If you’re like me, an electric bicycle sounds fantastic, but aside from the enjoyment factor – i wanted to know – can I still get fit riding an electric bicycle?
The short answer is YES… an electric bicycle does still give you the opportunity to get and stay fit!
Now for the slightly longer answer on what I found out.
Electric bicycles keep your body moving
Anything that keeps you moving is better than no exercise at all! If you choose an e-bike that is pedal assisted, then you still need to pedal and raise your heart rate to ride around. With an electric bicycle people often find that they ride for longer than they would on a traditional bicycle as it’s just a little bit easier to get around and for the hard parts of the ride they can rely on the electric motor to take the edge of the ride and stop them getting so stressed and hot and sweaty.
As you get fitter you can also choose to pedal more. So the e-bike allows you to improve your fitness gradually and push yourself to exercise harder as you get fitter.
You can burn calories on an Electric Bicycle
Yes. Just like cycling burns calories, riding an e-bike burns calories too. True – there can be a variation in the number of calories burnt and it is more likely that you will burn more calories on a traditional bike than an e-bike.
Because they are fun – you exercise more!
One of the comments that people have made to me is that they were surprised how much they enjoyed riding an e-bike. Having the motor just took the edge off some of the bigger hills and harder rides, so they found that they were keen to ride more than usual. It was also easier to get to a nice destination that was a bit further away than the distance that they would usually ride on a traditional bike.
Electric Bicycles provide low-impact joint exercise
For people who want to get fit but can’t participate in high-impact sports such as running, e-bikes are the perfect way to get fit. Cycling is low-impact on on your joints. And e-bikes are extra good in this regard as when the going gets tough the motor can kick in and provide some relief to stiff or previously injured body parts.
The verdict on e-bikes and fitness
All things considered, electric bicycles are a great tool to add to your fitness toolkit. They are fun and certainly can be a good way to keep fit while enjoying the ride and some good fresh air.