Riding My Stationary Bike: A Fun and Effective Weight Loss Solution

Like many others, the pandemic interrupted normal life and sent me in a bit of a tail spin. Along with all the other adjustments, I found new routines had slowly added a dozen (or more) extra and unwanted pounds to my body. Weight just sneaks up on you. One morning you look in the mirror and gasp. After failing with a few traditional weight loss plans, I discovered one that worked. I began riding a stationary bike across the United States. 

Running and Knees

I ran on and off throughout my life. I performed well in high school cross-country and track. Notably, I returned to running throughout my adulthood to boost stamina, endurance, and lose a few pounds. 

I decided running was the cure to my woes. I bought some nice shoes, downloaded a fitness app, and researched nearby trails. Even though I am now in my fifties, I reconnected with trail running, enjoyed the fresh air and solitude of hill running.

Yet, I soon discovered that every time I increased my weekly mileage enough to lose weight my knees would become sore and inflamed. I tried different shoes, knee braces, and flatter surfaces. Nothing worked. 

Interactive Exercise Bikes

I wanted to get fit and stay healthy. Those grandchildren need me, at least, I tell myself they do.

However, I know planning to be healthy and being healthy are different animals. My knees gave the perfect excuse to give up on the grand goal of regular exercise. Art Markman, Ph.D., explains, “Knowledge alone does not cause people to change their behavior. And even a commitment to change is not enough” (Markman, 2015). 

I saw a commercial for a Peloton bike. I was intrigued. A quick Google search and the price quickly shot down that idea. However, interactive spin classes and cycling trainers were appealing. 

I continued my research and found Pro-Form’s version of the Peloton. The Pro-TC had interactive features, working with an iFit subscription you could access spin classes and trainer led bike rides all over the world. Proform had a special offer—a free bike if you signed a three year iFit subscription agreement. Purchased.

First Few Weeks

After assembling the bike, I was ready to go. I hopped on and found a gentle ride around a lake in Norway. I made it two miles. My legs were fatigued and my heart pounding. I exited the workout, slightly discouraged.

My muscles and cardio quickly adapted. I rode several trainer led sessions on trails around the world and even tried a spin class. I explored a “create” feature on my stationary bike. Markedly, I discovered I could hook up to google maps, chart a course and the bike would create a custom workout. I rode around my childhood town of Tucson, explored Paris, and visited Charleston.

The map feature wasn’t perfect. Instead of a running video, as in the workouts, the screen just scrolled through google street view photos. Occasionally, I discovered areas without any photos at all. However, the bike interacted with climbs by increasing resistance, and the breaks in photo coverage were limited. I could live with the short falls.

Isabelle M. Baur and Roy F, Baumeister explain, “Successful self-regulation allows people to subordinate short-term temptations to long-term goals, to trade the pleasure of immediate gratification for delayed rewards, and to tolerate the frustration that can be associated with persisting in the face of challenges or hard work” (Baumeister & Bauer, 2017).

Yet, something was off. I needed a more comprehensive goal that tied workouts together. Something that would motivate more than a few bike rides.

The Goal

Like a grand epiphany, it hit me. “I’m going to ride this bike across the country,” I told my wife. She was supportive, like she always is with my over-the-top ideas. “You do that, Troy.”

I was ready to begin. And I knew I needed to start immediately. DiClemente states that the preparation stage “entails developing a plan of action and creating the commitment needed to implement that plan” (DiClemente, 2005). Moreover, Gregg Krech warns, “Most procrastination is caused by a tendency to make a decision, in the present moment, based on what we feel like doing at that moment. And if we don’t feel like doing something NOW, then we’re not likely to feel like doing it later, because…later will just be another NOW” (Krech, 2014).

I immediately jumped on the bike to ride my wave of motivation. And so it began, the journey across the country, starting from my living room in sunny California, I began my cross-country trek.

Early progress was slow, only knocking off a few miles at a time. Yet after a couple weeks, I found I could get twenty or more miles a day. Soon, I was crossing the Sierras and descending into Nevada. 

Smaller Goals

I found that the overarching goal of Boston, had several smaller goals built in. Daily goals such as, “I just want to make it to Reno today,” and weekly goals “I want to get to the Utah border before the end of the week. We need goals to motivate. But if the goal is too difficult, requiring weeks or months of work then we easily tire and abandon or goal.

The web of goals continued to inspire and a little extra effort. I built in sprint intervals during long flat rides and allowed the natural terrain for the hill work. Two months into my ride, I feel like Forrest Gump as I charge towards Nebraska. 

Fitness Gains

This momentous ride would all be for nothing if I didn’t achieve the original fitness goal of losing weight. Here’s what happened to my body over the first six weeks of the journey:

• I lost twenty pounds
• Resting heart rate dropped from low seventies to mid fifties
• Blood pressure dropped from a scary 135/95 to 115/75.

Successful Journey

I eventually reached Boston. Like many long term goals, a few obstacles interfered with the journey. Somewhere in the midwest, we moved to a new home, requiring me to place my bike in storage for a few months. At the new home, I injured my back working on the yard, again putting the journey on ice during recovery. A few other unplanned traumas and tragedies postponed the journey.

However, in the back of my mind the goal lived on. I had to get to Boston. I got back on that bike and finished my journey. In celebration, my wife and I flew out to Boston. The journey continues. I am now headed south from Boston to the Florida Keys.

Associated Concepts

• SMART Goals: This is a popular format for making obtainable goals.
• Staying Motivated: This article contains several helpful tips on finding motivation to accomplish goals.
• Self-Discipline: This refers to the ability to control one’s feelings and overcome weaknesses in order to achieve long-term goals. It involves the ability to stay focused, motivated, and consistent in the pursuit of personal or professional objectives, often requiring conscious effort and willpower.
• Motivation Theories: Psychology has an abundance of theories explaining the factors contributing to human motivation.
• Starting a Personal Fitness Program: This article presents helpful tips to starting and maintaining a personal fitness program
• Health Psychology: This is the vibrant field that examines the interplay between biological, social, and psychological factors in shaping well-being. It focuses on promoting healthy behaviors, managing chronic conditions, and enhancing patient-provider interactions, ultimately contributing to holistic healthcare and public wellness.
• Health Action Process Approach (HAPA): This is a psychological theory focusing on health behavior change. It integrates motivational and volitional factors to understand and predict health behaviors.

A Few Words by Psychology Fanatic

A crazy goal, like riding across the country is certainty not for everybody. The Google photos bore my wife. She has her favorite iFit trainer and is achieving her own fitness goals.

My knees love cycling on my stationary bike, my fitness goals have been met, and I’m still motivated as I cross the flat plains of middle America.

Last Update: May 4, 2025

References:

Baumeister, Roy F.; Bauer, Isabelle M. (2017). Self-Regulatory Strength. K. D. Vohs, & R. F. Baumeister (Eds.), Handbook of Self-Regulation: Third Edition: Research, Theory, and Applications. The Guilford Press; Third edition. ISBN-10: 1462533825; APA Record: 2010-24692-000
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DiClemente, Carlos C. (2005) Addiction and Change, Second Edition: How Addictions Develop and Addicted People Recover. The Guilford Press; Second edition. ISBN-10: 146253323X; APA Record: 2017-40890-000
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Krech, Gregg (2014). The Art of Taking Action: Lessons from Japanese Psychology. ToDo Institute Books. ISBN-10: 0982427387
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Markman, Art (2015). Smart Change: Five Tools to Create New and Sustainable Habits in Yourself and Others. Tarcher-Perigee; Reprint edition. ISBN-10: 039916412X
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