Cycling has many proven health benefits and can be done by the whole family for fun. You can enjoy it as a hobby with the people you love most while gaining some health benefits you can never get by watching a movie as a family. It does a lot from cardiovascular exercises to your mental wellness. Below are 10 health benefits that your bike can give you.
Here are 10 Health Benefits Cycling:
1. Increased Cardiovascular Well-Being:
To keep the heart, blood vessels, and lungs in good health, you need to engage in aerobic activities such as riding a bike. Cycling is one of the best ways to lower blood pressure and regularize your heart rate. Going uphill or fast on flat ground is good for your body because of your work out to the maximum. It is recommended as an effective aerobic form of exercise to improve your overall health.
According to a Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise study, a person who cycles daily is 30% less at risk of developing high blood pressure. Also, the British Heart says cycling about 20 miles weekly reduces your risk of getting heart problems by half.
2. Muscle Toning and Strengthening:
Cycling is excellent for fat burning and muscle building on the calf muscles, quads, and glutes. As you build muscles, you also burn fat. Cycling can help build the upper body too, depending on how much you ride per day or weekly.
3. Good for Weight Loss:
All professional cyclists are skinny, and this sport is one of the reasons they remain in shape. Riding your bicycle for leisure helps to burn calories, and with the time you will be dropping pounds towards your healthy weight.
Alongside a clean diet, cycling will help you get into shape and increase the quality of your life. Without those bulging extra masses, your self-confidence is enhanced plus you get an overall sense of wellness.
4. Helps to Reduce Stress:
Stress is one of the biggest killers in the world. By merely going for a ride with your bike, you can alleviate stress. All forms of exercise are good for a stressed person, but cycling is the cheapest because all you need is a bike and safety gear and you are ready to hit the road.
You can reflect on your problems in a better way when you go out for a ride. Riding your bike to the office will make you feel worth something unlike being stuck in a traffic jam in your thinking how late you will be for work.
A recent study revealed that being physically active enhances your sleep pattern. The fresh air and clear skies out there refresh your mind and relieve stress leading to good night sleep. The flow of oxygen to your brain is improved, and blood flows smoothly all over the body due to that aerobic activity.
According to Sanford School of Medicine, by cycling for between 20 and 30 minutes daily, you will enjoy much better quality sleep than before. Insomniacs also reduce the time taken to fall asleep and their quality of sleep time is boosted up to an hour.
5. Gives You a Fresh Perspective and Joy:
Exercises induce endorphin, which makes you feel good about yourself. It boosts your ego and cycling alone can change how you feel about yourself after about ten sessions. After living a sedentary life, cycling will give you a fresh perspective. Other people will view you differently.
Your cycling adventures will lead you to new areas in your city where you have never been to. A bike allows you to follow paths that car cannot access and you discover new areas and routes; your social life will open up. Whether you make new friends or join a club of riders, cycling will give you a fresh perspective and joy.
6. Lowers Cancer Risks:
Cycling is a form of exercise that helps you maintain a healthy weight, especially when combined with a healthy diet. It will help reduce your risk of getting cancer. People who exercise a lot have a lower risk of colorectal and lung cancer.
Also, since cycling is a physical exercise, it helps in bowel movement. Your digestion system remains healthy and reduces your risks of getting stomach cancer.
7. Prolonged Life:
Cycling increases your lifespan. According to Tour de France cyclists, former pro-cyclists live up to 81.5 years, longer than most of the general population that hardly goes beyond 73.5. That is a 17% increase! The same happens to those who shift from driving to cycling; their life is increased from between three months and 14 months.
8. Faster Recovery:
Patients with osteoarthritis and knee pain recover faster after cycling during their exercise sessions. Riding a bike does not cause too much stress to the joints and helps in recovery. A few minutes are good enough. However, you should note that cycling does not bear weights and therefore may not specifically help in osteoporosis.
9. Steers You towards a Positive Addiction:
You can replace the harmful substance dependency on cycling. This includes eating chocolates, drinking alcohol, and smoking cigarettes. Riding a bike is a positive addiction. Cycling can quickly become an addiction, and you will feel the urge to do it daily. Lucky you; this is a positive addiction with many health benefits.
10. Saves You Time and Money:
Cycling saves you time and money. If you choose to drive, you have to be ready to wait in the traffic, queue to par the car, par for the parking, and the go-to work. Or walk to your local bus stop, the bus gets late and when it comes, you pay and sit in as it moves around areas where you have no business. Choose to use a bike and move fast past the traffic, lock it on arrival, and go to your office.
Conclusion:
Cycling is a low impact exercise and will help you prevent many diseases including cancer, heart diseases, diabetes, arthritis, mental illness, and obesity. Ride whenever you have a chance or set aside time to do it; you can cycle to work or to the mal and kill two birds with one stone. Join millions of people who cycle for leisure, transport, and sport daily. It is for your good; riding a bike keeps you in good health.
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