Mountain Biking?

Question

Is riding a mountain bike THAT beneficial? I would like to start doing it and I bought a pretty nice one today. Does it help much health wise?

I plan on changing my life for the better. I am going to quit smoking starting tomorrow morning, and lay off of the Mountain Dew as well. I would like to go ride when I get a craving for a smoke.

Today I hit the trails and i'm already pretty damn soar. Does my master plan for world domination sound good?

Answer 1

Quitting smoking is a sumbitch. Trying to quit high levels of caffeine is also rough. Trying to ride at the same time you are quitting these highly addictive chemicals will probably be too much to handle, and you'll slide back to your old ways very quickly.

Try switching to a soda with lower caffeine levels, or better yet start drinking iced green tea. It still has natural caffeine, but is FAR better for you than Dew. Unless you want a week of migraines, wean yourself off of caffeine slowly.

Smoking is another problem. Try cutting down how much you smoke every day, and change up your smoking times. Use nicotine patches or gum to keep the cravings away and break your patterns of going outside to smoke. Eventually, you should be able to cut it down to only a few cigarettes per day, and at that point you can simply QUIT. You WILL be an ****** for a week or two, but that's the perfect time to get out and de-stress on the bicycle.

Expect to hack up lung butter for a while, and know that you will NEVER have full lung capacity again due to your smoking. But if you actually stick to your plan, I think you'll find that bicycling will do wonders for your overall happiness, give you a sense of accomplishment, and make you feel so much better than you did before.

Now if I can talk you into eating organic foods and staying away from McDonald's and Taco Bell...

Answer 2

1. I am a former road and track racer who has in recent years taken up cross country mountain biking. These days I prefer mountain biking to riding on the road for a few reasons: a. Even though you may more often have minor falls when mountain biking (due to the more technical terrain etc), at least you are not likely to be hit by a car, bus or truck - which can of course result in much more severe injuries. b. Generally speaking, mountain biking can take you to more scenic places. However, I have noticed two slight disadvantages of mountain biking: a. You seem to be very much affected by a lack of fitness - I really feel it if I am climbing up a steep uphill on my mountain bike. b. In the past couple of years my mountain bike has needed more frequent maintenance than my road bikes ever did. The chain and rear cluster seem to wear out a lot quicker than it does on a road bike. 2. Basically, the more you pay, the better your bike will be. So how much you spend should be determined by your own financial situation. At the very least, I would suggest getting a bike with all alloy components. Rear suspension can be good, but remember that it will add weight to your bike and that you will generally have to spend a lot more money to get a "dual suspension" bike that is as light as a "hard-tail".

Answer 3

I think you'll doing right. Mountain biking has brought to me a lot of benefits. My intention when I started riding (3 years ago, yeah!) was just to make some excercise.

But I found that it's a very fun activity, I get to meet different kind of people which have become friends, it's an awesome stress removal therapy, I have seen places I would never had seen otherwise.

I think it's good to replace a bad habit with a good habit. Good luck!

Answer 4

Its cardio vascular exercise. You need to do a few miles, perhaps 10 - 20 miles per time should be viable, but as long as you ride regularly it should have an effect.

Mountain biking involves climbing a lot of hills that are on rough terain. This is harder work, since you are having to strain more on the pedals, than road work.

Overall, a good work out for an hour or two.

Luck

Answer 5

dont ever go back to the smokes man. after a month or so u shouldnt want to. thats how i quit it was either the smokes or mt. biking and ive never went back. id die if i was still smokin those tasty Camel filters and trying to ride 20 mi.

Answer 6

yes it can be just as beneficial to your health as any other kinda bike riding... start off just going around the block if u feel perty good after that go off and explore..park trails etc. thats how I started and now I'm lookin to getting into bike races and triatholons.....good luck booster