Lose weight, gain breath and muscle tone: pedaling can change your life. Discover 10 Benefits of cycling for your health.
In a world that does not stop changing, the use of bicycles as a means of transport is increasing more and more. Whether to escape traffic jams or adopt a healthier lifestyle, there are plenty of reasons to start cycling.
In addition to being a cheap and sustainable means of transport, a bicycle is also a tool for those who just want to exercise. And its use, no matter for what purpose, is only good for health! Want to know what benefits you can have when pedaling? MetLife has listed 10 for you!
1. Lose weight
Cycling is an exercise that speeds up your metabolism, that is, it makes your body burn calories faster. The result is less accumulation of fat in the body and, consequently, a slimmer silhouette.
2. Improves muscle tone
Like all physical exercise, pedaling requires muscle strength. Therefore, cycling regularly will make you gain muscle strength and tone, especially in the lower part of your body. Pushing the pedals engages your quadriceps, thigh muscles, and glutes. The arms and shoulders are also used, especially when gripping the handlebars on both sides to climb steep hills.
3. Provides well-being
Have you ever seen someone pedaling with an angry or sad expression? Probably not, since pedaling causes your organism to release endorphins and serotonins, hormones that cause a feeling of pleasure.
So, in addition to doing good for the body, riding a bike helps fight depression, anxiety, and stress.
4. Increases breath
If you’ve ever seen a cyclist going up a steep hill, you might have wondered: how does he do it? The answer lies in strengthened lungs.
When you pedal, you need more oxygen and you end up exercising your breathing more. Over time, it begins to gain breath to withstand not only the long climbs but pedaling for long distances.
The gain in physical resistance goes beyond pedaling moments and will be useful for all your day-to-day activities, such as playing with your children and climbing stairs.
5. Does not harm joints
Unlike other activities, such as running, in cycling, your contact with the ground is not in charge of your legs and feet. This makes all the impact transmitted to the joints, especially in the feet and knees, small.
So if you have any physical restrictions for activities like running, playing tennis, or football, you already know that the solution is to invest in a bike.
6. Lowers cholesterol
Cycling, as you already know, speeds up metabolism. This causes the substances that generate bad cholesterol (LDL) to be quickly burned by your body.
7. Helps prevent and control diabetes
A diabetic person can and should practice physical exercises and cycling is one of the best for this group of people. Cycling regularly helps keep blood sugar levels stable and reduces the risk of cardiovascular complications.
Those who are not diabetic but want to prevent the disease should also include this activity in their routine!
8. Controls blood pressure
That riding a bike tones your muscles you already know. What a lot of people don’t know is that pedaling also works the veins and arteries. Their contraction and relaxation process gets faster during activity, which helps lower blood pressure. Your heart thanks you!
9. Improves motor coordination
Cycling is fun and even helps to improve your hand-eye coordination. As the activity involves the whole body (arms, legs, hands), it also makes you have faster reflexes.
10. Assists in recovery from bone injuries and arthritis
Because it’s a low-impact exercise, riding a bike contributes to joint health, preventing falls and fractures. It is an ideal physical exercise to prevent osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.
Have you seen how swapping your car for a bike, at least once in a while, can change your life? This activity, accompanied by a healthy diet and regular visits to the doctor, will improve – and a lot – your quality of life! So let’s pedal!
