The benefits of cycling seem endless, and if you’re already submerged in the cycling world, these worlds will be nothing more than affirmation. However, for anybody unfamiliar, you’ll have no objections to getting on your bike after reading our listed benefits below.
Cycling: Mental Health
If wellbeing is essential to your life and you have a physically active lifestyle – which you should have – then you’ll be pleased to know that your overall wellbeing is 32% higher than those without an active lifestyle, a study by the YMCA revealed.
There are countless approaches to exercise that can elevate your mood and lower stress levels, these simple ways to release adrenalin and endorphins are scientifically proven to support your confidence and general health.
Cycling integrates physical exercise with the great outdoors, so not only can you exercise, but you can also explore new views. Whether you’re riding solo, with a friend, or with your partner, exercise combined with fresh air and beautiful sights can positively impact and assist with depressive thoughts.
Cycling: Immune System Perks
As we’ve all just been conformed to the horrific results of a global pandemic, who wouldn’t want to boost their immune system?
Recent studies have shown that exercise has significant benefits for the upper respiratory system, reducing illnesses such as the common cold or flu.
Dr. David Nieman of Appalachian State University said: “People can knock down sick days by 40% by exercising aerobically on most days of the week while at the same time receiving many other exercise-related health benefits.”
Even the mildest exercise can positively affect our immune system as the increased production of proteins will cause the static white blood cells to begin working.
Cycling is an integral choice because it can also assist time-constrained days while removing the need to use germ-infested public transport.
Cycling: Weight Loss
Another issue a few of us have stumbled upon following the covid-19 pandemic is the need to lose those extra few pounds on the waistline, but when it comes to burning calories, cycling can shed anywhere between 400-1000 per hour.
The number of calories you burn depends on your ride’s intensity and how much you weigh. And, of course, the number of calories you consume will affect the frequency of your refueling and the quality of sleep you receive.
But for those enjoying their daily cycle, just know that you’ll also be burning those calories away, and if you opt for a healthy diet, you’ll create a calorie deficit and watch those unwanted pounds fall in your tracks.
Cycling: Muscle Building
Professional cyclist Lily Williams knows what it takes to build muscle. The North Carolina resident will need all the strength she can muster for the upcoming Tour De France that’s returning for women’s cycling for the first time in 38 years. This also focuses on the first-ever North Carolina sports betting opportunity for women’s cycling and the Tour de France, a combination that has never surfaced. In contrast, sports wagering has been legal in the United States.
Williams has the quads, calves, hamstrings, and glutes to represent the United States well at the Tour de France. Although you won’t have the lean, glaring leg muscles that Lily has to offer in her professional outings, you can build towards the same muscle-bound legs by introducing cycling to your life.
Cycling: Lung Health
Cycling doesn’t have to be a forced activity. For example, suppose you swap the car for a bicycle. In that case, you’ll take on the added benefits like saving money on travel costs while simultaneously combining all of the aforementioned benefits. One study has shown that you’re exposed to fewer dangerous fumes than those traveling via car.
The Healthy Air Campaign at Kings College in London, England, fitted air pollution sensors to a driver, a person using public transport (bus), a walker, and a cyclist. Guess who won. Of course, it was the cyclist.
The results displayed that the driver suffered through 5x more pollution levels than the cyclist, giving us another reason to pick up the bike and pedal.
Tags: cycling
