What Do You Get from Cycling Every Day?
Getting around using a bicycle is a great way to travel. Be it for fitness, sightseeing, or simply just for going around your favourite parts of town, cycling regularly can give you a lot of benefits.
If you’re an everyday cycler, we’re sure that you have noticed the health benefits that regular cycling has given you. These aside, we’re also sure that you are familiar with how bicycles are a lot more environmentally friendly compared to cars and other forms of transportation. Cleaner air means a cleaner you! So, what exactly are the advantages of people who do regular cycling?
8 benefits of cycling everyday
Cycling is a great form of exercise. It also saves you time and effort – imagine traveling while getting that much-needed exercise! If you’re considering buying a bike, or simply just wondering what health benefits you may get from regular cycling, read on.
1. It helps you build endurance.
Cycling daily in Newcastle helps your lungs and heart get the exercise that they need. Cardio is the go-to form of exercise when people need to build endurance, and cycling is a great form of cardio. Give it a few months and you’ll be fit enough to run a marathon if you cycle every day.
Endurance is usually built by giving your lungs, your muscles, and your heart a regular workout, and this is exactly what cycling does. If you’ve been cycling for a long time now, we’re sure you’ve noticed that little everyday tasks like climbing up the stairs or running after your kids will seem quite easy. No more wheezing or abnormally strong heartbeats after doing these tasks. This is because your heart and lungs are a lot stronger as compared to before you were getting regular cardio training. They don’t tire out as easily. And when they don’t, you don’t either!
2. It helps you burn calories.
Cycling burns quite a number of calories. The calories burned amount to around 550 calories per hour for an average sized person. While it is true that running does burn more calories, cycling can also be used as an alternate form of transportation. Imagine running to your office instead of cycling. That probably wouldn’t make you look quite presentable after, right?
If you feel like you need to shed a few pounds or you simply want to keep yourself in great shape, then make sure that you consider cycling. Go ahead and invest in a new bike, and see the difference that it makes on your weight!
3. It helps you build up your core strength.
Core strength is the strength of your back, abdominal, pelvic, and upper leg muscles. This set of muscles helps you with a lot of everyday tasks. Are you having difficulty carrying that big box of junk to your garage? Is standing up for a long time unbearably painful for you? Build your core strength! Many of these tasks will seem a lot easier once you do.
Even though cycling doesn’t necessarily feel like it works out these muscles, just the effort to keep a proper cycling form and posture helps. Maintaining proper posture and balance while on a bike – all while pedalling – will help you build up your core. Do it regularly and you’ll be as sturdy as a tree in no time.
4. It helps your body look great.
Have you ever dreamed of having washboard abs, a well-defined back, or toned legs? Cycling will certainly help you get these!
Aside from all the calories and fats burned, cycling will also help you look better by toning your muscles and making them more well-defined. The muscles normally most affected are the ones in the legs, the abdomen, the back, and the arms. Regular cycling will help strengthen these muscles and give them more definition. This will certainly make those trips to the beach more exciting!
5. Cycling helps everyone have cleaner air.
Cycling, unlike using a car, produces zero emissions. This means that if more people cycle and use less cars, then it would definitely make the air cleaner. Sadly though, cycling in urban areas can be a tad difficult since there are cars everywhere and the air isn’t as clean as it used to be. Rural areas and the countryside are the best for cycling. This, however, doesn’t mean that using a bike in an urban area doesn’t have its merits. You still get the exercise you need, and who knows, maybe urban areas can become greener places.
6. Cycling reduces stress.
A scientific study published in 2017 found that cycling is an excellent way of reducing your stress level. According to this study, cyclists generally have lower stress levels and better moods compared to people that use cars or public transport to travel to and from work. Cycling can generally reduce pre-work stress, and can affect the cyclist until late in the day, according to the study.
Now that we have solid evidence that cycling can reduce stress, why not get to it now? It’s no longer hearsay!
7. Cycling helps you become more aware of your surroundings.
You always need to have your eyes peeled and your ears pricked up whenever you cycle to prevent unnecessary injury. Regular cyclists take this a step further. As a regular cyclist, have you noticed that you take your sharp senses everywhere you go? You just do it subconsciously, and it comes with getting used to surveying your surroundings whenever you ride. It’s just like being a superhero, but without all that extra responsibility.
8. Cycling helps you save money.
Not really a direct health benefit, but having some extra cash never hurt anyone’s stress levels! Cars are a lot more expensive to purchase compared to bikes. They’re also certainly much harder and more expensive to maintain. Moreover, you don’t need to regularly gas up a bike like you have to when you have a car.
Regular cycling offers countless benefits. Start biking today!
If you want to get started with cycling in Newcastle and Hunter, or if you’re simply looking for accessories for your bike, check out our available bikes and bike accessories here at Stead Cycles. We give the best and friendliest service in the cycling industry, and rest assured that we only carry the highest-quality products for your bike. Call 4966 2141 today or send an email to info@steadcycles.com.au for enquiries!