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What Riding a Bicycle Does for Your Body and Mind

  • October 21, 2022
  • 5 min read
What Riding a Bicycle Does for Your Body and Mind

Riding a bicycle is an opportunity not only to actively relax, to give up stuffy and crowded public transport but also to have an effective workout. Many people choose biking as their primary exercise: riding in the park for 2-3 hours, going to the gym and exercising on exercise bikes, as well as going on a cycle or group cycling workouts. Regardless of the mode of use, the bicycle is always associated with a healthy lifestyle. Lets understand the benefits of bicycles and how to ride them correctly.

7 Benefits of Riding a Bike

Normalization of the Metabolism

Cycling is a cardio exercise that helps speed up the metabolism in the body and oxygenates the cells. The result of such a workout is the normalization of the digestive process. Especially the issue of improving digestion is relevant for people who lead a sedentary lifestyle.

The bike will help to get rid of weight and bloating in the stomach and lose extra pounds.

Strengthening the Cardiovascular System

Cardio exercise has a positive effect on the heart. It improves vascular tone and heart muscle, and comes to normalize cholesterol levels, which prevents the appearance of cholesterol plaques and cardiovascular disease.

Improvement of Brain Activity

Cycling improves brain circulation. This leads to new cells responsible for memory and thought processes. Daily bike rides stimulate creative thinking, help in finding solutions and new ideas, which has a positive effect on performance.

Development of the Vestibular Apparatus

People who have been biking for a long time have a good vestibular apparatus. The bike improves coordination of movements, and teaches you to keep your balance. Bicycle rides can get rid of the feeling of seasickness and dizziness in any transport – from the bus to the boat.

Improved Vision

Normalization of blood circulation, saturation of cells with oxygen has a positive effect on our eyes. Also, while riding our eyes focus, then switch to different objects, which improves vision, which is essential for those who bet via a 22Bet app or work in front of their PCs for hours.

Getting Rid of Depression and Stress

The higher our cortisol levels in the blood, the more stressed we are. Cycling reduces stress hormone levels both physically and psychologically.

Watching the road while riding acts like meditation. Anxious thoughts fly out of your head. One’s attention is fixed on the process, on the surrounding scenery, which changes with each meter of the road.

A low cortisol level means sound and healthy sleep, a good mood, inner peace, and no anxious thoughts in your head that you have to constantly rethink.

A Healthy Hobby

Bicycles are an environmentally friendly means of transportation. It doesn’t pollute the environment and improves your well-being. Cycling allows you to make new friends and get the whole family accustomed to healthy recreation.

Giving the bike priority, you will forget about traffic and lack of parking spaces.

Benefits of Cycling for Women

Biking not only has an overall positive effect on the entire body, but also helps in the fight against cellulite:

  • Removes fat deposits on the thighs.
  • Tightens the gluteal and calf muscles.

Regular exercise will get rid of first and second degree cellulite. Orange peel can completely disappear after three months of active training.

Cycling contributes to the prevention of varicose veins. This disease is faced by 30% of women. Varicose veins lead to the appearance of capillary meshes on the legs. Over time, the aesthetic problem develops into a disease complicated by thrombophlebitis and eczema.

Biking improves blood circulation, prevents blood stasis in the legs, which greatly reduces the likelihood of varicose veins.

Benefits of Cycling for Men

Riding a bike improves blood circulation in men’s pelvic organs. It helps prevent prostate adenoma.

Cycling also lowers blood cholesterol levels, which in most cases causes heart attacks, microstrokes and arterial hypertension.

Regular cycling will strengthen blood vessels and heart muscle.

Also, cycling is an excellent preventive measure against varicose veins. Statistically, 10% of men suffer from varicose veins.

Cycling for Weight Loss

To lose excess weight with the help of a bike, you need to choose the right vehicle. It is recommended to choose bikes with a frame 100 mm below waist level. This parameter is considered optimal for even load distribution and fast weight loss.

During training, it’s necessary to monitor the heart rate and speed. The perfect speed is 16-20 km/h. At the same time, the heart rate should be 120-150 beats per minute. If the value is higher, reduce the speed. Exceeding the permissible values means that such a load is not suitable for your body.

Interval training is effective in the fight against excess weight:

  • First stage: 30-60 seconds of riding at top speed.
  • Second stage: 2-2.5 minutes of riding in a calm measured mode.

The cycle is repeated up to five times. It’s necessary to give the body a break.

Important. To keep the body in shape, it is enough to ride every day for two hours. Beginners start training with 15 minutes a day, gradually increasing the time by 10-15 minutes.

Note. The best time for cycling training is the period from 7 pm. The morning workout is not suitable for everyone. Many people from the early morning don’t feel well, and cycling causes even more fatigue, making them sluggish. In this case, only evening riding is suitable.

Consider the weather. The heat can quickly tire you out and interrupt the lesson plan. In the cold, it’s easy to catch cold, and the lack of the right warm equipment will also have a negative impact on both health and well-being.

For cycling, choose comfortable clothing that will not restrict movement, chafe the skin, and cling to the details of the bicycle.

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