Bicycling for Weight Loss
My exercise plan seems to be working. I’ve been bicycling a bit over 100 miles a week for the past five weeks at a brisk pace and in the process have dropped 10 pounds. As I wrote some days ago, it’s a LOT of work, but it’s also a fun way to get exercise and enjoy the countryside around Whatcom County. I vary my route, vary my mileage, and try to ride long distances only every other day to give my body time to rest. I’m not sure what I’ll do for exercise when I go back on the road to shoot fall gardens and attend the Garden Writers Association symposium in Oklahoma City later this month. In reality, probably not much. The most I’ll be able to hope for is to maintain what I’ve lost by watching what I eat.
Diet is definitely the other part of the weight loss como perder barriga equation. I’ve been able to keep the ice cream out, cut the beer and wine down from daily to once or twice a week, and eat much more fruit and vegetables in relation to meats and grains. It’s actually cheaper to eat that way, as well as being tasty and healthy.
I’m not sure that I feel any different or that I can pinch less fat around my middle, but that’s pretty subjective. My legs are definitely stronger from all the riding. Hills that required first gear a month ago can now be climbed in a slightly higher gear at a higher cadence. My average speed is increasing, too. Yesterday I rode 53.5 miles with a couple of hills and 7 miles of rollers and averaged 17.9 mph. My bike is 28 years old and considerably heavier than modern aluminum frames. I think I’m doing OK in the speed department, especially since I had a headwind on the homebound leg of my loop when I was getting tired.