While E-Bikes get most of their popularity from their convenience, you can also get quite a workout from using one! Due to the assistance provided by the motor, e-bikes are often criticized for being too easy on the legs, but you might be surprised to discover some of the amazing health benefits of riding an E-Bike.
Riding an electric bike is a great way to add more activity into your lifestyle and get fit. Riding an electric bike with pedal assist can burn an average of 280 calories/hr. By working more e-bike trips into your day-to-day life, you can improve your health by helping you relax and de-stress as well.
You might have some questions about using an e-bike, as you should. In theory, they don’t really seem to be the right choice if calorie-counting is on your mind. Well, that’s not quite the truth. But how can e-bikes help you get healthy? How many calories can you burn on an average ride? We’ve got all those answers and more-just read on!
Can Electric Bikes Help You Lose Weight and Stay Fit?
When it comes to bikes, there seems to be a strong correlation between riding and fitness. Well, if you add a motor to the mix, things aren’t that different. The fact is, e-bikes get a bad rap for being a slightly easier way to get from A to B. While this is true, you’ll still burn some calories when you ride.
Electric bikes will certainly help you lose weight, especially if you use pedal-assist. While using pedal assist on an e-bike, you can burn a fair amount of calories. Of course, the amount will vary depending on the rider, the speed, and the terrain.
Losing weight and staying fit is about more than just the equipment you use. It’s all about building healthy habits. For some of us, having a convenient way to get some exercise is just what you need to jumpstart an overall healthier lifestyle.
Part of what makes e-bikes so great is that they offer an easy way to get into bike riding. So using one could not only be a highly effective way to lose weight, but also a way to build the kind of habits that you need to get you into a healthier style of living.
Additionally, you’re not just stuck only using motorized assist. For most e-bikes, you can easily switch to manual mode. Meaning, you’ll be using your two feet to pedal all by their lonesome. But don’t think you’re stuck with it. Switching back and forth is easy, especially if you have a bike like this ECOTRIC Electric Bike (on Amazon). By using digital controls, adding a bit of extra juice during the last few miles of your trip can be more than simple.
Can Using an Electric Bike Be Good Exercise?
Talking about exercise is ultimately a question of cardio. What do we mean by this? Well, if your goal is to burn calories, then you need to get your heart rate up. When your heart rate is pumping, that means your body is working and burning energy. How you reach this point; well, it doesn’t really matter that much.
As long as your heart is pumping harder than normal, technically, you’re burning more calories than you would just by sitting. In fact, merely a change in temperature is enough to reach that point. Put yourself in an environment like a sauna, and you’re on your way to burning some additional calories (you can read more about that on SaunaVerse if interested). It’s one of the greatest benefits of using a sauna — which would be the perfect activity following an intense e-bike ride.
So when we’re talking e-bikes, if your heart is beating and your brow is sweating, you’re certainly getting a good amount of exercise. You can even burn calories in full motorized mode, at least more so than you would just sitting on the couch doing nothing.
How Many Calories Can You Burn on an Electric Bike?
Counting calories is a popular way for many to judge the overall effectiveness of an exercise type. While this is a great way to track progress, it shouldn’t be the only metric to determine success. In fact, sometimes the most important strategies involved with getting in shape is changing other habits in your life that accompany regular exercise, but more on that later.
If you’re one to keep track of your calorie count, here are the basic details. On average, using an e-bike burns around 280 calories per hour. That, of course, will depend on quite a few factors. Generally speaking though, a good couple hours on an e-bike is plenty to burn off your lunch.
Remember, calories aren’t the only aspect of health and fitness. Don’t get down if e-biking doesn’t quite match up with normal biking or other forms of exercise; that’s only one part of your healthy lifestyle equation. To really get the most out of your e-bike and burn the most calories, you need to start thinking about your daily routines and habits.
How E-Biking Regularly can Improve Your Health
Here is the big question. Before we begin, it’s worth noting that there is no wrong or right answer when it comes to your health. Always talk to a doctor before jumping into any routine or diet that could affect how your body operates.
While we can attest that e-biking is a relatively safe and convenient way to burn some calories, always exercise relative caution when taking up any hobby as a regular activity.
But when we talk about improving your health, e-biking does offer quite a few benefits that could lead you toward a healthier lifestyle. To help you out further, let’s explore some of the ways that e-biking can improve your health.
Building Better Habits
One of the great things about our minds is that we can train them. For some of us, it’s a bit more difficult, but for others, it just takes time, patience, and action. If it’s been a while since you started a daily exercise routine, it can definitely be intimidating to get back into it. E-bikes offer a great way to transition into building these kinds of habits that keep you on the path toward better health.
Sometimes, setting a goal that is way off your skill level, or motivation level, can be hard to get started. Start simple; riding your e-bike to work sounds a whole lot more appealing than riding a normal bike long distance. Setting smaller, more realistic goals, makes it easier to get into good habits. This is a fantastic strategy to getting healthy, but remember it should also focus on diet and other healthy habits as well.
Building a Calorie Deficit
Okay, now we’re going to get into some math. But don’t worry, we’ll keep it simple. Let’s say you eat around 2000 calories per day. Now, on your average non-biking day, you’ll burn around 1400-2600 calories. On days you sweat a little harder, you tilt toward the higher end. Days spent on the couch, well, those end up on the lower side of the scale.
Adding regular exercise, like a daily commute to work on your e-bike, allows you to burn calories consistently. So if you don’t change your diet, you’ll always be tilting the scale toward the lower end of calories burned for the day. It makes it easier to get into a calorie deficit.
Now we won’t get into the hard physiology of what happens in your body, but when you burn more calories than you eat, that energy has to come from somewhere. If you’ve got a little extra around the middle, that’s exactly where that fuel will come from. E-bikes can help you reach this point. Just don’t fall into the trap of eating more just because you are exercising more.
If you’re trying to lose weight, this isn’t the most recommended strategy. Don’t forget to always talk to your doctor about your health-specific needs.
Building a Better Lifestyle
Remember when we talk about habits and how powerful our minds can be, well, e-bikes may have another benefit that is more focused on us than it is on the bike. This time we’re talking about lifestyle changes.
Think about it this way, once you start riding your bike daily you’re become more motivated to be healthier; like magic, those donuts in the breakroom may become a little less appetizing.
Who knows, once you get into a more fixed riding routine, you could meet some friends who also like to e-bike around. They may invite you to do more outdoor activities, adding more and more to your weekly exercise practice. Just like that, you’re living a healthier lifestyle, and it all starts with the associations and good habits you built from riding your e-bike.
Can E-Bikes Help You De-Stress and Relax?
Just like exercise, relaxing is more than just one thing. In reality, there can be thousands of ways to destress and relax. That being said, plenty of people find success in e-biking, regardless of speed.
Even if you’re cruising using full motorized mode or sweating with pedal assist, you could be getting to the point where your mind starts releasing the compounds that help you breathe easier.
There can be other reasons for this change, too, not just the act of biking itself. In today’s world, there are a thousand things that make us want to pull our hair out. Even more, think of all the things that we don’t know cause us stress but keep us wired nonetheless. Phones, for example, provide an incredible way to access the web and talk with loved ones. But all those screens can give you subconscious triggers to start stressing out.
E-biking can be a great way to break your screen time. As while you bike, you’re getting outside! A lot can be said for taking a break from our tech-dominated lives and spending a little time in nature. Letting the breeze hit your face while e-biking through the woods somewhere might be exactly what you need to destress and relax.