Many people wake up tired, push through the morning routine as they prepare to go to work all the while feeling weak and sapped of their last energy resources. They drink their coffee and get a temporary boost which soon dies leaving them struggling to drive to work in their original waking state. This is the exact opposite with cyclers. Cycling offers all round benefits that should not only make it a healthy way of keeping fit but a hobby too, a passion.
SEE ALSO: 7 Essential Safety Tips For Workouts.
Top 10 Health Benefits Of Exercising With A Bicycle
1. Wake up tired? Cycle
This advice might seem odd and counter-intuitive but it’s the best thing yet you’ll ever do yet. Cycling gives you a boost when you feel tired. It’s a very effective wake-up call that directly lowers the levels of fatigue in the body. So, if you get out of bed feeling a little tired get on your bike and cycle for a few blocks to get the rejuvenation you need. Thank me later.
2. Keeping fit
Cycling keeps you in great physical condition making you look younger. This is because you burn more calories when cycling as compared to your calorie input thus reducing the amount of fat in your body. It also improves the circulation system with increases the rate of waste elimination.
Circulation to the skin ensures the removal of toxic waste and rejuvenates the skin by providing it with nutrients and water that make your cells look younger and healthier. What’s better than that? You actually get to look young and fit while on the same time saving on gas and money.
3. Improving the mental well-being
Research has found out that those who work out more or perform outdoor activities tend to live longer and healthier than those who don’t. What’s worse than watching television? Watching TV to avoid dealing with your problems is an aspect of life most people never seem to realize. Cycling gives you some alone time to process your thought especially when you are by yourself.
It provides the necessary environment that makes you think better and analyze your stress while at the same time soothing you so that you may deal with the problems in a calm, collected manner. It triggers the release of adrenaline and endorphins that lead to self-confidence due to a sense of accomplishment which aids in reducing depression and anxiety. Cycling is indeed very good for the mental health.
4. Healthy heart and cancer free
Cycling significantly reduces your risk of having a heart attack or cancer. It burns fat in the body reducing the chance of being overweight which significantly reduces the chances of developing any major disease such as an unhealthy heart or cancer. Finnish researchers found out that people who had a habit of cycling for like 30 to 40 minutes a day helped their cells work better significantly lowering chances of developing most types of cancer.
5. Boost your lung capacity
Working out increases the amount of air one inhales. More oxygen rushes into your brain thus boosting your mental capacity too. When cycling, you use 10 times more oxygen that when you are lying on the couch watching TV. This increases your cardio-vascular system which makes it work more efficiently transporting oxygen to where it’s needed most in the body.
This is especially important to expectant mothers. An improved cardiovascular system ensures that the baby gets sufficient nutrients and that toxic waste is easily expelled from the mother’s system thus creating a safe environment for the fetus. You can get, for instance, a women’s mountain bike. You can use this bikes to cycle for a few minutes a day to increase your overall health.
6. Boosting your bowel movement
Most people, whether they would like to acknowledge it or not, have a problem with their bowel movement. This becomes more severe with old age. The easiest, most natural and chemical free way of
combating this condition is exercising your abdominal muscles. Physical activity such as cycling greatly reduces the time taken for stool to pass through the large intestine this minimizes the re-absorption of water back into the body thus giving you softer stools.
Aerobic exercises increase the breathing rate and the rate of your heartbeat. all this activity helps intestinal or abdorminal muscles contract more. This increases the rate at which food that is being digested moves and reduces the feeling of being bloated which helps protect you against bowel cancer.
ALSO READ: 5 Reasons Why Mountain Biking And Climbing Is Good For Your Health
7. Budget friendly
If you are looking to save some money come over to this part of the room. You wake up every day and fuel your car both to and from work. Calculate that amount of cash that you’ll have to spend daily for a month or a year. Now think of bicycles which use no fuel and have minimal maintenance expenses and think of the amount of money that you could save and how much healthier your body would become. This is clearly a win-win situation. It’s not too late to start!
8. Avoid pollution
Bicycles emit no fumes. They are thus environmentally friendly unlike cars. Riding a bike to work or for
leisure could be a positive thing for you and the environment. Imagine all those vehicles and the emissions they cause, the pollution and toxic chemicals they expel to the atmosphere. What if ninety percent of the population decided to do away with vehicles and started cycling?
It is researched that bus and car passengers inhale more toxic particles at a minimum of 40,000 while cyclists inhale just about 8,000. This is thought that it because drivers and passengers are in a more direct line of exposure to these particles than cyclists. Think of the environmental benefits that would result from cycling and how they could literally save our lungs. We should be part of this great movement to saving our planet and our ozone layer.
9. Morning boosts
Cycling early in the morning helps you look at the beautiful morning in a different light. Hitting the shower after cycling leaves you feeling refreshed and focused. Studies uncovered the relationship that connects success at work and keeping fit. People who exercised more tended to have a bigger capability of handling a huge workload without getting burned-out as compared to those who did not work out. They also tended to take less breaks during work hours and were great at interpersonal relations in the workplace.
10. Quality shut-eye
Hitting the bed after a morning cycling session is something worth trying. Cycling in the morning exposes you to the day and wakes your body up. It improves the mental states and works out your muscles
leaving you feeling refreshed. Hitting the bed after this morning session especially during the weekends when you have more time, gives your body time to regain lost energy heal and generally become healthier. It will also leave you refreshed and ready to tackle the day’s problems.
Cycling is an easier way to boost one’s overall health, mental state, environmental growth and financial status all in one go. What could be better? All the financial savings and health benefits that come with cycling to work are huge and cannot be ignored. Start cycling today to gain on these awesome benefits.
Author Bio;
Sophie Elise is a passionate cyclist, author and blogger. She is very passionate about writing on different types of women’s bikes, accessories, health, fitness and more and regularly writes on bestbikesforwomen.com
