Biking 5 Miles a Day: How Many Calories Does It Burn?

Biking is an excellent way to log into your routine cardiovascular exercise and burn significant calories. So many cyclists have different reasons for engaging in this exercise as it offers many health benefits. However, our goal here is to look at a 5-mile daily routine.

Today, we will explore the ins and outs of this routine, including the health benefits and tips to help you get started.

Stay with us as we put the pedal to the medal!

How Many Calories Does a 5-Mile Bike Ride Burn?

Your calorie burn is a function of the intensity of the exercise (speed and distance covered) and current body weight.

To put this into perspective, a person weighing 150 pounds will burn 288 calories every hour if they go 12 miles per hour. On the other hand, if they ride at a faster pace (16–19 miles per hour), they have about 800 calories burned in that hour.

Still, when it comes to burning a significant amount of calories, exercising alone will not cut it. To effectively burn calories, you need to create and maintain a caloric deficit, which will only happen if you are strict with your diet.

To create a caloric deficit, you must ensure you are not consuming more calories than you burn. Afterward, you must strive to maintain this dietary cycle.

The combination of a proper diet and regular exercise is the only efficient way to burn calories, which correlates to weight loss and general fitness level.

You can create an effective weight loss/fitness plan using the Cycle Diet workout app. All you have to do is complete a mandatory quiz and immediately access a personalized fitness program.

It does not matter whether you are a beginner or a professional cyclist; the Cycle Diet workout program caters to the fitness needs of all cyclists.

The app provides cyclists with personalized training regimens, meal plans, and nutrition tips. These features allow users to quickly tackle obesity, maintain weight, build muscles, improve concentration, and lower stress and anxiety levels.

How Long Does It Take to Bike 5 Miles?

On average, it takes about 25 minutes while biking 12 miles per hour to complete a 5-mile bike ride irrespective of the bike type (road bike or a stationary bike). Once again, aside from the time spent biking, the pace you ride will dictate how effectively you lose weight.

However, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service states that as an adult, you need at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise every week to stay fit.

If you want to lose more weight, you should consider working out for 300 minutes every week. Both schedules mean that you would be working out 30–60 minutes every day, for 5 days per week.

Sticking to a 5-mile daily routine would have you biking 6 days per week to complete the minimum weekly exercise schedule. But, if you decide to bike for 30 minutes every day, that will account for a 6-mile daily ride, and you will hit the minimum weekly target in 5 days.

Still, the 5-mile routine is perfect for beginners because it allows them to pay close attention to their body’s needs, which accounts for more growth and reduced injury risk.

5 Benefits of Biking 5 Miles Every Day

At this stage, you are already aware of the ins and outs of bike riding and what goes into riding five miles a day. On this point, we will discuss several benefits of going on a 5-mile bike ride daily.

#1 Promotes weight loss

Biking is an excellent way to burn calories, thus, reducing your chances of suffering from obesity and improving weight control.

On average, you need 3,500 more calories burned than you consume to lose one pound. That equates to burning 500 calories every day to lose one pound a week.

Stationary bike riding can see you burn 300–700 kcal every hour if you go at a moderate intensity. Conversely, Havard Health Publishing states that a person weighing 155 pounds can burn about 260 calories in 30 minutes of moderate-intensity cycling.

That is mainly because biking helps raise your heart and metabolic rate, prompting your body to burn fat. Similarly, the increased metabolic rate also spurs your body to build stronger muscles and bones.

#2 Builds muscle

Athletes tired of constantly dropping in muscle mass can add bike riding to their routine as it targets multiple muscles.

Since your muscles are in continuous use when biking, lower body muscles such as thighs, glutes, calves, and hamstring strengthen over time. That translates to an increase in stamina and endurance while promoting proper posture.

Then again, your abs and back muscles still benefit from this exercise. Thus, consistent cycling is an excellent way to build and define your body shape and tone muscles, giving you an aesthetic and athletic look.

Likewise, biking helps improve balance and coordination while reducing the stress on your bones as it is a low-impact exercise. This ultimately promotes muscle mobility and flexibility while reducing bone injuries.

Conversely, you need to add some form of strength training to develop the muscles in your body correctly. Since biking primarily targets the muscles in your lower body, you need to balance things out and build your upper body strength.

#3 Improves cardiovascular health

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 17 million people die from cardiovascular disease worldwide. While there are different types of cardiovascular diseases, the major killers happen to be stroke and heart attack.

They also state that controlling the main risk factors can cut down premature death by up to 80%. The two main factors include an unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity.

Regarding a lack of physical activity, cycling five miles per day plays an active role in reducing the risk of heart disease by stimulating the cardiovascular and respiratory systems to function effectively.

Going on routine bike rides strengthens your heart muscles and blood vessels while lowering blood pressure. This translates to proper blood circulation around your body.

#4 Enhances mental health

Another great thing about biking is its positive effect on mental health and cognitive function. Yes, science supports the claim that cycling grows our brains the same way it does to our muscles.

Cycling allows the cardiovascular system to transport more oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to our brain, thereby increasing its performance. Similarly, it stimulates the production of protein, promoting the creation of new brain cells.

It also increases neurotransmitter activity, improving cognitive functions such as spatial awareness, navigation skills, and concentration. These attributes are extremely helpful in decision-making, a prerequisite for playing sports like tennis.

Again, routine biking increases the level of serotonin and dopamine production in our brains. These “happy” chemicals promote mental calmness, reduce anxiety and depression, and allow us to handle stress effectively. These lead to elevated moods, improved energy levels, and better sleep quality.

All-in-all, these benefits are extremely crucial, especially for older persons looking to stay healthy.

#5 Improves quality of sleep

Going on a 5-mile bike ride will eventually leave you tired, thus pushing your body to fall asleep faster and longer. That is because you expend more energy pedaling away, raising your heart rate, and tiring out your muscles.

This prompts you to create a better sleep schedule that leaves you rejuvenated by the time you wake.

Getting a good night’s rest allows your body to recover spent energy, lower stress levels, improve concentration, promote weight loss, enhance creativity, and better memory.

How to Start Biking 5 Miles a Day?

Whether you take up bike riding as a leisure activity or incorporate it into your training regimen, it is important to go about it correctly.

In light of this, we will go over a few steps to ensure that your start to biking 5-mile every day is successful.

#1 Outline your goals

If your primary goal for riding five miles is weight loss, you must structure your routine to account for that. That means prioritizing burning more calories as you go about your exercise.

For the most part, you will only need to travel shorter distances instead of longer distances, although you will need to go at a faster speed. Nonetheless, if you feel unsatisfied at the end of your exercise, you can add more miles and speed to subsequent exercises.

#2 Select a bike type

There are different types of bikes, each built to combat different terrains while offering diverse advantages. Of course, these bikes cater to either speed or leisure activities, but selecting one based on your workout program will be vital in getting you to your 5-mile mark.

Electronic bikes are the newer builds allowing cyclists to travel at greater speed with little effort. They are great while cycling on any flat terrain as you can conserve strength, improve focus, and ultimately travel longer distances.

Then we have the road bikes that work best on rough terrains. They sport bigger tires and a stronger chassis than electronic bikes, allowing you to tackle longer rides on rough and challenging terrain freely.

Lastly, we have the mountain bike that works best on rocky or gravel-filled trails. With mountain bikes, you typically experience a reduction in total mileage due to their size.

Then again, if you visit the gym regularly, you can use the stationary bike there. The difference between a stationary bike and a regular bike is negligible. However, each bike type will account for a different energy level as you achieve your daily mileage.

#3 Opt for a balanced diet

As we mentioned earlier, combining routine exercise with a healthy diet is the only way to achieve net positive results.

So, prioritize eating fiber-rich foods such as oats, brown rice, and whole-grain bread. Likewise, eat lots of fruits and vegetables as they contain essential vitamins and minerals that promote healthy living.

You should also pay attention to your calorie consumption. Cut down on alcohol, soda, and sugary snack consumption. A great rule of thumb is to have several healthy snacks close by to keep you from turning to calorie-laden foods when hungry.

In the same vein, drink lots of water to replenish body fluids lost through sweat and help keep your system active. It would be best if you had a bottle of water with you at all times, making sure to drink water before, during, and after your exercise.

FAQs

Here are some common questions we encounter when discussing bike riding.

Conclusion

Whether you are in it for leisure or fitness, cycling offers you so many health benefits that incorporating it into your existing training program would be a no-brainer. Of course, how many miles you complete will vary based on the abovementioned factors.

You can lose weight, tone your body, and keep your mental health in check when indulging in this great exercise. Nonetheless, you must understand that no single exercise will target all parts of your body.

So, mix in an assortment of other exercises to see you achieve your desired fitness goals. Over time, you can add more miles and cycling speed to your routine.

Remember to have fun and always put your safety first!