I often hear people ask “What is the best exercise?” And the answer to that question is the one you like the most. Why? Because that’s the one your more likely to do! For many people, just one exercise would not be enough because although we all want to be in good shape and the proper weight, we all have different fitness goals… but for others, one exercise performed consistently and regularly provides all the benefits mentioned above and then some!

So… how many exercise plans do you need to receive all of the exercise benefits described above? One! That’s right… just one! And how many exercises do you need to do? That will depend on your particular fitness goals… your likes and dislikes… but the first question I encourage you to ask yourself is “What one exercise do I like the most? That answer will get you started on a good exercise plan.

Now…

Did you know that how often you exercise is the single most important factor in whether you:

• reach your weight loss goals
• will be satisfied with your results
• will feel good about your progress

You could own every piece of exercise equipment ever advertised on an infomercial, from an exercise bike to an exercise ball and every exercise machine in between, but if you’re not going to use them, then your exercise plan will never succeed. Now I’m not saying that you need to own exercise equipment to be in shape. There are many people who are in excellent condition who own nothing more then a pair of Nikes. If you get just one thing from reading this, understand that your fitness level is directly related to the frequency in which you exercise.

It doesn’t matter if you know how to do every imaginable abdominal exercise, dumbbell exercise, aerobic exercise, tricep, deltoid or backside exercise. The important thing is how often you do them!

I challenge you right now to base your exercise plan on frequency, and I promise you will be much more successful. Whether your exercise plan consists of 20 different exercises or one… please remember this.

Now I don’t want you to get carried away. There’s more to life than just exercising… much more. All I’m saying is when you set about creating an exercise plan, the frequency of exercise is crucial. So as you create your exercise plan answer these two questions:

1. What one exercise do I enjoy the most? Even if you currently hate all exercise… there must be one that you like or hate less than the others.
2. And secondly, how often can I sincerely do this?

Answer those two questions and your exercise plan will be off to a great start!

The first item of must have equipment for me is a good bicycle (not an exercise bike), but a real bicycle for cycling outdoors. While I know that walking is one of the best exercises that you can do, it just doesn’t do it for me – I find it somewhat boring and a bit of a task, whereas with cycling, I love the freedom of being able to travel much greater distances, see more of the world around me and get a significantly better fat burn for the time involved in exercising.

I can also burn around twice as many calories riding than I can walking for the same amount of timePlus when riding a bicycle I can get my heart rate up into the fat burning zone quite easily, even at a moderate pace, whereas with walking, I find it quite difficult to get my heart rate up to that same level without resorting jogging intermittently. I can also burn around twice as many calories riding than I can walking for the same amount of time.

At the moment I have two bicycles, a hybrid bike and a road bike. The hybrid bike I use for my shorter rides (workouts) and the road bike I use for my longer rides (usually an hour or more). I had previously owned a mountain bike, but like more than 75% of mountain bike owners, I rarely used it off road- It was meant for maneuvering rocky areas and hills, not flat concrete bike trails so the suspension forks, nobbly tyres and etc. became a hindrance when riding on the roads – hence the switch to a hybrid or city bike.

Make sure that your bicycle is the right size for you or it can become quite uncomfortable due to your incorrect body positioning, similarly, a good quality comfortable saddle (seat) is also important if you are planning to spend some time riding. You should be able to ride for a couple of hours without any pain or discomfort after. A good pair of cycling shorts (with chamois insert) is also highly recommended to reduce or minimise any discomfort in the crutch area.

At least one water bottle cage or carrier is also a must for your water bottle(s) to ensure you keep yourself well hydrated during your rides – drinking water at least every 20 minutes is recommended. I also have a small Cateye cycling computer attached to both bicycles, so that I can check my speed, average speed, time and distance traveled during and after a ride.

I also use and highly recommend a a heart rate monitor which includes a chest strap and a wrist unit that measures duration of exercise, time in “the zone” (your target heart rate to accomplish fat burning), average and maximum heart rate, and calories burned – but I will cover this item in more detail in a later post.

Bike riding is a fun part of my exercise and weight loss regimen, helping me to burn calories at an accelerated rate – so I suggest checking out a hybrid bike and customizing it to your needs.