For cyclists, riding a bike is the greatest workout and recreational activity you can ever engage in. If you ask any experienced cyclist, they will tell you how much they love cycling and how it has improved their lives. Riding a bike isn’t nearly as unpleasant as jogging or going to the gym for most people. This is because getting on a bike and going for a ride often requires dragging your feet which is not usually stressful.
Riding a bike comes with a lot of mental and health benefits. Cycling is one of the healthiest physical activities you can do. It improves cardiovascular health by strengthening the heart muscles, lowering resting pulse, and lowering blood fat levels, just like any other aerobic exercise. The resistance factors associated with paddling also help to strengthen joints, muscles, and bones.
Do you know that cycling improves your balance, agility, and posture as well? It is also an ideal physical activity for young children, adults, and people suffering from osteoarthritis because it places little or no adverse stress on the body.
It will take you to mountains, valleys, hills, trees, rivers, and lakes, allowing you to see lots of amazing things in the world. And guess what? Cycling is simple to incorporate into your daily routine.
How Cycling Makes You Feel Healthier
It’s amazing how cycling can provide so many health benefits. Since it’s a form of exercise, it has been proven that it can be very effective if done regularly. Below are some ways in which cycling can make you feel healthier.
1. Cycling helps in managing weight
Cycling is an aerobic workout that can help you burn calories and lose weight. Cycling increases your heart rate while also lowering your overall body mass.
Riding your bike will help you get rid of excess body fat when combined with a healthy diet. It is a low-impact aerobic exercise that is better on the joints than running and is often recommended for weight loss. It would interest you to know that most people find it easier to stick to a daily workout schedule because of the low-impact nature and slower speed.
2. Cycling is a stress reliever
Cycling has been linked to a better mood according to several studies. People with depression who were taking antidepressants were the subject of one report. Their levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, dropped after just 15 minutes of cycling. After their cycling session, the volunteers in the study indicated that their mood had improved. This demonstrates the value of cycling to us.
One of the things you can do if you are too tired is to engage yourself in cycling. Even a few minutes of physical activity will serve as an important wake-up call.
3. Cycling will help you get a better night’s sleep
Daily intense sleep is important for satisfaction and quality of life. According to studies, 20-30 minutes of exercise a day helps people with insomnia fall asleep faster and sleep longer. Exercising outside exposes people to sunlight, which may help them re-establish their circadian rhythm.
Cycling regularly can help you synchronize your circadian rhythm and minimize stress hormone levels, which can make getting proper intense sleep difficult.
4. Cycling helps improve your memory
According to studies, a 30-minute bike ride has been shown to enhance memory, thinking, and planning. The time you spend pedaling your bicycle pumps more blood into your body, providing more oxygen and nutrients to your brain and muscles.
Pedaling increases the firing of the nerve cells and the production of proteins that aid in the development of new brain cells. This has the potential to double or triple the output of neurons, which are the building blocks of the brain. The exercise also releases neurotransmitters, allowing all of your cells to interact more effectively, thereby improving brain function.
5. Cycling Improves Coordination, Balance, and Posture
You can strengthen your overall balance, coordination, and posture by stabilizing your body and keeping your bike upright. Balance deteriorates with age and inactivity, so it’s important to maintain it.
Improved balance aids in the avoidance of falls and injuries, which can put you on the sidelines as you recover. Just so you know, as you are cycling regularly, you are also improving your body coordination, balance, and posture.
6. Cycling Can Help Cancer patients
If you have cancer or you are recovering from cancer, cycling is an excellent addition to your treatment plan. Cycling may help you stay healthy, which can lower the risk of some cancers, such as breast cancer. Staying active if you have breast cancer, according to studies, will help you minimize the side effects of cancer treatment, such as fatigue, and also increase your overall quality of life.
7. Cycling helps lower the risk of having Cardiovascular Disease
Cycling regularly strengthens and activates the pulse, lungs, and circulation, thereby lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease. These diseases include stroke, high blood pressure, and heart attack. Cycling improves heart muscle strength, decreases resting pulse, and lowers blood fat levels.
Cycling commuters are often exposed to two to three times less noise than car commuters, which means their lung capacity is enhanced.
8. Cycling improves your sex life
Most of us understand that sex is beneficial, but not everyone understands that it also benefits your overall health. In reality, regular sex can help you live longer. Cycling will help you have a better sex life because it develops some very essential muscle groups in your body.
Just to let you know, these muscles are needed for better intercourse. The more these muscles are formed, the better and longer the duration of the intercourse
9. Cycling helps in strengthening your immune system
Cycling has been shown to have significant benefits for the health of the upper respiratory tract, reducing the incidence of the common cold. Cycling on most days of the week will reduce sick days by around 40% while still providing a plethora of other exercise-related health benefits.
10. Cycling Helps in Controlling Diabetes
Poor circulation of blood in the lower body is common in people with Type II diabetes, which can lead to swollen feet. Cycling is a perfect way to improve blood flow from the lower body, which helps to reduce swelling and foot pain. Cycling can help people with diabetes control their blood sugar because it uses up glucose in their muscle cells.
Read Also: Cycling Doesn’t Just Make You Healthier, It Makes You Smarter too!
How Cycling Makes You Feel Happier
1. Physical Exercise Influences Your Mood
Cycling is a form of exercise. Physical exercise influences the release and uptake of chemicals in your brain that make you feel healthy. Exercise lowers stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol while increasing the production of endorphins (also known as happy hormones) in the body.
2. There Is Less Risk Of Depression
Staying healthy also lowers the risk of depression and decreases depressed mood, as well as short- and long-term anxiety feelings. Many people find that going for a bike ride provides them with relief from their daily pressures and anxieties. Cycling requires you to focus on navigating the road and jostling for space while avoiding other road users.
You don’t have time to think about the problems or concerns because you need to concentrate on staying healthy while riding. The physical and emotional effort in cycling helps relax and calm the mind and body by the end of the ride.
3. Your Physical Health Improves
By engaging yourself in cycling, you tend to be smarter as you continue because everything about you is improving. Research has found that people who engage themselves in cycling tend to be more decisive in their approach to any situation because of their cycling experiences.
When you notice that you are getting smarter from the exercise you are into, you tend to derive fun from it because it has become part of your daily routine.
4. You Get To Be Social
Cycling is a very social sport. Joining a cycling club or community is a great way to expand your social network, and if you’re new to biking, you will likely find all the maintenance and fitness and maintenance tips you need there as well. It also allows you to spend more time with your partner.
Related: Is Riding A Bike Good Exercise? 7 Exercise Benefits Of Real Bikes Vs. Stationary Bikes
5. You Are Being Environmental Friendly
Another reason why cycling makes you feel good is the idea that you’re protecting the environment by reducing carbon emissions.
Tips To Get Started With Cycling
Now that you have known about the benefits of cycling, it’s up to you, to determine if cycling can become a daily part of your happiness routine. If you answered yes, here are some tips to help you get started;
1. Get a bike
If you are going to engage yourself in cycling, you will probably need a bike. And covering everything you need to know about choosing the right bike for you will require at least an entire post. Just keep in mind that you don’t need one with a thousand gears and all of the extras. Just make sure it’s well-made, suits you properly, and is designed for the type of riding you want to do.
Related: Best Bikes For Exercise
2. Begin with the basics
As with any new fitness program or practice, it’s best to take things slowly at first. Also, stay on familiar roads that are close to your house. Soon enough, you will get used to it.
3. Make it a daily or weekly routine
Just like any new fitness program or practice, making cycling a habit can greatly increase your chances of success. Ensure you make an effort to go out every day and stick to a routine. But don’t be too strict. Remember to have a good time because the aim is to enjoy your cycling without any stress.
4. Follow the rules
Cycling should be pleasurable and stress-free, which is difficult to do when you’re constantly bombarded by blaring car horns and irate pedestrians. Following the laws of the road is the safest way to stop exhausting riding.
5. Don’t ride alone
There’s nothing like not knowing what you’re doing to take the fun out of riding. Fortunately, there are plenty of cyclists who will gladly assist you in discovering the joys of cycling. Join a local cycling club or form your riding party. Remember that cycling is a social activity, and being social is an important part of happiness, so share the happiness.
6. Make plans for cycling
You don’t have to cycle every day if it seems too much to you at the early stages. Plan out your week to include as much cycling as you want. You also don’t have to ride the entire route. You can cycle as much as you want if you have the time.
7. Choose a safer route
Just because you drive on major highways doesn’t mean you have to cycle on them as well. You will feel much better while leaving in the morning if you can find a safer route for cycling.
8. Motivate yourself
Don’t tell yourself you can’t; instead, keep telling yourself you can. When you do, you will feel a lot better that way. Cycling has to do with determination and passion. Since it’s very easy to cycle, it shouldn’t be an issue for you.
9. Run errands on your bike
Another way to incorporate cycling into your lifestyle is to run errands on your bike. Get on your bike and ride to your local market or any other place and see the way it will become part of your daily routine.
10. Discover a new place
You might be wondering if you have to spend thousands of dollars to find peace and adventure. Well, that isn’t necessary. When you ride a trail, you will feel completely at ease. Cycling is the best way to discover new areas in the city. It guarantees that you get a first-hand experience without having to worry about finding a parking spot.
FAQs
Why do I feel happy after cycling?
Cycling releases endorphins that are responsible for lifting your mood. That is why you feel happy after cycling.
Is cycling bad to do everyday?
No, cycling is not bad to do every day if you are careful and keep your riding hours in check.
What hormones are released during cycling?
Cycling releases serotonin, endorphins, Adrenaline, and Noradrenaline.
Final Thoughts
Cycling is a low-impact, safe, and enjoyable type of exercise for people of all ages. It encourages people to live healthier, happier, and smarter. Cyclists are more likely to be in shape and less likely to be overweight. Daily cycling will help you build trust, get fit, and achieve your fitness goals, in addition to the physiological and emotional benefits.
Just so you know, happiness does not come in an already-made form. It stems from your own decisions, and keep in mind that you still can act. So go ahead and start cycling to become healthier and happier.
Also Read
- How Cycling Makes You Smarter!
- 9 Environmental Benefits Of Cycling
- How To Maintain Proper Cycling Posture
