Cycling Has More Benefits Than You May Think
Improves mental well-being
Cyclists scored 32% higher on a study of wellbeing vs. people who didn’t exercise.
Cycling gives you time to process your worries or concerns and also takes out any frustration on the tarmac rather than others around you.
Fresh air and the outdoors are known improvers for depression and cycling gives you a routine to stick to. This is one of the 10 best reasons to get on a bike
Promotes weight loss (or allows for second breakfast)
Burning around 500 calories per hour makes for positive weight loss. Cycling is one of very few sports where you can choose how hard you push, especially with the new age of eBikes. This means cycling is an activity for everyone where any goal is achievable.
You must enjoy a form of exercise to truly use it as a life-long weight loss tool, so the flexibility of different cycling disciplines means everyone can find one to love.
Builds general and specific strength
Core strength, leg strength, and heart strength are all beneficial in everyday life, these are all greatly improved when cycling. You use your core every single day, so strengthening it will increase balance & stability and decrease the likeliness of acute injury and repetitive stress injuries.
It Cuts Heart Disease and Cancer risk by up to 52%
A recent study from BMJ (of 263,450 people) found the following…
- 41% lower risk of dying from Cancer
- 52% lower risk of dying from heart disease
- 40% lower risk of dying from cancer
- 46% lower risk of developing heart disease
- 45% lower risk of developing cancer
Cycling is low impact
Many people move from running as a hobby into riding because of impact-related issues & injuries.
Riding a bike is almost as low impact as swimming, but is much quicker & easier to access.
If you have issues with your body and are considering getting into road cycling, a bike fit would certainly be worth its weight in gold in order to set you on the correct path for success.
Time-Saving
Short journeys are easily accomplishable by bike. They could also save you time.
Think about these 3 scenarios:
Car: You need to find and get into your car, drive, sit in traffic, find a parking space, pay to park, walk from your car to your destination.
Bus: You need to walk to your nearest bus stop, wait for the bus to arrive, pay, be driven further than the direct route, stop at other bus stops, arrive at your desired bus stop, walk from bus stop to destination.
Bike: You need to get onto your bike, filter past traffic, breathe fresh air, lock the bike next to your destination, arrive.
For any journey longer than 5 miles, we can understand why other forms of transport are worthwhile, but for anything less, it really can be quicker to ride a bike.
Improves your sex life
Muscles that are developed during cycling are all used during under the sheets action. So, it’s just one more reason to get your leg over the saddle.
Promotes better, deeper, sleep
Exercise is a natural sleep remedy; your body is kicked into action when your heart starts pumping. It means you burn calories; muscles have to change; you require more sustenance and need to take on more fluids. If you tie this in with absorbing natural sunlight and fresh air, your body will need to recover.
You’ll find you will drift off to sleep easier and your sleep will be much deeper – making for a better evening.
Strengthens your immune system
You can knock down sick days by about 40% if you exercise aerobically most days of the week.
Keeping your blood flowing helps kick away anything that may normally affect your system, just be careful when you train at a high intensity as this can have a temporary, opposite effect.
Makes you more social
As a cyclist, you will always be meeting new people, whether it is on the road, at a club ride, or in the café. Cycling is one of the most social sports out there, and if you can find the right group of people, you will soon have more friends than you realise.
So, there you have it, 10 great benefits of getting on two wheels.
We hope to see you on the road!
The Cycle Revolution Team
