She’s on a roll.

A New Jersey woman is revealing how she shed 80 pounds and achieved her dream of becoming an indoor cycling instructor. Amanda Hinds, 31, loved the sport but ended up taking an extended break during the COVID-19 pandemic because her gym closed and she lost motivation.

“A little after COVID, I went on vacation, and I couldn’t even walk. My feet hurt just from walking and standing. My athleticism was really bad,” she told Today.com last week. “I went to the doctor, and I saw that I had gained 100 pounds in a year. I couldn’t believe it. I was so frustrated and disgusted with myself.”

She got back in the saddle in June 2021, documenting her weight loss and confidence building progress on TikTok to her 29,300 followers.

She started on her Peloton at 300 pounds and had dropped to 245 by August 2022. “I love cycling! Find something you love and stick with it,” she captioned one TikTok.

According to Harvard University, a 125-pound person can burn 315 calories riding a stationary bicycle vigorously for 30 minutes. That translates to 278 calories for a 155-pound person and 441 calories for a 185-pound person.

Those calorie counts drop between 200 and 300 if the cycling is done at a moderate pace over the half hour.

Hinds took baby steps, focusing on getting through one song at a time until she had enough courage to audition to become a CycleBar instructor. She announced in June 2023 that she had reached her goal.

Now she’s proud to represent “plus-sized women of color” as an instructor.

“I used to think riding here, people that don’t look like me, I maybe won’t fit in, I maybe can’t do the class well… so seeing people see that I am on the podium, so now they feel inspired that they can come to take a class and they feel motivated, less afraid,” Hinds told News 12 New Jersey in February.

The Belleville resident teaches in Jersey City and Montclair, per News 12.

She’s also taken up running, even signing up for a half marathon after being able to run 4 miles at a time.

“If you told me last year I was going to be jogging for an hour, I would not believe you. I’m definitely proud of myself when it comes to my fitness level,” she told Today.com.

Indoor cycling isn’t the only way to drop pounds — others have recently credited a weighted sled and a jump rope for their significant weight loss.

Studies have repeatedly shown that being physically fit lowers the risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, some cancers, depression, dementia and dying early.

“The ability to perform maximal repetitions of a push-up is more likely among those living a healthier lifestyle in general – those that are more conscious of their fitness, nutrition and sleep – so these behaviours and lifestyle habits will correlate to improved heart health,” says Samuel Quinn, the personal training lead at Nuffield Health.

“Ultimately, if you’ve got a stronger heart, it’s going to deliver more oxygen to the muscles effectively, to be able to push out more reps.”

Muscle and bone strength

Press-ups are a form of resistance training, which has been shown to boost muscle and bone strength, as well as bone mineral density – meaning they are less likely to break.

The exercise engages the pectoral (chest), tricep (back of arm) and anterior deltoid (front shoulder) muscles, as well as the abs.

These muscles are needed for everyday movements, such as getting out of a chair and lifting heavy items above your head, says Dr Blagrove.

Additionally, press-ups can help strengthen the bones in the forearms and wrists, which are especially vulnerable to osteoporosis. “There is a high amount of loading going through the arms,” he says. “Push-ups or exercises like push-ups should always be included as part of a strength training programme.”

How to do the perfect press-up

For your starting position, get into a plank position with your legs together and the balls of your feet and toes planted on the floor.

Your hands should be placed just wider than your shoulders, with fingers spread out and pointed forwards, and your arms should be straight.

There should be a straight line from your head to shoulders. Then, start lowering your body towards the floor while maintaining this straight line (pulling in your glutes and abs can help with this) until your chest almost touches the floor.

Next, push yourself back up until your arms are straight again.

If you’re new to strength training, you can practise against a wall or place your knees on the ground, as going straight to the traditional push-up may prove too challenging, suggests Dr Blagrove.

For the knee variation, place the knees on the floor instead of the balls of the feet. 

If doing the exercise standing up, place your hands flat against the wall at chest level and slowly bed your arms while keeping your elbows by your side, getting as close to the wall as possible, before pushing away.

Typically, 10 press-ups would form a set. 

However, the 100 Push-Ups a Day Challenge from Cancer Research UK calls for 10-times as many – though you don’t need to do them in one go. It runs throughout April but there’s nothing stopping you from starting now – the charity encourages people to take on the challenge at any point. So far, around £250,000 has been raised by more than 3,000 participants. More than £2,000 has been donated to the Home Secretary’s fundraising page.