15 reasons why cycling is your daily lifesaver

While owning a car may be more convenient in some instances, for everything else biking is the way to go in fact, biking comes with a lot of health benefits that you don't get from driving a car. As endless as the roads your bike will travel, cycling health benefits are more significant than those of almost any other sport not only is cycling very good for your physical and mental well-being but it is also among the cheapest, easiest, and most accessible ways to let off steam. You might wonder what are these benefits that we're talking about. Well, keep reading to find out: from improved muscles to increased flexibility, boosted confidence, to an improved mood, to the benefit of moving.

1) Improves mood.

Running doesn't create a runner's high alone; any physical activity that will get your heart pounding will release a hormone known as dopamine that will boost your energy level. After a bike ride, your mood and energy levels can improve, if you feel the afternoon slump at work, going for a quick ride during your lunch break may be exactly what you need to stay focused and energized.

2) Weight loss without extreme diets.

A bike ride can burn as many as a thousand calories an hour, depending upon the intensity of the ride, so there's a reason the pros are so lean. It's also never been easier to refuel your muscles with the number of calories you lose on your ride. Honestly, an hour or more of pedaling will rev your metabolism to overdrive. Your body will burn calories faster than you can consume them and weight loss doesn't require a heavily structured workout. Spin classes are great, but opting for a bike instead of driving to work will do so much more for your health. Commuters who switch to cycling from driving have been shown to lose weight most effectively one study found that, even when they commute for just 30 minutes each way, they shed an average of seven kilograms over the course of a year.

3) Improves heart health.

In addition to strengthening your heart muscles and reducing your risk of several cardiovascular diseases including strokes, high blood pressure, and heart attacks, cycling increases your heart rate.Furthermore, when compared to those who lead sedentary lifestyles, those who participate in physical activity such as biking can experience an overall improvement in cardiovascular function. While we don't recommend quitting your blood pressure medication just yet, there is reason to believe that incorporating cycling into your daily routine may have a positive impact on your blood pressure. It may even be as effective as prescription medication.

4) Releases anxiety and stress.

Another important mental health benefit of cycling is relief from anxiety and stress. Cycling helps you balance cortisol and adrenaline levels in the body when the perfect balance between these 2 is attained stress is reduce this perhaps is one of the healthiest ways to deal with stress this calming effect allows your brain to focus on reading and peddling these to become the prime focus and this internship your focus from all sorts of negativity and anxiety.

By cycling, you can reduce your anxiety and stress levels cycling increases the level of cortisol and adrenaline in the body, which then helps in lowering stress levels this calming effect allows your brain to focus on breathing and pedaling, which reduces stress and worries.

5) Slows aging.

According to studies, high-intensity interval exercise, such as cycling, helps slow the aging process at the cellular level. People who completed high-intensity exercises experienced an increase in mitochondrial capacity, according to the study. Because a drop in mitochondria can lead to physical decline, the better your mitochondria can function, the more refreshed you'll be all the way down to a cellular level.

6) Enhances muscles.

All muscles play a crucial role, cycling is not just a leg exercise as you may think. In cycling, the muscles in your stomach and glutes, your lower leg muscles, and your quadriceps and thighs are engaged in pushing the pedals down.

As you accelerate in the backstroke or upstroke, some muscles in your hips and your hamstrings in your thigh are being used as well. Remaining upright and balanced on a bicycle strengthens and tones your stomach muscles and when steering the bike, it allows you to work out your arms and shoulders.

7) Increases flexibility.

Being flexible is one of the most important aspects of staying fit and minimizing injuries. If you feel your legs are stiff, cycling is a great exercise for your quads, hamstrings, and calves. Besides feeling lighter and improving your posture and balance, cycling helps you maintain flexibility.

8) Boosts your confidence.

Despite what you may think, cycling boosts your self-esteem. As your body releases serotonin when you cycle, you can remain physically and emotionally stable. Furthermore, cycling spurs confidence and self-esteem, along with a perfect body shape that is also an important factor in boosting self-esteem.

9) Easy on your joints.

Sitting on a bike puts the weight on the pelvis rather than your legs, knees, or feet as you would when walking or running. Patients with knee pain and osteoarthritis have been shown to improve their condition by cycling. It's gentle on the body yet still incredibly powerful, plus it improves posture and coordination.

10) Improves brainpower.

Studies show that regular exercise helps improve mental skills by increasing the amount of white matter in the brain, which is a region that's responsible for making our bodies work efficiently. White matter found beneath the brain surface acts as a conduit, it leads different regions of the brain together like a cerebral subway system.

11) Reduces cancer risk.

Studies show that adopting at least a moderate form of physical activity even in the middle ages, like cycling, can reduce the risk of diseases. Therefore cycling as a commuting form is associated with lower cancer risk. A study investigated the relationship between those who used bikes to commute and those who did not and suggested, after their findings, that cycling is a good option to decrease cancer risk.

12) Helps you sleep better.

A study revealed that for people who were suffering from insomnia, the amount of time they spent trying to sleep was halved, and sleep time increased by one hour after being subjected to cycling for 20 to 30 minutes each day. This outdoor activity helps restore the body's natural rhythm and helps lower stress levels due to the body being exposed to daylight which rids your body of cortisol, the one stress hormone that prevents you from a deep regenerative sleep.

13) Boost the immune system.

Cycling can assist your immune system in fighting off illnesses. The immunological cells in your body are housed in the thymus organ. The thymus diminishes from the age of 20 onwards, and your immune system deteriorates by two to three percent per year. By middle age, the thymus has shrunk to 15 percent of its maximal size.

The immune system relies on antibodies acquired over years of combating germs. A study of 125 long-distance bikers in their 80s discovered that their immune systems were resilient because they produced as many immune cells as someone in their 20s.

Cycling, for example, can help your body drain bacteria from your lungs and airways, reducing the likelihood of catching a cold or flu. A rise in body temperature while exercising also stops bacteria from multiplying and fights infection.

14) Enhance balance and coordination.

Cycling also enhances your balance and coordination. These qualities facilitate aspects such as body awareness and reaction time, which prevent falls from occurring, potentially resulting in worse injuries.

15) Reduces back pain.

The body posture when cycling is at its best and cyclic movement of the leg stimulates muscles in the lower back, which is where slipped discs are most likely to occur. In this way your spine is strengthened and secured against external stresses, in particular, cycling can stimulate small muscles in the spine that are difficult to affect through other exercises, which can help reduce the likelihood of slipped discs. Do you cycle on a regular basis as part of your cardio routine?

Cycling allows us to live longer.

If you have come this far in your reading, it is not hard to understand that your life most likely will be extended due to all health benefits already been addressed.

Cycling, according to one study of Tour de France participants, prolonged the average racer's longevity. Former athletes lived an average of 81.5 years, compared to 73.5 for the general population, a 17 percent increase. Another study found that even casual bike commuters benefit from switching from a car to a bike. It was projected that switching from a car to a bike can save 3 to 14 months of life. In comparison to the possible drawbacks of biking to work, a recent study found that cycling for one to 60 minutes per week could reduce the risk of early death by up to 23 percent.