Should We Use the Exercise Bike Daily?

A cardio workout on the exercise bike can leave you satisfyingly sweaty and winded -- drawing you back day after day. Although aerobic exercise is essential to your health and you want to include it most days of the week, you don't have to use your stationary bike every day. Mixing up your routine and giving yourself at least one day off per week combats boredom and burnout.

  1. Healthy Habits

    • Aerobic exercise is a healthy habit you should do most days of the week. The American College of Sports Medicine advises you to exercise at a moderate intensity 150 minutes per week at a minimum. Going for 30 to 60 minutes five days per week helps you achieve or exceed these recommendations. You can also get your exercise requirements in with three 20- to 60-minute sessions per week. A moderate-intensity workout on the bike has you breathing heavily and keeps you heart rate in a zone of between 50 and 70 percent of maximum, while vigorous intensity has you working between 70 and 85 percent of its maximum. During vigorous activity, it's tough to speak in complete sentences. Whichever level of work you choose, you don't have to get on the bike every day to be healthy.

    Weight-y Concerns

    • If you are using the exercise bike to help you burn calories for weight management or weight loss, you still don't need to hop on everyday for benefit. To lose weight, you should create a deficit of 3,500 calories -- meaning you burn 3,500 more calories than you consume -- to lose a pound. A combination of exercising more and trimming calories can help you achieve this deficit. An hour of moderate cycling on your exercise bike burns about 477 calories for a 150-pound person. Up your intensity to vigorous and you'll burn 774. Even if you stick to the moderate calorie burn, five days per week, you'll only have to trim about 160 calories per day from your diet to lose one pound in a week. You can easily achieve this by ditching a teaspoon of butter at breakfast, a slice of cheese at lunch and a roll at dinner.

    Leave Time to Be Strong

    • Doing the same cardio every day may also acclimate your body to the activity, so you become efficient and burn fewer calories at each session. Your body also becomes effective at storing fat, notes strength and conditioning coach Rachel Cosgrove in her book, "The Female Body Breakthrough: The Revolutionary Strength-Training Plan for Losing Fat and Getting the Body You Want." Instead of biking everyday, save a couple sessions for strength training all of the major muscles in your body, which builds lean muscle mass. A resistance workout helps offset the 3 to 8 percent of muscle you naturally lose every decade. Just like cardiovascular activity, it can help you manage your weight and reduce your risk of developing chronic disease.

    Variety and Rest

    • Even five days a week of the exercise bike might be a little much for your body and mind. If it's new to you -- your enthusiasm may keep bringing you back, but eventually this enthusiasm will wane. Keep cardio activity fresh by inserting some cross-training into your weekly routine. A brisk walk outdoors or on the treadmill, a dance class or a session on the elliptical machine challenges different muscle groups and breaks up the monotony of your weekly routine. Although the exercise bike is low impact and easy on your joints, constantly using it can lead to stiffness in your hips and upper body as you lean over the handlebars. Mixing up your cardio helps prevent these overuse issues. Remember to also give yourself at least one day off exercise every week to allow your body to rest and recuperate. You'll come back stronger and eager the next day.