If lately you have been seeing some extra inches around your middle or you are running out of breath halfway up the stairs, it may be time to add some exercise into your life. You can join a gym and spend a few hours a week going no where and staring at the wall or glaring mindlessly at a television. Or you can do what millions of Americans have already done… discover mountain biking.

Mountain biking allows you to shed pounds and improve your overall health while having a great time! If this sounds like something that interests you then it’s time to begin. The first thing you will need to do is purchase your gear. Depending on your expendable income, you will need to set a budget. While some people are content to give up their cars and throw caution to the wind, others will want to add a bike into their lives as an extracurricular activity. If this is the case, you will first need to set a budget. You can buy mountain bikes ranging anywhere from a few hundred to over a thousand dollars. It all depends on your budget and your preferences. Be sure to enlist the help of a seasoned mountain biker or a knowledgeable sales person when purchasing your bike. You will also need to purchase safety gear such as a helmet, eye protection, proper clothing and proper shoes. If you will be transporting your bike, a car rack is an essential as well. A good sporting equipment store should be able to provide you with all of these. The internet is also a fabulous resource for information and great deals.

Once you have the right gear, you will need to develop some basic skills for mountain biking. Keep in mind that you will be going over rougher terrain then you would on a regular bike. You should start out with small rides and work yourself up to longer more challenging ones. Attempting a difficult trail before you are ready is a sure fire way to injure yourself and turn yourself off to mountain biking.

After you have been mountain biking for awhile and are comfortable with it, you may want to try a mountain biking vacation. This type of trip can take you to as exotic a location as you would like and will usually last approximately 2-3 days. What better way to see the world while staying fit and active! However you choose to incorporate mountain biking into your life, it will be one of the best decisions you have ever made.