Cycling’s health benefits will not only transform your body and well-being but is adequate transportation to anywhere you need to go, be it in the city, on the road, to work, or out adventuring. All you need is your trusty e-bike and the commitment to cycle every day. As cities continue to make biking safer and more accessible, now’s the time. Here are some of the biggest health benefits of cycling:
1. Immune system
Cycling reduces a user’s instances of common colds and similar immune system-related conditions. This is because essential protein production is increased, white blood cell circulation improves, and more. Although immediately post-interval training, immune system can lower, adequate eating and sleeping well reverses this. To this point, if you’re serious about improving your immune system, stick to eating regularly post-cycling.
2. Brain health
Cycling and other exercise can improve brain health and reduce the risk of negative cognitive changes. Cyclists’ blood flow in the brain rises anywhere from 28 to 70 percent depending on region, and post-exercise blood flow remains up to 40 percent. Improved circulation keeps us healthy by moving nutrients throughout the body and helps with healing. Cycling 45-60 minutes at 75 percent of our maximum heart rate reserve is all required.
3. Strong lungs
Did you know those who commute by bike are exposed to less dangerous fumes than those travelling by car – it’s true! Cyclists are strengthening their lungs every day by jumping on a bicycle to get to and from work. The health benefits of cycling are excellent for a user’s respiratory system or if you’re trying to up cardiovascular endurance.
4. Spatial awareness
Cycling is not just a heart rate booster, the aspects of climbing and descending as well as cornering are using your body weight to get you to where you need to be. These are technical skills which can help you with handling and spatial awareness.
5. Weight loss
Weight loss can be one of the best health benefits of cycling. The weight loss benefits can be significant over time, burning between 400 and 1,000 calories hourly. Of course, this depends on rider weight and intensity of the ride. Other influences on the amount of calories one can burn is how much sleep one gets, what you’re eating, and where your calories are coming from.
6. Cuts disease risk
Things like heart disease and cancer are serious health risks for a lot of people living in contemporary, urban areas. Cycling raises the heart rate and gets blood pumping while burning calories. This cuts down on weight which over time brings down these risks. Recent studies show the risks of heart disease and cancer are cut nearly in half by cyclists who use their bicycles regularly over a multi-year period.
7. Mental health
By engaging in any physically active lifestyle, it can improve mental well-being significantly compared to inactive individuals. Cycling provides a release of endorphins and adrenalin, combines the physical with the outdoors, and is a low-impact way to get out and exercising. It’s also an adjustable fitness regimen which can vary in intensity according to what the user prefers.
8. Low impact
Running comes with a higher injury rate than cycling because it’s weight bearing and it’s a lot of impact on your joints. As an exercise, cycling is significantly less likely to experience muscle damage, inflammation, or any sort of overuse injury. These sort of injuries may arise in time when cycling however the activity thankfully does not carry the same weight bearing impacts as running.
9. Muscle building
Cycling burns fat and builds muscle, most prominently around the glutes, hamstrings, and calves. Although muscle is heavier than fat which can deceive someone going purely off the scale, muscle’s also leaner and with more muscle on your frame, you’ll build more calories when sedentary. By cycling every day, you’re turning yourself on in a big way by building this muscle.
10. Sex life
Did you know cycling has been shown to help with a user’s sex life – it builds some sex-friendly essential muscle groups. In fact, the same muscle groups used on a bicycle are those used in intercourse. The more developed these are, the longer intercourse can last and the more athletic it can be.
11. Eat more
Because of all the health benefits, it’s an opportunity to add more to your diet. Assuming a half-hour ride burns between 200 and 500 calories, this amps up your system. Now this isn’t permission to go completely crazy and guilt-free on what you’re putting into your body. Keep it to healthy snacks though. What you eat keeps your metabolism going and energy up – this is the goal.
12. Better sleep
Cycling will tire out your body in just the right way so that you can get a better night’s sleep. Cardiorespiratory fitness takes a notable decline between the ages of 40 and 60, wherein sleep quality and sleep duration can experience big changes. To stay healthy, cycling can help a great deal in reducing anxiety, improving sleep, and keeping weight under control alongside other factors which can influence sleep quality.