If you’ve been struggling to get active to maintain or improve your health, it can be a difficult path to travel. Several different “healthy activities” seem too intense or out of reach for most of us. However, bicycling offers a great alternative to helping people stay active and improve their health without a trek to the gym to break a sweat.
Bicycling provides a complete range of different options for people to tackle their health. Whether you’re a beginner and not comfortable on the open roads or interested in the world of bicycle racing, there is an opportunity for you to find a passion for your health in a meaningful way.
Here are some of the biggest reasons people can utilize bicycling to maintain or improve their health.
Understanding Cycling and Your Cardiovascular Health
Cycling offers a variety of options for individuals to exercise at their level. Whether you’re looking to get out and see the neighborhood, or if you’re venturing on a multi day bicycling tour, there are options for you. If you spend just two to four hours on your bicycle per week, there are various health benefits. These include:
- Improved strength and stamina
- An excellent total body workout
- A low impact workout that doesn’t leave joints feeling achy from harsh jarring movements
- A fun activity that keeps you active
- The ability to tailor each workout’s intensity based on your needs
- A straightforward workout approach that doesn’t require prohibitively expensive equipment or movements that are difficult to learn
Researchers suggest that individuals burn around 2,000 calories per week through exercise. Cycling offers a low-impact workout that burns about 300 calories per hour for a light to moderate activity. Higher intensity workouts can burn over 1,000 calories per hour.
Reduce the Amount of Preparation for Each Workout
Cycling activities offer individuals the ability to begin a workout by just going out of the front door. Many streets and paths are optimized for bicycle traffic, so you can even leave the car parked on your next trip to the grocery store. Of course, there are even options to exercise on your bicycle at home in the digital age. We’ve graduated beyond the monotonous exercise bike routines. Now there are options to ride in a digital world with equipment that tracks your speed and pedal cadence, or even the option for remote on-demand cycling workouts with fitness equipment like Peloton.
Start Pedaling Today
Regardless of your situation, cycling offers an opportunity to get in some healthy form of exercise while also enjoying themselves outside of the gym. There are options to join cycling classes live and in person at many gyms, or there are a variety of cycling clubs that regularly meet for outdoor rides to explore the community around you.
