Riding a Motorcycle Can Burn Calories

Did you know that riding a motorcycle can help you burn calories?

You'd think that riding a motorcycle is largely a sedentary activity since you're doing little more than sitting. But actually, it presents a number of factors that can burn calories.

I'm an avid motorcycle rider, and during the time I spent dieting and losing weight, I noticed a trend where on days I spent a lot of time on motorcycle, I found myself losing some weight when I didn't expect to.

Here are my observations...

• Cold temperatures - when your body temperature falls below it's normal temperature, it burns calories trying to heat itself back up. Riding a motorcycle on colder days will cause this happen. Even if you wear a leather jacket and a sweatshirt, the cool wind on your legs will cool the blood down.


• Strong winds - If you ride a motorcycle without a windshield, the winds you experience will push against your body, forcing you to on tighter to the handlebars, and squeeze your legs against the gas tank. I've noticed my forearms and legs tiring after long rides.


• Hand and foot activity - if you're riding along tight twisty roads, or in stop and go traffic, you're constantly using your hands and feet to work the controls. Squeezing the hand brake and clutch lever is like exercise. I also find myself keeping my right foot hovering just above the rear brake while navigating through tight twisty roads, which forces me to use a little muscle to hold it there.


• Holding a motorcycle upright - while you're stopped at a traffic light, I find that just being stopped can burn some extra calories in that you're using your balance to keep the motorcycle upright. The heavier the motorcycle, the more muscle you're using to maintain balance.


• Pushing backwards - Often I'll back out of a parking space by sitting on the motorcycle, and using my feet to push backwards.


• Wearing extra gear - the weight of wearing a helmet, leather jacket, leather boots, and any other safety gear requires your body to use a little bit more muscle as you to and from your motorcycle.


• Hot days - on hot days I find myself drinking a lot of water at gas stops or at a lunch stop. The water fills me up, and as a result I don't often eat as much.


• You can't snack - you can't really munch on snacks while riding a motorcycle in the way you can while driving a car. If you like go out on joy rides, the time you spend on a motorcycle is more time you're not stuffing your face.

You put all these things together and you realize that you're burning more calories riding a motorcycle than you would driving a car. It's subtle, and you don't really think of it as exercising. But these are several little factors that tend to add up.

After a day of motorcycle riding, I often feel exhausted, even if it's just mentally exhausted from having to concentrate. That makes me tired enough to where I get a full night's sleep. And getting deep, full sleep also burns calories.

And you don't necessarily have to be on a motorcycle, it can be on a scooter as well.