Health Benefits of Cycling

Inorder to be fit and healthy you need to be physically active. Regular physical activity can help protect you from serious diseases such as obesity, heart disease, cancer, mental illness, diabetes and arthritis. Riding your bicycle regularly is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of health problems associated with a sedentary lifestyle. Cycling 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. Riding to work or the shops is one of the most time-efficient ways to combine regular exercise with your everyday routine. An estimated one billion people ride bicycles every day – for transport, recreation and sport.

Cycling is a low impact type of aerobic activity that can benefit a person’s health and fitness. It is a useful exercise that many people can incorporate into their daily lives as a mode of transport, casual activity, or competitive sport. As it is relatively easy to start and suitable for most fitness levels, it is a popular physical activity.

To those already engrossed in the cycling world, the benefits of cycling will already be abundantly clear, but for anyone who needs a reason to get out on the bike here’s a list of some of the biggest perks.  

Cardiovascular health

Cardiovascular health refers to the health of the heart and blood vessels. Cardiovascular disease is a group of diseases of the heart and blood vessels, including coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, heart arrhythmias, and heart valve problems.

Many researchers note that cycling can help improve heart health. For example, one 2017 studyTrusted Source suggests that people who cycle to work experience notable health benefits, including improved cardiovascular functioning. In addition to a 46% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease, commuters who cycle to work also have a 52% lower risk of dying from the condition. The results of the study also indicate that as well as improving heart health, cycling to work may reduce the risk of developing cancer.

Obesity and weight control

Cycling is a good way to control or reduce weight, as it raises your metabolic rate, builds muscle and burns body fat. If you’re trying to lose weight, cycling must be combined with a healthy eating plan. Cycling is a comfortable form of exercise and you can change the time and intensity – it can be built up slowly and varied to suit you.

Research suggests you should be burning at least 8,400 kilojoules (about 2,000 calories) a week through exercise. Steady cycling burns about 1,200 kilojoules (about 300 calories) per hour. If you cycle twice a day, the kilojoules burnt soon add up. British research shows that a half-hour bike ride every day will burn nearly five kilograms of fat over a year.

CYCLING IMPROVES MENTAL WELL-BEING

A study by the YMCA showed that people who had a physically active lifestyle had a wellbeing score 32 per cent higher than inactive individuals. There are so many ways that exercise can boost your mood: there’s the basic release of adrenalin and endorphins, and the improved confidence that comes from achieving new things (such as completing a sportive or getting closer to that goal).

Cycling combines physical exercise with being outdoors and exploring new views. You can ride solo – giving you time to process worries or concerns, or you can ride with a group which broadens your social circle. Former Hour Record holder Graeme Obree has suffered from depression through much of his life, and told us: “Getting out and riding will help [people suffering with depression]… Without cycling, I don’t know where I would be.”

Blood pressure

A 2019 systematic reviewTrusted Source indicates that cycling is a useful exercise to help reduce body fat and body mass. If a person wishes to lose weight, having a good diet and getting adequate exercise are both vital. Cycling can help a person manage their weight because it increases the metabolic rate, builds muscle, and burns body fat. It is also adaptive, meaning that a person can change the length and intensity of exercise to suit them. Evidence suggests that based on a person’s body type, they can burn up to 300 calories per hour with moderate cycling. If a person increases the intensity, they can burn even more calories in less time.

Cycling can help people with cancer

Many researchers have studied the relationship between exercise and cancer, especially colon and breast cancer. Research has shown that if you cycle, the chance of bowel cancer is reduced. Some evidence suggests that regular cycling reduces the risk of breast cancer.

Cycling is a fantastic addition to your care plan if you have or are recovering from cancer. However, many cancer patients experience low energy and pain during treatment, so be sure to work with your care team, listen to your body, and exercise only if you’re up for it. Cycling can also help keep you lean and fit, which may reduce your risk for certain types of cancer, including breast cancer (6Trusted Source). According to research from 2019, if you have breast cancer, staying active may help reduce side effects of cancer treatment, including fatigue, and improve your overall quality of life.

CYCLING BUILDS MUSCLE

The resistance element of cycling means that it doesn’t just burn fat: it also builds muscle – particularly around the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves. Muscle is leaner than fat, and people with a higher percentage of muscle burn more calories even when sedentary. To be clear – you won’t end up with quads like a track sprinter unless you invest a serious amount of time at the squat rack. But you will develop a nice toned derriere.

Cycling improves strength, balance and coordination. It may also help to prevent falls and fractures. Riding a bike is an ideal form of exercise if you have osteoarthritis, because it is a low-impact exercise that places little stress on joints. Cycling does not specifically help osteoporosis (bone-thinning disease) because it is not a weight-bearing exercise.