingeswaraswamy.org
Cycling can help you lose pounds but don't take it too far! 25.
Youre developing a positive addiction Replace a harmful dependency
such as cigarettes, alcohol or eating too much chocolate with a
positive one, says William Glasser, author of Positive Addiction.
The result? Youre a happier, healthier person getting the kind of x
that boosts the good things in life. 26. Get (a legal) high Once a
thing of myth, the infamous runners high has been proven beyond
doubt by German scientists. Yet despite the name, this high is
applicable to all endurance athletes. University of Bonn
neurologists visualised endorphins in the brains of 10 volunteers
before and after a two-hour cardio session using a technique called
positive emission tomography (PET). Comparing the pre- and post-run
scans, they found evidence of more opiate binding of the happy
hormone in the frontal and limbic regions of the brain areas known
to be involved in emotional processing and dealing with stress.
Theres a direct link between feelings of wellbeing and exercise,
and for the rst time this study proves the physiological mechanism
behind that, explains study co-ordinator Professor Henning Boecker.
27. Make friends and stay healthy The social side of riding could
be doing you as much good as the actual exercise. University of
California researchers found socialising releases the hormone
oxytocin, which buffers the ght or ight response. Shri
Bheemalingeswaraswamy Adhyayana Kendram
www.shribheemalingeswaraswamy.org
Another nine-year study from Harvard Medical School found those
with the most friends cut the risk of an early death by more than
60 percent, reducing blood pressure and strengthening their immune
system. The results were so signicant that the researchers
concluded not having close friends or condants is as detrimental to
your health as smoking or carrying extra weight. Add in the tness
element of cycling too and youre onto a winner. 28. Be happy Even
if youre miserable when you saddle up, cranking through the miles
will lift your spirits. Any mild-to-moderate exercise releases
natural feel-good endorphins that help counter stress and make you
happy, explains Andrew McCulloch, chief executive of the Mental
Health Foundation. Thats probably why four times more GPs prescribe
exercise therapy as their most common treatment for depression
compared to three years ago. Just three 30-minute sessions a week
can be enough to give people the lift they need, says McCulloch.
29. Feeling tired? Go for a ride Sounds counter-intuitive but if
you feel too tired for a ride, the best thing you can do is go for
ride. Physical activity for even a few minutes is a surprisingly
effective wake-up call. A review of 12 studies on the link between
exercise and fatigue carried out between 1945 and 2005 found that
exercise directly lowers fatigue levels. 30. Spend quality time
with your partner It doesnt matter if your paces arent perfectly
matched just slow down and enjoy each others company. Many couples
make one or two riding dates every week. And it makes sense:
exercise helps release feel-good hormones, so after a ride youll
have a warm feeling towards each other even if he leaves the toilet
seat up and her hair is blocking the plughole again. Shri
Bheemalingeswaraswamy Adhyayana Kendram
www.shribheemalingeswaraswamy.org
Thank You Published By Shri Bheemalingeswaraswamy Adhyayana
Kendram www.shribheemalingeswaraswamy.org Kacharagadla Media
Corp