We have all been in situations where we thought we should get more exercise. We take a look at the exercise bike gathering dust in the corner of the bedroom and guilt finally gets the better of us. That’s when we decide to get changed and get on it, and we try and pedal for half an hour or more without stopping.
The effort might be admirable but the way we go about it isn’t always the best. If you aren’t used to exercising you should definitely start slowly and build up – and always make sure everything is okay with a quick visit to your doctor first.
This should really apply if you have been doing some other form of exercise and you now want to get started on the exercise bike. Doing something different requires different muscle groups so you will want to be sure you don’t overdo it to begin with.
But there is another important reason for not rushing into things. If you go with your high levels of enthusiasm and dive straight into a ten mile bike ride right from the start, you might not be too eager to do it again the next day! You will almost certainly ache and you might even be put off from ever doing it again.
This applies to all forms of exercise. So regardless of whether you are eyeing up your exercise bike or you are thinking about doing something else, you should plan ahead carefully to make sure you start slowly and build up gradually. In the long run you will get more from it if you focus on an easy start.
The whole point of regular exercise is to build up a habit of doing it regularly so you get the best benefits from it. If you cannot do that you won’t get the best results. So focus on the fact that you are going to build in a new habit and don’t worry too much if you don’t feel as if you are getting much exercise! The more you get used to doing it every day or two without even thinking about it, the more you will build up anyway.
If you have ever exercised regularly in the past you will know that you are gradually able to do more without consciously being aware of it. One day you might struggle to do two miles on your exercise bike, but a week later after pedalling away every other day you are able to do three quite happily. You will soon feel what is too easy for you and what is going to test your muscles, so go with what feels right at the time.
Now then, are you looking at your exercise bike in a whole different way? Try and view it as somewhere to spend some time each day, just having a leisurely cycle. Don’t think of it as somewhere to dread going to because you are in charge of how it feels – and it should be something to be enjoyed.