Benefits of Cycling: How Riding a Bike Improves Our Lives

Cycling can be one of the best decisions you have ever made. Riding a bike improves your fitness, your health, promotes better sleep, and is an environmentally friendly choice for transportation.

1. Riding a bike is the easiest way to exercise

You can ride a bike almost anywhere and at any time. The best part is that once you learn how, you never forget. You don’t even need to spend a fortune to exercise. Many people give up on sports because they require special skills or team sports are not their passion. To exercise on a bike, all you need is desire, a little time, and of course, a bicycle!

2. Reduces commuting time

Studies show that cycling in larger European cities is faster than traveling by car or most types of public transport. A Citroen study in the UK, for example, shows that cycling in the city takes only half the time needed to travel by car. In fact, if you drive for an astronomical hour during rush hour, your average speed will be 10 km/h, compared to an average speed of 18-22 km/h when cycling.

3. Prevents diseases and positively affects the brain

Researchers from the University of Illinois have found that cycling improves cardiovascular activity by five percent, leading to 15 percent better results in intelligence tests and other brain function assessments. This is because cycling helps build new brain cells in the hippocampus – the area responsible for memory, which deteriorates after the age of 30.

“Cycling increases blood and oxygen flow to the brain, which activates and regenerates certain receptors, thereby helping to prevent Alzheimer’s disease,” says the study’s author, Professor Arthur Kramer.

4. Cycling tones the body

Cycling has an extremely beneficial effect on the shape of the calves, provides excellent results for tightening the outer and inner thighs, and firms the buttocks. Cycling effectively tones muscles, especially in the lower body. It is very useful for people with leg or thigh impairments, as it maintains activity in these muscle groups. In addition, cycling strengthens the back muscles and abdominal muscles.

5. Promotes better sleep

Getting up early and cycling in the morning may seem like a nightmare, but it will be compensated by healthy and restful sleep at the end of the day. In a medical study conducted at Stanford University, researchers had sedentary people suffering from insomnia cycle for 20-30 minutes every day. What was the result? The time it took for insomniacs to fall asleep was halved, and their sleep duration increased by almost an hour.

“Being active outdoors exposes you to daylight,” explains Professor Jim Horne from Loughborough University. “This helps restore metabolism to a normal state and also releases the body from cortisol (the stress hormone), which can prevent sleep problems.”

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