It’s a proven fact that regular exercise and physical activity can improve your health and help protect you from a wide variety of serious diseases and illnesses.
If you’re looking to up your health and fitness game and want to incorporate a fun activity into your routine, cycling may be the exercise for you. Cycling is low impact yet one of the healthiest aerobic exercises that offers a wealth of potential physical and mental health benefits.
Increased cardiovascular fitness
Cycling is an exercise that works pretty much every muscle in the body – including the heart. Cycling uphill, fast or at a quicker pace than usual can all help to lower your blood pressure, which in turn can reduce strain that is put on the heart, thus reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease. Cycling also helps to increase the presence of good cholesterol that is in the body which helps to transport fat away from the arteries, lowering the risk of heart disease.
Burns calories
Cycling is one of the best ways to burn calories – cycling at a steady pace can actually help to burn around 300 calories an hour. Additionally, cycling can also boost your metabolic rate, meaning you’ll continue to burn calories for a while even after you get off your bike.
Helps to reduce stress levels and fights depression
Cycling is an exercise that can helps to improve your mental health and wellbeing, from fighting depression to reducing stress and anxiety. Exercise in general helps the body to produce endorphins (happy hormones) and is a great way to focus on the exercise and enjoy the great outdoors, helping you to forget about the sources of your worries for a while. The release of endorphins can be very beneficial and helps to make you feel happier and more positive.
Improves muscle tone and strength
As mentioned above, cycling works almost every single muscle on your body, including your back and abdominals. Pedal power is an intense workout for your legs, and also your upper body too particularly when riding up hills or over rough terrain. Cycling doesn’t just help to burn fat – it also builds muscle particularly around the glutes, hamstrings, quads and calves, as well as the abdominals and back muscles that help to support your spine and increase your stability.
Good for the environment
Cycling regularly and using it as a mode of transport in place of your car can have a positive impact on the environment by reducing your carbon footprint. Beyond the initial investment (and bike maintenance) it’s a completely free and sustainable transport, and is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint whilst also improving your health and fitness levels. Cycling is a wonderful workout that keeps you active and helps to contribute to a lifestyle that is both physically and mentally healthy. It’s suitable for individuals at any level due to the fact that it varies in intensity, and can be done as a casual and enjoyable exercise, or as a useful mode of transport.
If you want some more exercise inspiration, take a look at the benefits of walking, and the benefits of swimming.