Bike Commute for Weight Loss

Combined with a healthy eating plan, commuting to work by bike regularly will help you meet your weight-loss goals. Biking to work instead of driving significantly boosts your caloric expenditure, which is beneficial for any weight-loss program. A study published in a 2009 issue of “Archives of Medicine” found that individuals who regularly commuted by walking or biking to work had lower body mass indexes, blood pressures and triglyceride levels, and were less likely to be obese.

Weight-Loss Basics

• For safe but effective weight loss, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends losing 1 to 2 pounds per week. Burning an additional 500 calories a day commuting to work can help you lose 1 pound weekly. Combine your biking workout with a 500-calorie daily deficit from dieting, and you’ll likely lose about 2 pounds each week. Always get your doctor’s permission before beginning a new workout program, even if it’s commuting to work.

Exercise Duration

• A longer commute to work increases your chances of weight-loss success. A study published in 2009 in “Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise” suggests exercising more than 250 minutes weekly can produce significant weight loss. A 2009 review published in “The Ochsner Journal” recommends getting 45 to 60 minutes of exercise, five to seven days each week, for successful weight loss.

Calories Burned

• The number of calories you’ll burn biking to work varies by your body weight. Harvard Health Publications report a 125-pound person will burn 480 calories, a 155-pound individual expends 596 calories and a 185-pound person burns about 710 calories biking for one hour at a pace of 12 to 14 miles per hour. Boosting the biking speed to 16 to 19 miles per hour means a 125- to 185-pound adult will burn 720 to 1,066 calories in just one hour, Harvard Health Publications estimate.

Importance of Diet

• Regardless of how far you commute to work, you won’t lose weight if you overeat. If your commute to work is a short distance, focus on getting other forms of physical activity or reducing your calorie intake. Eating plenty of high-protein foods will increase satiety and help boost your calorie expenditure, according to a 2009 review published in the “Journal of Nutrition.” Protein-rich choices include lean meats, skinless poultry, egg whites, seafood, low-fat dairy foods, soy products, legumes, seitan, nuts and seeds.