What are the fitness and health benefits of cycling?Īside from being a great calorie burner and tool to help weight loss, cycling has additional compelling benefits to your health and fitness. Fits into your own schedule (no class start times etc).Easy on your joints (non weight bearing).Can be done outdoors, or indoors (with a stationary bike).In order for an activity to become part of a successful strategy to help you lose weight and keep it off, it needs to be accessible, inexpensive and ultimately something you can do without causing a lot of discomfort.Ĭycling has all of these advantages, and more: Why is cycling a good choice for weight loss? Whereas cycling can be a more appropriate and do-able exercise due to it's non weight bearing nature and reduced pressure on the joints.
The study also highlights that walking briskly can be difficult for those who are overweight, suffer from arthritis or other disabilities. The data showed that even small amounts of time spent getting on a bike can make a difference. As the time spent cycling increased, so did the positive benefit in terms of weight loss. There is a dose-response relationship between time spent cycling and weight change. These are robust findings from the Harvard School of Public Heath 1, which followed 18,414 women for 16 years. They help you to achieve a calorie deficit, keeping the balance tipped in the right direction for weight loss.Īs we saw earlier, cycling burns significant calories for the time spent - 50% more than walking, so it's easy to see how regular cycling (for leisure, commuting or as a workout) can help you to achieve your weight loss goals.Īn increase of 30min/day cycling compared with no activity or gentle walking resulted in significant weight loss - with the benefits of cycling as a weight management tool being considerably stronger among those who were overweight. It follows that activities which give you a 'good bang for your buck' in terms of calorie burn can be a huge help when trying to lose weight. You need a calorie deficit of 500 per day to lose 1lb a week, and 1000 per day to lose 2lb a week - that's 500 or 1000 less calories than your body needs each day. Simple in concept, but many of us struggle to implement this in practical and sustainable ways. if you use more calories than you put into your body, you will lose weight. Weight loss comes down to a simple truth. So cycling really helps you burn a substantial amount of calories without having to spend hours in the gym, but how can this help you to lose weight. *Based on an average woman of 5'5", 11st and aged 40, and an average man of 5'10", 13st, aged 40. Take a look at our cycling calorie charts below to plot your weight and calculate how many calories you'd burn by jumping on a bike.
Up the effort level to a more vigorous pace and an average woman will burn 314 calories in a 30 minute session, with an average man clocking up 358 (that's 628 and 716 cals burned respectively for an hours cycling).Ĭalculate how many calories you burn cycling Increase this to an hour and women will burn 404 cals, while men will burn 450. On average, cycling burns over 50% more calories than walking, minute for minute.įor an average woman*, just a 30 minute moderate cycling session will burn 202 calories, an average man* will burn 225 calories. For the same time spent riding around (or using a stationary bike) you'll burn more calories than walking briskly, or even doing low impact aerobics! What are the additional benefits of cycling to fitness and health?Ĭycling really packs a punch as an accessible, everyday activity calorie burner.How many calories does cycling burn? (Including charts so you can see how many calories you burn).We'll answer the three most important questions when it comes to choosing an exercise activity: Whether you're thinking of riding a bike through country lanes or using an exercise bike indoors, cycling can be a powerful tool to help you lose weight - burning a whopping 50% more calories than walking for the time spent! A fantastic activity for increasing your fitness level, regular cycling has some impressive health benefits too. During recent months cycling has boomed with bike sales going through the roof - but can cycling help you lose weight? Find out how many calories are burned cycling with our calculator charts, and discover how cycling is great for weight loss, fitness and health.