Biking is a healthy, low-impact exercise that can be enjoyed by people of all ages, from young children to older adults. It is also fun, cheap and good for the environment. Biking takes you to places and gets you closer to nature. When you ride your bike, you’ll see beautiful scenery which is something you can only find in biking trails. Some people ride for the view and some ride for the health benefits.
Here are the Health Benefits of Biking
Improve Cardiovascular Fitness
Biking is mainly an aerobic activity, which means that your heart, blood vessels, and lungs all get a workout. Regular biking stimulates and improves your heart, lungs, and circulation, reducing your risk of cardiovascular diseases such as stroke, high blood pressure, and heart attack. Biking helps you breathe deeper, perspire and experience increased body temperature, which will improve your overall fitness level. Further studies show that those who perform physical activity, like biking, on a daily basis are 31-percent less likely to develop high blood pressure and other cardiovascular diseases.
Helps Fight Obesity
It shouldn’t really come as a surprise that weight loss is one of the big benefits of regular biking. Biking is a good way to control or reduce weight, as it raises your metabolic rate, builds muscle and burns body fat. It is full body workout and uses the muscles of your whole body. It provides a combination of high and medium to low-intensity cardio workouts, that is why it is really a great way to stay in shape. And because mountain biking is a fun sport, it allows you to burn a bunch of calories without you even realizing it.
Tones Muscle
Biking is a great way to tone your muscles. Most people do not realize that biking is actually a whole-body workout. It improves the core muscle groups which in turn improves posture and body build. You use abdominal muscles to balance and stay upright, and you use your arm and shoulder muscles to hold the handlebars and steer. Further, biking is known for being a low impact activity, which means that it is generally kinder to your joints and your body. It causes less strain and injuries than most other forms of exercise.
Lower the Risk of Cancer
There’s plenty of evidence that any exercise is useful in warding off cancer, but some studies have shown that cycling is specifically good for keeping your cells in working order. Maintaining a healthy weight, regular exercise, and a conscientious diet all help lower your risk of cancer.
Better Sleep
Studies have found that a person who engages in physical activity during the day sleeps better at night. This is probably because of after a day’s ride, you’ll feel tired and worn out which ultimately result in an improved regenerative sleep at night.
Makes You Happy
Studies show that cycling improves mood, releases stress and creates a rush of endorphins to the brain. In other words, the rigorous demands of mountain biking stimulate your body to release natural endorphins making you feel happy. Mental health conditions such as depression, stress, and anxiety brought about by the stressors in life can be reduced by regular bike riding.
Improve Self-Esteem
When biking, you get to encounter different obstacles along the trails. Overcoming these challenges helps in the development of your confidence and self-esteem. Believing and knowing that you can do it will make every obstacle easier. There’s something deeply satisfying and rewarding about relying on your own to overcome difficult trails and obstacles when biking. An improved self-esteem does not only apply to your biking, it will also apply to all aspects of your life.
Helps You Socialize
Socializing with other people is good for your well-being and biking is surprisingly a social pastime. It always feels good to belong to those people whom you share the same interest with. Joining a cycling club or group is an excellent way to grow your social circle. Riding with other bikers also gives you the chance to learn some maintenance tips and training advice.
