{"id":908175,"date":"2026-09-28T05:00:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T05:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/908175\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T05:00:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T05:00:10","slug":"i-lost-59kg-and-became-stronger-than-ever-at-43-these-3-simple-indoor-cycling-habits-changed-my-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/908175\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I lost 59kg and became stronger than ever at 43 \u2013\u00a0these 3 simple indoor cycling habits changed my life’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Name: Joan Henning
Age: 43
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Occupation: Childcare
Time cycling: 4 years, 7 months
Reason for cycling: I cycle to be surrounded by a community of amazing friends, and for mental stability.<\/p>\n

I struggled with weight all my life due to health issues, my lifestyle, and mental health<\/a>. I moved to Texas from California in 2012, and the following year I had to have my gallbladder removed. I also received a subsequent thyroid cancer diagnosis, and then had my thyroid removed.<\/p>\n

The next few years brought lots of struggle to my life. Along with my diagnosis of Hashimoto\u2019s disease (a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid), prediabetes, high blood pressure<\/a>, and a job change, I also lost a dear friend, and multiple family members in a short time. (My brother died by suicide in 2017.) <\/p>\n

Soon, I was left feeling a lot of grief and subsequently suffered from depression. I eventually realised, though, that I needed to make lifestyle changes for myself.
<\/p>\n

After years of trying to get my thyroid medication right, in 2019 I was able to start getting weight off. That year, I also joined CycleBar<\/a>, which was the best decision I\u2019ve made. I was determined to improve my mental and physical well-being, and prevent the onset of diabetes<\/a>. <\/p>\n

I began cycling four to five times a week, and would even stay for doubles some days. If there were community events or themed rides at CycleBar, I would participate in those. I also love showing up for other community members\u2019 milestone rides.<\/p>\n

Along with picking up indoor cycling in 2019, I also started a keto diet<\/a> for nine months, and it helped me immensely. I have since switched up my diet and don\u2019t follow strict keto anymore. However, I have cut out lots of sugars and beef, and have definitely incorporated more fruits and veggies, and drink more water<\/a>! Right now a good salad<\/a> is always my go-to.<\/p>\n

By June 2020, I celebrated a major victory: being free from diabetic and blood pressure medications. And since I started my cycling journey, I am down 130 pounds [59kg].<\/p>\n

Today I cycle four to five times a week. Cycling helped me get through some major grief and depression after suffering loss in my family. It has made me feel so much better and mentally stronger.
<\/p>\n

Thanks to cycling, as well as changing my eating habits and my lifestyle, I am much happier. <\/p>\n

These 3 tips have made my cycling journey a success
1. Be consistent<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t ever give up! When I first started cycling, it was hard, and now I\u2019m sitting in the front row and doing choreography. I could not do that when I first started, but I kept showing up. Be consistent even on the days you don\u2019t want to go push yourself. I have never regretted showing up for a class I initially didn\u2019t want to attend.
<\/p>\n

2. Hydrate<\/p>\n

Instructors have always reminded us about this, and I can\u2019t stress it enough. I always have a water bottle<\/a> with me. I also add electrolyte<\/a> tabs to prevent dehydration.
<\/p>\n

3. Set goals
<\/p>\n

Set goals and write them down. I would not have gotten to my 1,000th ride if I hadn\u2019t written down my goals.
<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Emily Shiffer is a freelance health and wellness writer living in Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Name: Joan HenningAge: 43Hometown: Austin, TexasOccupation: ChildcareTime cycling: 4 years, 7 monthsReason for cycling: I cycle to be…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":908176,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[569],"tags":[64,63,8203,784,5265,85],"class_list":["post-908175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-carousel","tag-cycling","tag-service","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/908175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=908175"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/908175\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/908176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=908175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=908175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=908175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}