Well, guess what? If you’re a food lover like me, getting your poolside-worthy figure can be easy. All you have to do?

Keep loving food.

(The right food.)

Getting Up Close and Personal with What You Eat

“Nutrients.” This word has almost been lost from our vocabulary, thanks to the nation’s widespread disconnect with our food sources (and our strange indifference to nutrition labels).

“According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics, the average American family spends 37 percent of its food dollars at restaurants and fast-food joints,” writes fitness go-to guy Joe Kita in the February issue of Reader’s Digest.

We eat out a lot. The problem with that, aside from a serious dent in our budgets, is that we become estranged from the food we’re putting in our bodies. We are forced to trust the contents of prepackaged and restaurant meals. Should we?

Another problem is that we’re slowly forgetting what real food tastes like. We’ve been conditioned to taste ingredients that simply aren’t there. Before we know it, we’ve counted guacamole Doritos as one of our daily vegetable servings, and chicken nuggets as a protein source.

The first step to slimming down: get closer to your food. Ask it some questions, like what are your nutritious properties? Where did you come from? How were you prepared? Kita’s advice is to eat at home more often than you eat out: the more healthy, home-cooked meals you have, the better you’ll be able to appreciate quality food and shun its chemically-manufactured cousins.

Where’s the Value, Again?

Feeling the economic pinch of the last two years, more Americans have been cruising the drive-thrus. The $4 billion spent annually on fast food advertising is reinforcing the idea that dollar menus are a windfall for the busy and the broke.

Even trusted health authorities are trying to fool us into enjoying fake food. Take a look at this surprising deal between McDonald’s and Weight Watchers. Starting in New Zealand, this renowned weight loss program has assigned points to McDonald’s menu items. Consumers recognize this sanctioning emblem and eagerly place their orders, thinking they’re on their way to losing weight. But Weight Watchers’ points system is leading you astray: it’s not enough to eat less crap. You’re still eating crap. And it’s still going to keep you out of that swimsuit.

I’m all for quick and cheap food, but fast food is not the solution: it isn’t quick, it isn’t cheap, and it isn’t food.

In less time than it takes to do the Wendy’s drive-thru loop, you can pack these healthy snacks into your lunch bag. That frees up your lunch break for something better, like taking a walk (double points!).

But I can have a “value meal” for under three bucks, you say? True, fast food can be cheap. The consequences of habitually eating out are not. Your health, mood and, of course, your figure will pay for it. And think of all the money you’ll fork out to undo the damage—doctor visits, prescriptions, weight loss programs… When you look at the bigger picture, devoting just a little more dough to quality food seems like pennies on the dollar, doesn’t it?

Worst of all, fast food is a grab bag. This I learned from working at a few fast food places as a teenager. In fact, that behind-the-scenes peek has cured many of their trust in fast food restaurants. Maybe you’re a risk-taker, or you just can’t kick your stubborn hankering for hamburgers. Well, when you decide you’re curious about what you’re eating, you might want to read this piece about the sketchy ingredients in popular fast food.

Forgive a Little

Back to loving food. A miserable food relationship is not the ticket to getting in shape. It usually makes the problem worse, provoking us to run with open arms right back to bad eating habits. So, instead of diving headfirst into a tyrannical diet, learn to love healthier food. This approach is sustainable for life! Appreciate the taste and appearance of fresh, healthy, high-quality ingredients. Junk food will start to look and taste gross pretty quickly, and voila! You have overcome the biggest obstacle between you and your coveted figure.

Real food—even the higher calorie stuff—is a hundred times better than non-food. So if you’re going to indulge in an occasional hamburger, have a hamburger, not a 20-ingredient “industrialized chemical.”

You don’t have to stay confined to fruits, veggies and whole grain toast; eat balanced meals with lots of variety. And it’s healthy to treat yourself to a few calorie-packed things you enjoy once in a while. Go with Ballantyne’s 90/10 rule: eat healthy 90% of the time, and give in to temptation the rest!

From IdealShape, more tips to slim down by loving what you eat.

Stubborn Cravings? Tell Your Brain Who’s Boss!

Pros and Cons of Weight Watchers

Should You Cut Carbs from Your Diet?

Designing an effective workout regimen isn’t always intuitive. Sometimes, seemingly logical tweaks to intensify a session can have the opposite effect. If you’re aiming to improve results, or simply want to be in and out of the gym in less time, it’s time to reassess your routine.

Stick to the “fat burning zone” on the treadmill? No.

Crunches and sit-ups to get a six-pack? No.

Use the treadmill “fat burning zone”? Crunches and sit-ups to get abs? Craig Ballantyne, creator of Turbulence Training, and ACE’s Jessica Matthews dish on the top five gym time-wasters.

Read our U.S. News column:  Surprising gym time-wasters: 5 killers of a good workout

Other ways to spend less time at the gym:

• 5 Ways Exercise Can Earn You More Money
• The Best Time of Day to Exercise
• Does Cheating Give You an Advantage?

Is your exercise plan about to fire you? It’s time to pull out the big boss guns.

Not long ago, I read Donald Trump’s book Think Big and Kick Ass. And while he doesn’t know it—and certainly doesn’t show it—Don’s success tips prove solid when it comes to working out and staying out of the cupboard.

An unlikely connection, I know. But bank on Trump’s principles, and you’ll be raking in exercise n’ diet gains like you won’t believe.

The six Trump keys to a billion dollar fitness regimen?

Passion.

“Don’t do things you don’t like just for the money,” the Donald says in his book. And at the gym, don’t take up a new regimen because it burns the most calories—even though you freaking hate it. You’ll tap out fast. Instead, get rich: Pinpoint your passions (preferably fun and highly effective ones) and you’ll be so busy loving your workouts, you’ll barely even notice the results have come flooding in.

Positivity.

“Always think positively and expect the best.” Positive thoughts have to be the best-kept secret, in fitness and otherwise. For some reason, it would never occur to most people that they could accomplish good things just by thinking they’re accomplishing good things. But it occurs to Donald Trump. Multiply your self-esteem by a thousand, Trump-style, and suddenly that 1-month injury or massive diet cheat are mere “bumps in the road.”

The Big Mo.

“When you start something new you have no momentum. With every action you take and every task you complete, you are building momentum.” There, see? Little positive changes (called “baby steps” in the industry) are actually the most powerful move in your fitness venture. So do 10 minutes of yoga. Take a rusty-wheeled joyride around the block. Trust Donald: You’ll earn “mo” points, which you’ll soon be spending on longer, better workouts. (Just, for heaven’s sake, don’t give it your all in your first go.)

Focus.

“Never take your eye off the ball” is the golden rule in Trump Town. Want to eat healthy? Stay focused on your flat stomach and those snacky cravings will fade faster than Paris Hilton. A rock-solid focus on your rock-hard body? Just what you need to get moving from smoothie bar to spin class. Oh, and don’t forget: “Worry destroys focus” (see #2).

Prenup.

Sign a metaphorical prenup with your fitness advisors. Listen to the advice of personal trainers, doctors and nutritionists, but always be looking out for number one. Would Donald let love, or credentials, cloud his judgment? No. You know your body best. And you’re the one who’ll have to live with an injury, or paltry diet results, from taking generalized advice you knew didn’t work for you.

Think big.

“How big you think determines how big a success you become.” Why settle for mediocre fitness results, when you could feel fabulous? Big goals (and big deadlines to match) will ixnay every excuse you can possibly think of, and get you on your way to greatness. Donald doesn’t have a comfort zone. Neither do fitness rockstars like our friend Belinda Benn, who took up body-building and surfing in Panama while her mid-40’s colleagues were still calling “taking the stairs” a workout.

Now, think big, pull yourself together and start the 12-week challenge. Week one is underway.

Related posts:

• Are you being an exercise wuss?
• 6 signs your new diet is going to suck
• The hip-hop guide to pimping your workouts

Scream. Cry. Google it until you find a study that proves me wrong and angrily post the link below.

Ok, now back to reality:

There is no magic bullet diet.

Of course, you know that.

So why do you keep wondering about the Master Cleanse, the Blood Type Diet, Martha’s Vineyard and New York’s Ultimate Diet Plan? They’re all a waste of your time.

But if you’re looking to try something new, I rounded up some high-profile registered dietitians to help you diet smartly.

Find out what makes a diet stick, and what you should run from, in our latest U.S. News On Fitness post:

6 signs of a bad diet

(Hint: the Mediterranean diet is one of the good ones.)

…

Oh, and how about some good old fashioned exercise to go with that diet? I’ll be taking advantage of the long weekend to roll up my sleeves and start the Ask Fitness Coach shape-up challenge. You should too. :)

Related posts:

• Does carbo-loading really work?
• 8 ways to diet while your friends are gorging
• Portion control: how much food is too much?

Does carbo-loading for marathons work? I asked sports nutrition gurus and scoured dozens of (ahem, rather dry) studies from research institutions around the world.

The verdict?

Sure it works. Sometimes. Unless you do it wrong. Or you’re a woman.

A brief history of carbo-loading

Carbo-loading has been a popular way to fuel for marathons, metric century bike rides and other endurance events since the 1950s.

Studies have found that the muscles are capable of stockpiling carbohydrate, or glycogen, is excess.

Many studies have also found that a carb surplus (what the big kids call “increased starting muscle glycogen”) can help stave off fatigue for those 4- or 5-hour treks to the finish line.

Thus, the concept of carbo-loading (aliases: carbohydrate loading, glycogen loading) came about.

Today, athletes swear by it, trainers tout it and research institutions back it up. But I’m not totally sold.

Why? Of the 25-odd carbo-loading studies I read through which showed improved energy, few actually quantified the improvement. And those that did, well, they reported energy extension ranging from 20%, to a paltry 2-3%.

Which begs: even if carbo-loading techniques do boost glycogen storage—and, in turn, do improve endurance performance—is it enough to make it worth the trouble?

How is gobbling Pasta Carbonara trouble, you ask? Well, let’s take a look at what the classic carbo-loading regimen entails.

Carbo-loading no cakewalk

The standard carbo-loading method calls for total carb depletion before you load. It’s not enough to simply up your carb intake before a big event—before you get to touch that five-pound baked potato, you have to earn it with five days of turkey, beans and protein bars.

Carb-starving yourself induces the muscles to ‘thirst’ for glycogen and in turn store up more than it would otherwise hold, Charla McMillian (author of Boot Camp Abs) explains.

To drain glycogen stores, the classic method begins one week prior to race day with a rigorous workout. On days 2-4, you’ll taper training and eat a low carb diet (roughly 10% of your intake). On days 5-7, you’ll ratchet down your physical activity to a minimum and skyrocket your carb intake—all the way up to 90% of your diet.

Hey, you say. One highly-regimented week doesn’t sound too bad. But how do fatigue, irritability and a weakened immune system sound? According to Joel Maloof, a sports health scientist, even a short period of severe carb depletion can cause all of the above pre-race joys.

Still might be worth it, you think?

Well what if I told you that following the carbo-loading regimen to a ‘T’ is no guarantee it’ll work?

A glimpse of the studies

The Sports Science Institute of South Africa reported that carbo-loading can sustain an athlete’s energy by up to 20%. So for a 90-minute run, you could add 18 more minutes of energy.

The Australian Institute of Sport also found carbo-loading to be an effective way to boost endurance. The same study found that eating carbs immediately before, during and after a workout can also keep an athlete going for hours. Gee. Why not skip the carb rollercoaster and just munch on cereal and sandwiches all day?

And what about the ladies? Well, I’m glad you ask… because most researchers don’t. The majority of carbo-loading studies use only male participants. Meanwhile, women may be scarfing double the carbs with nothing to show for it.

Apparently carbo-loading in women is a whole ‘nother ballgame. McMaster University conducted two female carbo-loading studies and found that women simply can’t store as much muscle glycogen as men. In fact, in its first study, after a 4-day carbo-loading regimen female participants came away with no glycogen surplus at all. Zilch.

Women might be able to boost our carbo-loading threshold, Baylor University found, if we simultaneously double up on calories. But wait. Does this open up the possibility that the energy boost some female athletes see “with carbo-loading” could actually be influenced by other factors—like eating more calories?

And then there was the University of Helsinki study. It concluded flat-out that carbo-loading doesn’t always cause higher muscle glycogen stores. It’s a crapshoot. (Side note: this was an all-male test group.)

…

If you’re itching to add a few more minutes to your next bike ride, you might give carbo-loading a try. But with results so iffy, and carb math that could make an engineer’s head spin (even with that handy-dandy carbo-loading calculator), then why bother?

Especially if there are simpler ways to keep your energy up—some of which still involve, thank goodness, a big bowl of fettuccini.

Related posts:

• Fitness deadline? Don’t wreck yourself
• 7 deadly sins of race training
• 3 lessons on increasing speed from Usain Bolt

A five-pound brick. A weapon. A bookend. 500 pages of fads, according to Men’s Health editor David Zinczenko. The 4-Hour Body is many things. But don’t be fooled by its title. If there’s one thing Tim Ferriss’s radical fitness bible isn’t, it’s a compendium of quick fixes.

Thankfully, if you’re pressed for time—and isn’t that the whole point of 4-Hour Body?—there’s a way to get to the meat of the book without reading much of it.

The 80/20 principle

The 80/20 principle is based on the premise that the most important 80% of something is focused in just 20% of matter. For example: 80% of wealth is concentrated among 20% of the people. You get 80% of your work done in the most effective 20% of your workday. You can be 80% fluent in a language with the most-used 20% of its vocabulary.

Ferris applies the 80/20 principle to productivity. I applied it to reading his book.

If you have the time, read all 40 hours’ worth of his fitness hypotheses. If you don’t, spend 8 hours skimming the book and you’ll still come away with 80% of what you need to know. That critical takeaway? Ferriss’s disregard for fitness rules. Borrowing just a bit of his rebellion will bring you closer to fitness excellence than all his tips and trick combined.

And it doesn’t even matter which 20% you read.

Quick fixes

Remember how popular 4-Hour Body was when it came out back in December? Despite its mammoth size and tangle of math and science, it was heralded the “it” stocking stuffer. (Hope they reinforced that nail.)

It was sold out at every bookstore in Salt Lake City. Within days of its release, it was placed on hold by 171 people at my local library. It’s still referenced in every fitness blog on the web.

Why did 4-Hour Body skyrocket to the top of our reading lists? My guess is that it was the lure of the secret. The perfect fitness regimen for our physical conundrums.

My second guess: that only about 10% of the people who bought it actually read it.

Hey, I’ll admit it. When the cinderblock wrapped in blue paper crashed to my doorstep, I panicked. And hid it. By “four hour body,” did Ferriss mean four hours a day? But once the shock over the elephant in my reading queue passed, I read a few pages in. I discovered it wasn’t what I expected.

Ferriss’s laboratory of one

Ferriss, bless his heart, spent countless hours testing and hypothesizing, and countless dollars on pricy gadgets and strange substances. For $20, we get to buy his neatly-packaged guide to productivity.

But just when we think Ferriss has done all the work for us, he makes it clear just how much he dislikes fitness hand-holding. And piggybacking on others’ research.

The fact that most of his methods are kind of ridiculous—comprised of small test samples, random trivia and personal anecdotes—was my first clue: I really don’t think he intends for readers to unconditionally accept his advice. Instead, this book is a manifesto on blazing your own fitness trail.

So are health experts pointless?

Think back to the last time you went to the doctor (chiropractor, dermatologist, etc., etc.) and expected him to completely fix your problem. What happened instead? He asked questions, gave you a list of possible causes and assigned you to try one possible solution. If it didn’t work, you went back in a few weeks to try something else.

And you thought: Really? I couldn’t have done that on my own?

As for Ferriss, he’d much sooner turn his fitness regimen into his own personal lab than run into the arms of generic, unsatisfying “expert” advice again and again. And this is ultimately more productive.

Say you’re wondering if pre-exercise caffeine can prevent your muscles from getting sore. Option A: Spend 3 hours Googling it. Option B: Invest the same amount of time testing it yourself and making discoveries that are unique to your body.

Only when we change the way we think about the body and its limits will we accomplish above-average results. I think this is Ferriss’s point. And an expert who helps you do that is pure gold.

Angry fitness birds

When it comes to fitness advice, be prepared to take some and leave some.

When I write for U.S. News, I sometimes get angry comments from people who’ve tried something and it didn’t work for them. Just imagine how many people have sent hate-mail to Ferriss because they tried to get better sleep by waking up 4.5 hours after sleep onset every night, or who ate grass-fed beef but remained lousy in the sack.

It’s so worth trying some of Ferriss’s off the wall methods, but obsess over them and you’ll get pissed. Learn to trust your body, and the fact that you know it better than anyone else. The human body is just too awesome for there to be a tidy handful of absolute truths. And it’s too awesome for you to let someone else, like Ferriss, have all the fun.

So even if you follow none of his advice, and only skim a chapter or two, his book is worth reading. That rebellious curiosity just rubs off on you.

Related posts:

• U.S. News column: Surprising Gym Time-Wasters
• Your Best Time of Day to Exercise
• The Hip-Hop Guide to Pimping Your Workouts

Yup, coffee can give your workout a jolt. But if your workouts have been lagging lately, there might be an even better way to perk up:

Tap into your natural energy peaks.

Circadian rhythms

I use my circadian rhythm (hatred of mornings) as a guide (excuse) for everything I do. Still, circadian rhythms are legitimate predictors of perkiness.

Your circadian rhythm is that roughly-24-hour biochemical cycle which ebbs and flows—typically ebbing at night and flowing during the day—and regulates your physical state and behavior. No one’s circadian rhythm is exactly the same. Morning people have shorter cycles; night people have longer cycles. Most people are somewhere in between (afternoon-ish people?).

That means everyone’s optimum time of day is different.

How does your circadian rhythm alter your workout routine? It has to do with body temperature.

How body temp affects exercise

Circadian rhythms regulate body temperature. Most people have lower body temps at night and higher body temps during the day.

In a nutshell, lower body temps make you sleepy while higher temps make you more active. At a higher body temperature, you’re more energetic, alert and coordinated. That means you’re more likely to have better physical performance and more productive workouts (ACE Fitness).

Interestingly, it’s not common for anyone’s body temp to peak in the morning—a morning person’s body temp is highest in the afternoon, and a night person’s peaks in the evening. Physically, then, morning might not be the ideal time for anyone to exercise.

Science aside…

Although your body temp might not be soaring in the a.m., I’m going to wager that morning is the best time to exercise regardless of your circadian rhythm. Morning, or first thing in the day—whether your day starts at 7 a.m. or 4 p.m.

For one, working out first thing is a good way to make sure your workout happens. Getting up early to exercise is a drag, but you know what’s even more of a drag? Going to work, walking the dog, doing laundry, watching Celebrity Apprentice AND THEN working out.

People who exercise in the morning are more successful at making it a habit, according to ACE Fitness. There you have it.

Another reason to workout early: The world’s pace moves faster during the earlier part of the day, and you can ride the energy wave. I’m recalling my evening workouts in college, cruising on the elliptical in an empty gym and gazing out the window at the dark sky, and I’m shaking my head. Nothing ever happened.

Also, masses of people exercise in my neighborhood in the morning, and they look happy.

. . .

If you’re like me and the concept of getting up early for pleasure is alien, I urge you to try it this weekend, just once. Forget about all the excuses not to exercise in the morning.

Pack your jersey pockets with water and power bars and let your eyeballs soak in some sun. You’ll be cruising in no time.

Related posts:

• Revealed: Why Your Workouts are Putting You to Sleep
• What’s Your Exercise Personality Type?
• Work the Night Shift? Exercise Might Help You Adjust

Ask me. Ask Ryan. Ask anyone who’s plunged headfirst into a new exercise routine: the odds of injuring yourself or getting sick right after you hit the ground running are HIGH.

Better, it proves, to hit the ground strolling.

Maybe you’re training for a triathlon or other athletic event. Or the terror of unpacking last year’s bikini just sent you tearing into the gym.

Whatever your frenzied fitness ambition, pause.

In my first guest post at MizFit’s blog (yeah!), I pinpoint 3 reasons why taking a measured approach to exercise is hard.

The reasons are legit, and thank goodness, because I was beginning to question my maturity level. (Doesn’t *everyone* know that slow and steady wins the race?)

Yes, starting your new exercise routine slowly will win you license to wear skimpy swimsuits 10 times faster than full-speed-ahead. So, my gift to you: a handful of speed bumps. Read them now on MizFit’s blog.

I was going to post a review of 4-Hour Body this week. Unfortunately, I’m still reading it. And may very well be reading it for the rest of the summer. In the interim, as I work through the epic fitness bible (and count toting it around town as my daily workout), here are some hiking tips.

Obviously, you know that hiking is a workout — but do you know just how much?

I didn’t. Yet, after four hikes in three days, I now know convinced: Hiking is going to be an ingenious way to cross paths with my swimsuit in July. Following are some fitness benefits of hiking which I gleaned from trial (and mostly error) during a weekend in Moab, Utah.

Want to get bikini ready? Gyms be damned — hiking is where the workout’s at.

Reason #1 to Hike: It works all your muscles.

Leaping over streams, traversing sand, climbing rocks, breaking awkward falls, trekking downhill, uphill (and downhill and uphill again). Hiking terrain will force your body to work muscle groups large and small. Stray from paved or flat trails and you’ll get a serious interval workout too.

And to make the most of this total-body activity, you’ll want to dress appropriately. I slid down enough mountains to officially recommend comfortable, flexible clothing and shoes with decent traction. Truth be told, I find Vibram Five Fingers dorky (at best), but I coveted many a pair over the weekend for their grip and nimbleness as compared with my trainers.

Reason #2 to Hike: You’re more likely to leave your comfort zone.

Must. Get. To. Waterfall.

Hiking is a great way to force yourself to go a little further than planned. Sure you might be tired at the 5-mile mark, but you’ve come this far. Can you really turn back before you reach the trail destination? And once there, well, now you have no choice but to go all the way back.

To sidestep plateaus and progress in your regimen, you need to stop being a wuss. And be honest: how often does it happen at the gym, where you can jump ship at first sign of dewy forehead?

There’s also something about being in nature that seems to channel a primitive survival instinct. It seems to trigger an ability to handle rough n’ tumble activities we might not do, say, in an air conditioned room with iPod and coffee-flavored protein smoothie at arm’s length.

Reason #3 to Hike: The scenery serves as a distraction.

Sure, you need to face the pain and conquer it… or whatever. But according to marathon psychologist Jeff Brown, there’s nothing wrong with wielding distraction to get through a tough workout. (He says athletes do it.)

Well, what better distraction than nature, full of new and ever-changing stimuli, to get through a grueling workout?

So stop watching Judge Judy — and the clock. Hit the trails!

Got hiking tips? I need them.

Related posts:

• 5 Fun Ways to Stay in Shape
• 10 Signs You’re Exercising Too Much
• The 7 Deadly Sins of Race Training

In honor of National Bike Month, I spent the weekend making a list of the things I’ve learned about cycling over the past year. Namely, the things I’ve learned not to ride without. After surviving Little Red Riding Hood last June despite a savage lack of preparation, I decided that cycling might be the sport for me, so I made a few upgrades to my regimen. I quickly realized they were long overdue. If you’re just getting started with cycling or are stuck in the budget-DIY-version, here are four investments you should make now. Don’t worry, some are free.

1. Throw down for gear and a bike fitting.

This I learned the hard way—literally. Riding without proper cycling gear really hurts! If you’re pretty sure that you’ll stick to cycling, even just on the weekends, it’s worth splurging on some clothing and equipment.

You like being uncomfortable just to save a few bucks? Fine. But those bicycling backaches, wrist aches, knee aches and “other ailments” (you know what I’m talking about) can stick around long after your rides. So get the padded shorts, ventilated jersey, gloves and shoes. To be able to ride longer and have correct posture is well worth it, and ergonomic accessories can help prevent overuse injuries. (By the way, I’ve spent eons shopping for the right pair of bike shorts. The verdict? Sugoi shorts rock. They don’t bunch up in the you-know-where.)

As for the bike, yours should fit you proportionately with your seat at the right height. Gender-specific matters. And side handle add-ons or drop handlebars are great for giving your wrists a little variety.

2. You needn’t head for the hills.

Repeat after me: Gear-mashing is not the only way to get fit on your bike. Yes, you want to build muscle in order to get stronger and burn more fat, and you’ve been told that steady-state cycling won’t do much for you. But according to Bicycling Magazine’s Selene Yeager, “fast feet stave off fatigue.”

So rather than hammer your way uphill on the high gears—especially if you’re going for a long-distance ride rather than a quick strength-training workout—she recommends pedaling faster on a lower gear for better results. That’s called spinning, by the way, and let the sweat puddles in spin class be testimony to its effectiveness.

3. Get more than a leg workout.

Hey gladiator quads. Cycling can tap more muscle groups than you think. A pedaling technique I used last year while riding for 5 straight hours? Switch the muscles you’re using to power yourself. Give your quads and calves a rest by channeling your glutes, pulling instead of pushing as you pedal. It disengages your legs and draws energy from your butt through your hamstrings. Give it a try. You might not be able to walk the next day, but hey, it’s a glute workout.

You can also get an energy boost by engaging your core. In fact, holding yourself upright and strong on your bike is a serious core workout and means less work for your other muscles. I actually prefer to power with my glutes instead of my legs because it uses less energy. I also have a more even, elegant pedal stroke and can better hold my line.

4. Events are awesome.

Like Ryan says, there’s no reason to fear your first race. Events and competitions should not be intimidating. As for support, the people are friendly and the water, food and SAG wagons abound. Not only that, but the camaraderie and the goal are shockingly effective ways to jumpstart a sleepy cycling routine. [See 7 Easy Ways to Rekindle Your Workout Routine and 5 Cheap Alternatives to Hiring a Personal Trainer.]

Need more proof that all of this works? How ‘bout this: Little Red Riding Hood, which raises money and awareness for cancer research, caps at 3,000 riders. Each year, it sells out literally within days of registration opening. People flock from all over and camp out to do this ride.

Cycling events make awesome mini getaways and are a chance to meet new people and see new places. Sounds better than a weekend in Vegas, if you ask me (unless you’re there for Viva Bike Vegas).

A final word of warning

You will probably spend more on your cycling hobby than you intended. This is where upgrades blur into blatant splurges, and you might just choose to roll with it. For example, yesterday I stopped in at a bike shop for a $30 bike light. 30 minutes, 60 dollars and one baby-blue-eyed freckled salesperson later, I was the proud owner of two flashing-blinking-chargeable-by-iPhone bike lights. And I’ll probably still get run over.

But hey, sometimes the toys make the sport.

What are your tips for improving the cycling experience?

Related articles:

• 7 Deadly Sins of Race Training
• 6 Fitness Splurges Worth the Money
• Are You Being an Exercise Wuss?