Not only is cycling is a great way to get exercise, it also has many health benefits. Being a low-impact activity that’s easy on the joints and can help you to burn calories and lose weight indoors or outside at any time of the year. Cycling can also improve your cardiovascular health, reduce your risk of heart disease and help you maintain a healthy weight.
Let’s take a look at how cycling can benefit your health…
Cardiovascular Health
Cycling is a great way to improve your cardiovascular health. It helps to strengthen your heart and lungs and can help to lower your blood pressure. Cycling can also help to improve your cholesterol levels. Remember to go at a pace that you feel comfortable at, breathe deeply and keep a bottle of water to hand throughout.
Weight Loss
Cycling is a great way to burn calories and lose weight. If you ride a bike for 30 minutes at a moderate pace you can burn around 300 calories – the equivalent of a cream cheese bagel. If you ride your bike regularly, not only can you lose weight but also improve your overall health. When cycling indoors I like to pop on a podcast, read a book or watch a TV series and my daily cycle absolutely flies by in no time at all!
Mental Health
Cycling is also a great way to improve your mental health. It can help to reduce stress, anxiety and depression. Cycling can also help to improve your mood and energy levels and always leaves me feeling cheerful, enthusiastic and ready to tackle my day ahead.
I highly recommend starting your day with a short cycle to boost your endorphins and encourage motivation towards making healthier lifestyle choices. You can progress to longer sessions during lunch breaks and weekends and explore cycling routes and tracks for variety and inspiration.
Joint Health
Cycling is a low-impact activity that’s easy on the joints; because of this it’s a great way to get exercise if you have arthritis or other joint problems as an alternative to running. Cycling can also help to improve your joint flexibility and strength and I recommend starting with a short duration and low resistance level which you can review and increase over the coming weeks as your endurance builds.
Other Benefits
Cycling can also help to improve your sleep quality, increase your bone density and reduce your risk of some types of cancer. Cycling is a great way to get exercise and improve your overall health wether you are at home, in the gym or out and about at any time of the year.
How to Get Started
If you’re new to cycling then think about starting slowly and gradually increasing the amount of time that you ride for so as not to feel overwhelmed. Be sure to wear a helmet and other safety wear and high visibility clothing if you decide to cycle on the road. You can also find cycling classes at your local gym or community centre and meet like-minded cyclists to create a support network for consistent training.
My love for cycling began with an at home fitness bike which I progressed to outdoor cycling and then introduced a gym based cycle as my cardio warm-up before my weights-based sessions. How will you weave cycling into your lifestyle?
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