Everywhere around the world, heart disease has become a major cause of death compared to other diseases, and younger people are at a higher risk of heart disease due to obesity and high blood pressure. While eating healthy, quitting smoking, and limiting alcohol can help a lot, cycling can do a great deal.
The benefits of cycling are innumerable. Cycling is a great way to keep fit, lose weight, have fun and adventure, see the world and your environment, and most importantly it helps your health and prevents heart disease.
A recent study showed that people who are over 60 years old who cycle daily have a lower chance of developing cardiovascular disease and can keep their waist circumference, blood pressure, and cholesterol in check.
When you cycle, your heart rate rises and your blood pumps around your body. Cycling has in fact, been proven to be better than going to the gym for many reasons which include;
- You can take fresh air
- It can save you time and effort
- It aids in digestion
Here are some of the benefits of cycling for your heart’s health and disease prevention;
Read also: How To Plan A Bicycle Touring Adventure: Tips And Tricks For Beginners
1. It Relieves Stress
Stress has been proven to be some of the reasons why some people get heart disease. It is never healthy and cycling provides stress relief. Cycling can be meditative and joyful because it brings you closer to nature, bringing peace to your workout. Also, the more you cycle, the better you’ll get at it, and that increase in confidence can lift your mood and can heal a stressed mind, keeping you safe from heart disease.
2. It Can Help You Sleep Better
It may not show immediately, but lack of sleep will tell on your health and on how you carry out your daily activities. Cycling when performed regularly can improve how you sleep at night and can help you from having a bad night’s sleep and sleeping disorders. When life gets hectic, don’t skip riding no matter how hard it may prove. Skipping it frequently can start to affect your sleep versus helping it. Ride your way to a great night’s sleep.
3. It Gets Your Blood Pumping
Riding all the time keeps your heart strong, and a strong heart pumps blood effortlessly. Studies show that hopping on your bike and pedaling your bike gets your heart going and your blood pumping. The blood starts pumping to your legs which carries oxygen throughout your muscles to avoid painful cramping.
4. It Is Excellent For Your Brain
Cycling is a great way to increase dopamine in your brain which in turn makes you feel great. It also helps your brain grow to be big and strong making you feel more connected. The white matter in your brain will be boosted and the grey matter will increase, causing you a healthy brain, and decreasing stress, depression, and anxiety.
5. Improves Your Balance And Gait
These two things are important to carry out daily tasks. Regular Cycling can improve your overall balance and gait. Repetitive motor training can help stroke patients recover motor function. And because walking and cycling are similar in muscle use, stationary cycling can be a low-impact option for those in the recovery process.
Read also: How To Choose The Right Bicycle Seatpost For Your Needs
6. It helps reduce your risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Countless research has shown that regularly hopping on your bike can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. To lower your risk, you would have to cycle consistently, especially because your risk decreases significantly the longer you continue to include cycling in your routine. Even beginning to cycle later in life will still lower your risk of type 2 diabetes, which means it is rarely too late to start.
7. Cycling Provides Room For Active Recovery
Workout recovery is important and can help avoid burnout and injury from exercise. Of particular importance is active recovery, which involves doing light exercise instead of completely resting. This is because active recovery reduces delayed onset muscle soreness. This means including cycling as part of active recovery.
8. It Helps You Prevent Obesity
Cycling is a good way to help you stay within a healthy weight and help you enjoy the finer things in life whilst supporting better health. Cycling and indoor cycling classes provide a means of calorie and fat burning that can make it easier to stay at a healthy weight. Cycling for 15 to 20 minutes per day will be a great start to your fitness journey, will give you a toned body, and also increase your self-esteem in the long run.
9. It Will Make You Feel Young Again
Getting on a bike can make you feel young again, as you speed along with the wind in your hair. Cycling releases invigorating bursts of endorphins, our feel-good neurotransmitters. Cycling can be a sociable activity, too. There are groups throughout the UK for cyclists of all abilities.
10. It Strengthens Your Immune System
Cycling can stimulate the immune system and delay the effects of aging. It can also boost the effectiveness of your immune system by helping your immune cells function properly. As a result, it increases blood flow, reduces stress, and strengthens antibodies.
The benefits of cycling work for anyone with any riding ability. It can help stimulate your heart and lungs, improve your circulation and your chances of cardiovascular diseases will decrease. Your resting pulse goes down, your blood fat levels lower and your heart muscles become much stronger.
Read also: What Are The Gears On A Bike For And How To Use Them?