Biking is a favorite...

[stillhunter]

I have been doing a lot of biking in the last year. It has enabled me to lose weight by burning calories at high rate / hour. There is no impact to the joints as in running and this can be a problem and source of injury if you are just getting started. I am able to get out into the country on backroads and see a lot of wildlife in the evenings on the bike. I prefer the mountain bike for its stability and versatility. You can take trails with it that a road bike does not work well on. The mountain bike can also get you into a hunting spot in the fall much faster than on foot and away from the crowd. I plan to use it more this way in the future.

I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a fun way to get in shape.

[msbadger]

 I couldn't agree more...when I was younger and living right in a village I took up biking to loose weight between kids...and stayed with 7 miles a day up until we moved here on the hill...I loved biking at night ...some times I'd go out and ride at 11pm...when traffic was low and it was so quiet and peaceful...To be honest our hill is so steep...It actually scares me to drive it in a car let alone a bike[:o]...just ask our brake guy[&:]...Any how it's a fun and easy exercise......that never gets boring 

[berudd]

I can't road bike for a couple of reasons. One is that to me it is somewhat less exctiing than watching paint dry and the second is that I don't have a death wish. The roads/traffic near where I live mean that this is not the safest of activities. But I do love to mountain bike and have for many years. But if your primary goal is fitness/weight loss then mtn bike is probably not the most efficient method in a calories per hour perspective. I've gone through periods when I trained pretty hard and at that time mountain bike was not much of a work out compared to the other stuff I did. Running or hitting the gym with a trainer was much more effective.

[stillhunter]

Hi berudd,

I agree, depending on the kind of traffic and roads biking can be pretty risky. Especially with all the distracted drivers talking on phones these days. I am fortunate to have country roads not far from where I live so I can find nice scenery without the traffic.

A lot of different activities calorie burn depend on how strenuously they are performed. Here is an interesting link to a list that compares 1 hour of activity across many different things. When I bike I cover about ~15 miles / hour so according to this I am burning about 850 or so calories which I am happy with. Because I can not run that long or even for 30 minutes now without causing injuries to my joints it is probably my best option now. The cardiovascular is pretty good also.


http://www.nutristrategy.com/activitylist4.htm

[fasteddie]

I hope to get my 14 speed ready in May to do some riding . I'm thinking I might be able to get my 223 TC pistol with the 14" barrel and 2X6 scope in a backpack and do some woodchuck hunting . I have gotten lazy and added weight so I have to do some sort of exercize ..........

[GTOHunter]

We always take our Bikes with us when we go Camping...its easier on the legs and at least we are exercising instead of sitting around.I'm thinking its over 1 mile on the trail so we ride at least 2 miles each trip (there and back) and we usually make 3 to 4 trips a day so we're talkin 6-8 miles a day.I almost always walk when I go back into our Farm,I see a lot more wildlife that way and its better for me too! [;)]

[IsitInTREES]

Here in Michigan, I ride trails two to three times a week.  I see deer, turkey and other non-game species all of the time.  It's a great way to get outdoors and see wildlife.
 
I have a friend that rides his bike to his hunting stands.  His family owns 200 acres near Kalamazoo.  He has shot two of his biggest bucks on the way to his stands.
 
Basically, he said the deer didn't mind him getting close on the bike.
Sounds like a fish-story, but he sticks by it.