Archive for October, 2009
A woman’s cycling diet
Tags: Cycling Apparel, Cycling Gear, Cycling Helmet, cycling shirts
Posted in Cycling Apparel, Cycling Gear on October 25th, 2009
Aside from the proper cycling apparel, proper diet is one thing that cyclists must take seriously. Diet doesn’t always mean eating less. In cycling, diet means eating the right kinds of food to sustain you with the essential vitamins and minerals needed to boost your performance.
Women get into cycling mainly as a form of exercise and to lose weight. Since women can store more fats than men, they tend to eat less to lose more. This is dangerous because there are certain things that come with eating less.
Be aware of what you eat but you must also ensure that you are not compromising your protein intake. Protein is needed to repair damaged muscles after each exercise. It helps in the generation of new muscles in place of the old muscle tissues that were destroyed. Lack of protein can lead to fatigue and anemia. No matter how sturdy your cycling helmet is to protect you from suddenly fainting, prevention of the effects is much better.
In watching what we eat, we are mindful of calorie intake. However, calories help with women’s menstruation. Not having enough calories can cause irregular to no period at all.
Contrary to what we’ve heard, coffee can actually be of help. The energy you use in cycling is taken from some fats and mostly from carbohydrates. Since fats are what we are aiming to lose, using up energy from fats would help big time. Caffeine can help increase the body’s ability to get energy from fats.
Iron can also be a problem. Iron is present in food that we take in and we need every last bit of it for hemoglobin regeneration, etc. If you eat less, you’re also cutting back on iron intake. You must consult a doctor so they can help make sure that you are losing fats and not iron.
Being fit for cycling is more than just the right cycling helmets or the most comfortable cycling shirts. There’s more to it than just the ultimate cycling gear. There’s the proper diet too and it can make a whole lot of difference.
Women in the world of cycling
Tags: bike gears, Cycling helmets, cycling jerseys, cycling shirts, Cycling Wear
Posted in Cycling Gear, Mountain Bike Gear on October 14th, 2009
Women have begun to take part in the cycling world. A whole new line of cycling wear was even created to suit women’s needs. Women’s cycling shirts are designed to fit the contours of women while still giving them the comforts and dry-fit feature. Cycling jerseys and cycling helmets designed for women have also been produced for them.
Women are said to take on cycling for reducing stress and relaxation. Some do it because they want to learn new skills and independence. Some even do it to increase self-confidence and boost one’s morale.
However, the number of women cyclists is small compared to that of the men. This is because women lack self-confidence, fitness and skills in terms of cycling. Women also tend to panic in intersections or places where they share the road with other vehicles and they lack aggressiveness to take the situation head on. Women are also very particular when it comes to the proper cycling apparel and who they look on them.
Studies have showed that with a couple of changes, women will be attracted to cycling as much as men are. Some of these changes are clear and concise signage that protects and warns cyclists of the possible dangers ahead. Paths, whether on-road or off-road, should be well-connected and in good condition. Safe paths that are completely separate from motor vehicles should also be established. Lastly, secure bike storage should be developed for the convenience of cyclists. With this, women will surely spend on bike gears without the fear of losing them.
Cadence and Cycling
Tags: bike gears, Cycling apparels, Cycling Wear, Mountain Bike Gear, mtb gear
Posted in Cycling Gear, Mountain Bike Gear on October 3rd, 2009
Cycling apparels are not the only important factor to be considered in cycling. Yes, wearing the proper cycling wear gives you that comfortable ride but there’s another thing that contributes a great deal to your performance: bike gears.
With the proper bike or mountain bike gear, your cycling experience is heightened and optimized. Proper bike or mtb gear selection varies on different types of terrain and on different types of persons too. Gears also help maintain the preferred cadence of the rider.
Cadence is the number of pedal revolutions per minute and is commonly known as rpm. Your cadence depends on what you are comfortable with and leg burns should also be minimized.
Leg burns happen when the muscle works hard and a lot of tension and strain are already applied to it. This is when lactic acids are created and will eventually accumulate. The lactic acid then flows to your muscles thus creating a burning sensation. Being able to feel this is a big discomfort and no-no. The right cadence reduces the accumulation of lactic acids and it also washes out the lactic acids that are already in your system so you can endure and stand longer rides.
One way of knowing what your cadence is by counting accurately the number of times you pedal over a watch set to one minute. It may vary every time you ride out and you can’t afford to always check on it but you can set your cadence, ride out, observe and then assess. By the end of a week, you can get the average range of your cadence and most likely, you will no longer feel any discomfort at all.