Apart from being the most frugal form of commute to work, in an urban environment where traffic jams are frequent, cycling is also the most efficient mean of personal transportation. On the other hand, when people think about cycling, fiscal austerity is not the first thing that comes to mind. Instead, the first association that people have with it is a healthier lifestyle that people who are constantly on their bikes tend to lead. With this in mind and without further ado, here are five health benefits that are main culprits behind this overwhelmingly positive reputation of cycling.
1. Losing weight
While health is always at the forefront, a lot of people equate the idea of health with the idea of fitness. In other words, losing fat and feeling in shape gives them an additional incentive to take care of their overall well-being, which is a win-win scenario no matter how you decide to look at it. The problem that most people face when talking about weight loss is that one side will accuse them of body-shaming, while the other group will immediately assume that it’s all about heart. In reality, there are many other reasons why losing extra weight is good for your organism. For starters, your knees and elbows will thank you, you will sleep better and your immune system will improve.
2. You will improve your bone density
As soon as you pass 30 years of age, the density of your bones will start decreasing, which inevitably leads to osteoporosis in at least some form. Still, people who work out in their 20s and early 30s have a shot at significantly improving their bone density and in this way buying themselves some time. Furthermore, by exercising after the process of degradation has already started, you can slow it down. Apart from this, the revitalization that comes from cycling can also make it subjectively easier for you to handle this issue. As we mentioned in the previous section, losing weight is also a huge factor here, seeing as how your skeleton will suddenly have to endure less pressure on a daily level, which is also of a great help.
3. Better posture, balance and coordination of moves
Every physical activity boosts your ability to balance and coordinate your moves better, yet with cycling, things go even further than that. Seeing as how staying on the bike requires a no small amount of sub-conscious balancing, people who regularly ride their bike have shown a much better sense of balance. In turn, this also helps you develop a better posture.
Needless to say, this reduces the chance of developing some serious back pain problems. In the sedentary culture of the 21st century, this is definitely something you need to keep an eye out for, seeing as how all those hours sitting in your office chair or in front of your TV, might already be taking their toll on your back. In other words, people who work in offices that are at a reasonable distance from their home might want to look into bikes for sale as soon as possible.
4. Great fitness method
Apart from losing weight, people who want to boost their overall strength, stamina and energy levels, might find that cycling is the method they’ve been looking for all along. First of all, the risk of injury is significantly lower than that of running. Second, it is safe even when you significantly increase the intensity. Third, it is easy since it doesn’t take years of training until you can cycle properly, like with some other sports or exercises. Finally, it only requires you to have a bike and there are no other expensive machines or pieces of equipment that you can’t do without.
5. It’s good for your heart
While this is something that virtually everyone knows, it would simply be unfair not to mention that cycling is great for your heart. On the other hand, for cycling to unleash its full potential on this front, you need to have at least two cycles per week and your routines need to be a bit longer (and continuously increasing in time and distance). In other words, like with every other type of cardio exercise, you need to be persistent in order for it to truly work.
In conclusion
Perhaps the greatest advantage of cycling to improve your health is that all these fortuitous side-effects come as extra. A lot of people are cycling for frugality, convenience or simply because it’s fun, yet, they get to reap full benefits of increased physical activity and regular cardio. In other words, there is not a single reason why you shouldn’t cycle or at least use cycling as a mean of commute, of course, other than the fact that the weather might not allow it all year round.
