Don't like to run, but you still want to get a great aerobic workout and cut some pounds? Looking for a way to burn calories and be able to vary the workout you perform? Why not try bicycling? Not sure where to start, or you want a little more formality than just hopping on a bike and going? Check out "Ride Your Way Lean: The Ultimate Plan For Burning Fat And Getting Fit On A Bike" by Selene Yeager and the Editors of "Bicycling." This well organized book will assist you with everything you need to develop a biking exercise program to burn calories, drop weight, and stay fit for life.
The book starts off with an introduction that shares a personal story and then why cycling can not only help you lose weight and get in shape, but it is also gentle on the joints and gets you out of the gym, as well as other benefits.
Chapter one focuses on the facts about fat and why we gain weight and how to lose it. It then focuses on how to pedal fat off, benefits of cycling, and then provides information on weight, BMI, and your waistline.
The second chapter gears you up for hitting the road to weight loss. If you don't have a bike, this chapter will assist with selecting one that is right for you and what you want to do with it. Besides some general guidelines for bikes, the chapter contains information on clothes, shoes, etc. as well.
Chapter three explains how to use your bike as the ultimate weight-loss tool. Learn about burning calories on your bike, and how to grow your fat-burning engines and how to build your cycling strength. Good basic primer for the person who has not used a bike for working out.
Chapter four is titled "Ride It Off" and contains plans to lose the weight you want to lose. This chapter explores training as more than just jumping on your bike and riding. It contains some good information regarding making a bike training plan.
The fifth chapter is on eating. Burning calories is only part of a weight-loss plan, and this chapter provides some basic information on nutrition and sound eating for weight-loss. Obviously there are many ways to eat, and many diets. Look at all the books available. This chapter does provide some simple basics that will make a difference if you follow the guidelines.
What if you live somewhere like I do, where it is tough to ride year round? Chapter six tackles taking it inside. It provides information on indoor cycling training. Yeager even includes some of the songs she likes to ride to for different effects. However, the indoor bike I've grown to enjoy, because of the different courses and ways to motivate yourself while riding, the expresso line of bikes, were not mentioned.
While I agree that biking can be great exercise, I still think a person needs more than just bike riding, and that is why I liked chapter seven and the inclusion of other exercises to include in a person's exercise and fitness program. There are some basic exercises and stretches, that hopefully will motivate a person to go beyond them once they are mastered. There were also suggestions on doing other forms of exercise such as swimming, hiking, jogging, skiing, and strength-training. You will have to look to other sources to learn about these if you are not already familiar with them and including them in your routine. I especially think everyone should have some strength-training in their fitness regime.
The final chapter, chapter eight, provides a few tips to help you keep the weight off once you have lost it. Overall, this is a solid, well laid out book for the person who wants to use a bike to lose weight and get in shape. It's a basic book, and provides good general information. It's aimed at the novice, and the person who wants to lose weight, not the competitive cyclist or hard-core fitness athlete. It's a good book and I hope it helps people to get out there and pedal their way to fitness.
Alain Burrese, J.D. is a writer, speaker, and mediator who teaches how to live, take action, and get things done through the Warrior's Edge. He is an expert on conflict and mediates and teaches conflict resolution and negotiation. Alain combines his military, martial art, and Asian experiences with his business, law, and conflict resolution education into a powerful way of living with balance, honor, and integrity. He teaches how to use the Warrior's Edge to Take Action and Achieve Remarkable Results, as well as resolve conflict and negotiate. Additionally, he teaches physical conflict skills in his Hapkido and Self-Defense courses, lectures, and seminars. Alain is the author of Hard-Won Wisdom From The School Of Hard Knocks, the DVDs Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, the Lock On Joint Locking series, and numerous articles and reviews.
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