Most of us know that cycling is good for our health.
Cycling happens to be one of the most fun ways to get fit and healthy, which is why countless people around the UK grab their bicycles on a regular basis and get out for a quick pedal around their local area. However, even avid cyclers don’t always know how significant the impact of bicycling can actually be.
Aside from using your bike to get your recommended minutes of exercise every week, you can also take your wheels for a spin to access a bunch of other benefits that many people aren’t fully aware of too. Let’s take a look.
1. Better Brain power
You know that cycling is good for building muscles, but did you know that it also works on the most important muscle in your head – your brain? A study conducted by the Charles Hillman group showed that exercise is excellent for improving brainpower. The more you exercise, the easier it is for you to process difficult and complex topics.
Another study into children using cycling for exercise also found that kids are more positively impacted the more time they spend on a bike. Biking can even help kids control issues like ADD more effectively too.
2. Improved Recovery
One of the toughest parts of working out, is recovering after you’re done with your exercise. Those moments spent after your workout, struggling with aches and pains in your muscles can make you lament ever going to the gym.
However, because cycling helps to lubricate your joints and build endurance, it can also help you to get over the recovery portion of your workout a lot faster too. You can reduce everything from knee pain to general discomfort by spending more time on your bike. You might even discover that you have more stamina for other forms of exercise too.
3. Better Heart Health
Regular exercise with a bike can improve various aspects of your physical health. However, one of the most significant benefits of all comes in the impact that cycling has on your heart. Studies have proven that the more you cycle on a regular basis, the less likely you are to develop problems like high blood pressure and angina.
Getting a regular workout into your routine with your bike also means that you improve your cardio fitness, so you’re less likely to struggle when you’re exposed to tasks in your everyday life. In other words, if you often feel your heart pumping practically out of your chest after running up and down the stairs, using your bike could help with that.
4. Reduced Fat
It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, but weight loss is one of the most significant benefits of cycling on a regular basis. Many people assume that the only way to get rid of fat reliably is to stop eating or reduce the amount that they eat drastically.
Although it’s true that reducing your calorie intake can help you to lose weight faster, you also need regular exercise in your routine too. Studies published in the Journal of Hepatology found that aerobic exercises like biking or cycling can help obese patients to get rid of visceral fat more rapidly.
5. Reduced Risk of Cancer
Improving your heart health, lowering your fat levels, and boosting your endurance all has a positive impact on your health in different ways. However, there’s another way that cycling could help you to live a longer and healthier life too. Maintaining a good weight and getting plenty of exercise each day significantly reduces your risk of cancer, according to studies.
The more you exercise, the less likely you are to fall victim to not only cancer, but also various other long-term diseases like diabetes. Since it’s easy to stick to an activity that you enjoy, riding a bike might deliver better results than hitting the treadmill.
6. A Longer Lifespan
Finally, all of the benefits of cycling also add up to another big benefit, the potential for longer life. According to studies of Tour de France riders, cycling regularly increases the longevity of bike riders. On average, the pros lived up to 81.5 years longer than their counterparts. Other studies have proven that even casual bikers can see the benefit of a longer life with a little help from cycling.
For individuals who make the change from driving everywhere to cycling, it’s possible to regain up to 14 months of extra life! One study also proved that riding up to 60 minutes per week can reduce your risk of death (Early) by up to 23%.
